Having understood that there was another vessel among the group previous to our misfortune, it was determined by the captain, with the consent of the King, to proceed in the boat, with a crew, up to the Island of Bow, about 90 miles distant, to learn the fate of the vessel and if he found her safe to request the captain to come to our relief. Accordingly, on the 28th March, having fitted sails for the boat, layed in stores and ammunition, the captain, left us and proceeded on his voyage. The King supplied us with yams and gave us a number of presents of clothes, and we continued to live on the most friendly terms with the natives. We were tolerably acquainted with their language and from a long acquaintance with them we were soon able to conform in some degree to the customs and manners. We found our King was the sovereign over a large part of the island of Tackanova (the second largest of the Group) and a number of smaller islands over which he reigned with an absolute sway. But he was subject to the King of Bow who was the great sovereign of the whole group. The natives of these islands are remarkable from the other natives in these seas, not only from their extreme savage dispositions and eagerness to kill and eat their enemies, but from the dark colour of their skins and the manner in which they dress their hair. They allow it to grow at full length, when it is made very stiff by applying a mixture made of the ashes of burnt coral and then dyed in various colours; the grown people having it always black, when they pick it up into many curious shapes and being very thick and bushy their heads present a very singular and frightful appearance. Their bodies are nearly naked, with no covering except a piece of cloth made from the bark of a tree, wrapped around the waist; though they oil themselves with cocoanut oil which serves to protect their bodies from the rays of the sun and renders the skin soft and pliable. The females wear a covering made of a sort of grass which is curiously interwoven and being of different colours presents a handsome appearance. Their bodies are oiled and their hair dressed the same as the men. Both sexes always lie with their necks resting on a stick so as not to injure the shape of their hair. The females, although at the complete disposal of the men, are not treated with great severity. They assist in tilling the ground, fishing and cooking; though a great part of their time is spent in fixing their hair. They display considerable ingenuity in making earthen-pots (which much resemble ours) and in making cloth nets.