retreated with fome haste and confufion, but was foon made to understand, that fuch amours gave no occafion to fcandal, and that Obadée was univerfally known to have been felected by her as the object of her private favours. The lady being too polite to fuffer Mr. Banks to wait long in her antichamber, dreffed herself with more than usual expedition, and as a token of fpecial grace, clothed him in a fuit of fine cloth and proceeded with him to the tents. In the evening Mr. Banks paid a vifit to Tubourai Tamaide, as he had often done before, by candle light, and was equally grieved and surprised to find him and his family in a melancholy mood, and most of them in tears: he endeavoured in vain to discover the cause, and therefore his stay among them was but short. When he reported this circumftance to the officers at the fort, they recollected that Owhaw had foretold, that in four days we should fire our great guns; and as this was the eve of the third day, the fituation in which Tubourai Tamaide and his family had been found, alarmed them. The fentries therefore were doubled at the fort, and the gentlemen slept under arms; at two in the morning, Mr. Banks himself went round the point, but found every thing fo quiet, that he gave up all fufpicions of mischief intended by the natives as groundless. We had however another fource of fecurity; our little fortification was now complete.

A a 4

176 April. Saturd, 29,

1769.

April.

plete. The north and fouth fides confifted of a bank of earth four feet and an half high on the inSaturd. 29. fide, and a ditch without ten feet broad and fix deep; on the weft fide, facing the bay, there was a bank of earth four feet high, and pallifadoes upon that, but no ditch, the works here being at highwater mark; on the east fide, upon the bank of the river, was placed a double row of water-casks, filled with water; and as this was the weakest fide, the two four pounders were planted there, and fix fwivel guns were mounted fo as to command the only two avenues from the woods. Our garrifon confifted of about five and forty men with small arms, including the officers, and the gentlemen who refided on fhore; and our fentries were as well relieved as in the best regu. lated frontier in Europe.

Sunday 30.

We continued our vigilance the next day, though we had no particular reafon to think it neceffary; but about ten o'clock in the morning, Tomio came running to the tents, with a mixture of grief and fear in her countenance, and taking Mr. Banks, to whom they applied in every emergency and distress, by the arm, intimated that Tubourai Tamaide was dying, in confequence of fomething which our people had given him to eat, and that he must inftantly go with her to his houfe. Mr. Banks fet out without delay, and found his Indian friend leaning his head against a poft, in an attitude of the utmost

moft languor and defpondency, the people
about him intimated that he had been vomiting,
and brought out a leaf folded with
up great care,
which they said contained some of the poison, by
the deleterious effects of which he was now
dying. Mr. Banks hastily opened the leaf, and
upon examining its contents found them to be no
other than a chew of tobacco, which the chief
had begged of fome of our people, and which
they had indifcreetly given him: he had ob-
served that they kept it long in the mouth, and
being defirous of doing the fame, he had chew-
ed it to powder, and fwallowed the fpittle.
During the examination of the leaf and its con-
tents, he looked up at Mr. Banks with the most
piteous afpect, and intimated that he had but a
very fhort time to live. Mr. Banks, however,
being now mafter of his disease, directed him to
drink plentifully of cocoa-nut milk, which in a
short time put an end to his fickness and appre.
henfions, and he spent the day at the fort with
that uncommon flow of cheerfulness and good-
humour, which is always produced by a fudden
and unexpected relief from pain either of body
or mind.

Captain Wallis having brought home one of
the adzes which these people, having no metal
of
any kind, make of ftone, Mr. Stevens, the
Secretary to the admiralty, procured one to be
made of iron in imitation of it, which I brought

out

1769. April.

Sunday 30.

1

1769.
May.

out with me, to fhew how much we excelled in making tools after their own fashion: this I had not yet produced, as it never happened to come Monday 1. into my mind. But on the first of May, Tootahah coming on board about ten o'clock in the forenoon, expreffed a great curiosity to see the contents of every cheft and drawer that was in my cabbin; as I always made a point of gratifying him, I opened them immediately, and having taken a fancy to many things that he faw, and collected them together, he at last happened to caft his eye upon this adze; he instantly snatched it up with the greatest eagerness, and putting away every thing which he had before felected, he asked me whether I would let him have that: I readily confented; and, as if he was afraid I fhould repent, he carried it off immediately in a transport of joy, without making any other request, which, whatever had been our liberality, was feldom the cafe.

About noon, a chief, who had dined with me a few days before, accompanied by fome of his women, came on board alone: I had obferved that he was fed by his women, but I made no doubt, that upon occafion he would condefcend to feed himself: in this, however, I found myfelf mistaken. When my noble guest was feated, and the dinner upon the table, I helped him to fome yictuals: as I obferved that he did not immediately

mediately begin his meal, I preffed him to eat: but he still continued to fit motionless like a statue, without attempting to put a single morfel into his mouth, and would certainly have gone without his dinner, if one of the fervants had not fed him.

1769.

May.

Monday 1.

CHAP.