State Library of NSW
[Page 392]
Oheteroa
the stings of Sting rays & the clubs or pikes which must do more execution by their weight than their sharpness were not more than half so heavy as the smallest I have seen in the other Islands - defensive weapons I saw none they however guarded themselves against such weapons as their own by matts folded & laid upon their breasts & bellys under their other cloths
Of the few things we saw among these people every one was ornamented infinitely superior to any thing we had before seen their cloth was better coulourd as well as nicely painted their clubs were better cut out & polishd the Canoe which we saw tho a very small & very narrow one was nevertheless carvd & ornamented very highly one thing particularly in her seemd to be calculated more for shew than use whi rather for the ornaments of a thing that was never intended to go into the water than a boat which was two lines of small white feathers that were placd on the outside of the canoe which were when we saw them totaly wet with the water
After leaving these unhospitable people we Stood to the Southward as usual & had in the evening a great dew which wetted every thing.
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