The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VII. Being the Third of the Third VoyageKing, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VII. Being the Third of the Third Voyage
King, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
The line which they use for fishing, for making nets, and for other
domestic purposes, is of different degrees of fineness, and is made of
the bark of the _touta_, or cloth tree, neatly and evenly twisted, in
the same manner as our common twine; and may be continued to any length.
They have a finer sort, made of the bark of a small shrub called
_areemah_; and the finest is made of human hair; but this last is
chiefly used for things of ornament. They also make cordage of a
stronger kind, for the rigging of their canoes, from the fibrous
coatings of the cocoa-nuts. Some of this we purchased for our own use,
and found it well adapted to the smaller kinds of running rigging. They
likewise make another sort of cordage, which is flat, and exceedingly
strong, and used principally in lashing the roofing of their houses, or
whatever they wish to fasten tight together. This last is not twisted
like the former sorts, but is made of the fibrous strings of the
cocoa-nut’s coat, plaited with the fingers, in the manner our sailors
make their points for the reefing of sails.
The gourds, which grow to so enormous a size, that some of them are
capable of containing from ten to twelve gallons, are applied to all
manner of domestic purposes; and in order to fit them the better to
their respective uses, they have the ingenuity to give them different
forms, by tying bandages round them during their growth. Thus, some of
them are of a long, cylindrical form, as best adapted to contain their
fishing-tackle; others are of a dish form, and these serve to hold their
salt, and salted provisions, their puddings, vegetables, &c.; which two
sorts have neat close covers, made likewise of the gourd; others again
are exactly the shape of a bottle with a long neck, and in these they
keep their water. They have likewise a method of scoring them with a
heated instrument, so as to give them the appearance of being painted,
in a variety of neat and elegant designs.
Amongst their arts, we must not forget that of making salt, with which
we were amply supplied, during our stay at these islands, and which was
perfectly good of its kind. Their salt pans are made of earth, lined
with clay; being generally six or eight feet square, and about eight
inches deep. They are raised upon a bank of stones near the high water
mark, from whence the salt water is conducted to the foot of them, in
small trenches, out of which they are filled, and the sun quickly
performs the necessary process of evaporation. The salt we procured at
Atooi and Oneeheow, on our first visit, was of a brown and dirty sort;
but that which we afterward got in Karakakooa Bay, was white, and of a
most excellent quality, and in great abundance. Besides the quantity we
used in salting pork, we filled all our empty casks, amounting to
sixteen puncheons, in the Resolution only.
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