of the island. The natives had been digging them up as fast
as they could from a field close to the landing-place, till a person
arrived who appeared to be the rightful owner, and who drove all the
rest away.

As Captain Cook was unable to walk any distance, he sent Lieutenants
Pickersgill and Edgecombe, with a party of men armed, to explore the
country. They were at first pressed on by a crowd of the natives, till
a man appeared, tattooed and painted, who drove them away, and then,
hoisting a piece of white cloth on a spear, marched forward at the head
of the party. A considerable portion of the island was barren and
stony, but in other parts were plantations of potatoes, plantains, and
sugar-canes. Water was very scarce, and hardly drinkable. Some huts
were found, the owners of which came out with roasted potatoes and
sugar-canes, and as the party marched in single file on account of the
narrow path, gave some to each man as he passed by. They distributed
water in the same manner. On the east side, near the sea, three ruinous
platforms of stone were met with, on each of which had stood four large
statues; but most of them had fallen down and been broken. Mr Wales
measured an entire one, and found it to be fifteen feet in length and
six feet across the shoulders. On the head of each statue was a large
cylinder of a red-coloured stone. One of these cylinders, which was
measured, was fifty-two inches high, and sixty-six in diameter. There
were others, however, very much larger. Some of them were perfectly
round, others had a cavity worked out, in the upper edge, for a quarter
of the way round.

The opposite side of the island to this, to which their guide conducted
them, was full of these gigantic statues, some placed in groups, on
masonry, others single, fixed only in the earth. The latter were much
larger than the others. One which had fallen down was twenty-seven feet
high and eight feet across the shoulders; and yet this was much shorter
than one they found standing--its shade being sufficient to shelter
their party of nearly thirty persons from the rays of the sun at about
two o'clock. Near this place was a hill, from which a view of the whole
island was obtained. Not a creek large enough even for a boat was seen,
nor any indication of fresh water. In a small hollow on the highest
part of the island several cylinders were found, and Mr Wales was of
opinion that the quarry had been at that spot, an