Nov 21, 1788 Home Logbook Nov 23, 1788
Revised Jun 29 2021
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Fair Wr. Wind ENE to ESE. Thermr. from 81° to 84°. Employed cleaning ship and attending the Tents. In the Morning I began to make Observations for the Longd. and got all ready for establishing the Time Keeper rate. Sick list contains only one Man in the Cramp. Natives as usual and bring sufficient supplies. I have now completed four Puncheons of Salted Pork.
As the ships Head is the figure of a Woman and well carved, I directed it to be painted in colours which was no sooner done, when the cry of Myty Huheine no Pretanee was heard from every quarter and they kept gazing at it for hours. Tynah made me promise when I came again I would bring some Women out with me, and there is so little jealousy among them that Iddeah and several others requested the same thing. The Peice of history of this Woman, Tynahs Wife, which I have already related concerning her having a gallant, was to day most effectually confirmed to me by Odiddee, for her Husband leaving us after dinner, Odiddee opened the discourse to the Lady herself, and told her he had mentioned to me that Taerree was a particular friend of hers, and of the intimacy that subsisted between them, at which she laughed, but said he behaved ill for telling me of it. He seemed however not to have spoken any thing that was illiberal, for it was a matter that diverted them both for some time, and I beleive is very common in this country, wihtout any disgrace to either party.
The people in general have long Beards, but they only suffer them to grow in a tuft on the chin with a narrow rim round the edge of the jaw bone, and a rim on the upper lip. To keep the Beard in this Order they have recourse to the scale of a Fish, one of which taken between the Finger & Thumb makes an excellent pair of nippers and enables them to pluck out the smallest hairs. Where the Beards is cut short it is done by the edges of two shells, but as they are now in the possession of many pair of scissors, they are of course vastly prefered and are in high estimation.
In my excursion to day I saw some women making a
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beautiful red liquid with which they ornament their cloth. The extraordinary way this is done is the most curious peice of knowledge that these people seem to be acquainted with. Each of the Women were seated on the ground with a leaf on their laps about the size of a mans hand, and a parcell of round berrys a species of Fig the size of a small marble between them. As each of them took up the berry they broke the stem off, and from whence issuing a thick yellow juice. The few drops it contained were thrown on the leaf and repeated untill it was convered with it. These leaves are then squeezed of all their contents and the pure liquid remains fit for use.
I renewed my enquiries to day respecting the Morais and the disposal of the dead, but I found no difference in those accounts and the relation I have already given in the particulars there spoken of. However I found that the practice of embowelling was used to the superior Cheifs, and the mode of doing it, was by a man wrapping his two fore fingers round with cloth and introducing them at the anus the bowels were extracted. The Cheif thus embowelled was kept as long as the sinews held the bones together, at the expiration of which they were put into the Earth, but the inferior Order of people after a month or two were buried under the Toopapow, and indeed it is reasonable to suppose so, or otherwise the whole country would become covered with Dead bodies which is not the case.
Nov 21, 1788 Home Logbook Nov 23, 1788