1769. May. ing. Tubourai Tamaide preffing forward, ran up to Tootahah, and catching him in his arms, they both burst into tears, and wept over each Tuelday 2. other, without being able to speak: the other Indians were also in tears for their chief, both he and they being strongly poffeffed with the notion that he was to be put to death. In this fituation they continued till I entered the fort, which was about a quarter of an hour afterwards. I was equally surprised and concerned at what had happened, the confining Tootahah being contrary to my orders, and therefore instantly fet him at liberty. Upon inquiring into the affair, I was told, that my going into the woods with a party of men under arms, at a time when a robbery had been committed, which it was supposed I should refent, in proportion to our apparent injury by the lofs, had so alarmed the natives, that in the evening they began to leave the neighbourhood of the fort with their effects: that a double canoe having been seen to put off from the bottom of the bay by Mr. Gore, the fecond lieutenant, who was left in command on board the ship, and who had received orders not to fuffer any canoe to go out, he fent the boatswain with a boat after her to bring her back: that as foon as the boat came up, the Indians being alarmed, leaped into the sea; and that Tootahah, being unfortunately one of the number, the boatswain took him up, and brought VOL. II. B b him 1769. May. him to the fhip, fuffering the rest of the people to fwim on fhore: that Mr. Gore, not fufficiently Tuesday 2 attending to the order that none of the people fhould be confined, had fent him to the fort, and Mr. Hicks, the first lieutenant, who commanded there, receiving him in charge from Mr. Gore, did not think himself at liberty to dismiss him. Wednef. 3. The notion that we intended to put him to death had poffeffed him fo ftrongly, that he could not be perfuaded to the contrary till by my orders he was led out of the fort. The people received him as they would have done a father in the fame circumftances, and every one preffed forward to embrace him. Sudden joy is commonly liberal, without a fcrupulous regard to merit; and Tootahah, in the first expanfion of his heart, upon being unexpectedly restored to liberty and life, infifted upon our receiving a prefent of two hogs; though, being conscious. that upon this occafion we had no claim to favours, we refused them many times. Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander attended the next morning in their ufual capacity of marketmen, but but very few Indians appeared, and those who came brought no provifions. Tootahah, however, fent some of his people for the canoe that had been detained, which they took away. A canoe having also been detained that belonged to Oberea, TUPIA, the perfon who managed her affairs when the Dolphin was here, was fent to 1769. May. to examine whether any thing on board had been taken away and he was fo well fatisfied of the contrary, that he left the canoe where he found Wednef. 3. it, and joined us at the fort, where he spent the day, and slept on board the canoe at night. About noon, fome fishing boats came abreast of the tents, but would part with very little of what they had on board; and we felt the want of cocoa-nuts and bread-fruit very feverely. In the course of the day, Mr. Banks walked out into the woods, that by converfing with the people he might recover their confidence and goodwill: he found them civil, but they all complained of the ill-treatment of their Chief; who, they faid, had been beaten and pulled by the hair. Mr. Banks endeavoured to convince them, that he had fuffered no perfonal violence, which to the beft of our knowledge was true; yet, perhaps the Boatswain had behaved with a brutality which he was afraid or afhamed to acknowledge. The Chief himself being probably, upon recollection, of opinion that we had ill-deferved the hogs, which he had left with us as a prefent, fent a meffenger in the afternoon to demand an axe, and a fhirt, in return; but as I was told that he did not intend to come down to the fort for ten days, I excufed myself from giving them till I fhould fee him, hoping that his impatience might induce him to fetch them, and knowing that abfence would probably continue the coolness between Bb 2 1769. May. Thurfd. 4. Friday 5. between us, to which the first interview might put an end. The next day we were ftill more fenfible of the inconvenience we had incurred by giving offence to the people in the perfon of their chief, for the market was fo ill-fupplied that we were in want of neceffaries. Mr. Banks therefore went into the woods to Tubourai Tamaide, and with fome difficulty perfuaded him to let us have five baskets of bread-fruit; a very seasonable fupply, as they contained above one hundred and twenty. In the afternoon another messenger arrived from Tootahah for the axe and fhirt; as it was now become abfolutely neceffary to recover the friendship of this man, without which it would be scarcely poffible to procure provifions, I fent word that Mr. Banks and myself would vifit him on the morrow, and bring what he wanted with us. Early the next morning he fent again to remind me of my promife, and his people feemed to wait till we should set out with great impatience: I therefore ordered the pinnace, in which I embarked with Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander about ten o'clock: we took one of Tootahah's people in the boat with us, and in about an hour we arrived at his place of refidence which is called EPARRE, and is about four miles to the weftward of the tents. We We found the people waiting for us in great numbers upon the fhore, fo that it would have been impoffible for us to have proceeded, if way had not been made for us by a tall well-looking man, who had fomething like a turban about his head, and a long white ftick in his hand, with which he laid about him at an unmerciful rate. This man conducted us to the chief, while the people shouted round us, Taio Tootabab, "Too"tahah is your friend." We found him, like an ancient Patriarch, fitting under a tree, with a number of venerable old men standing round him; he made a sign to us to fit down, and immediately asked for his axe: this I prefented to him, with an upper garment of broad cloth, made after the country fashion, and trimmed with tape, to which I alfo added a fhirt: he received them with great fatisfaction, and immediately put on the garment; but the fhirt he gave to the person who had cleared the way for us upon our landing, who was now feated by us, and of whom he seemed defirous that we should take particular notice. In a fhort time, Oberea, and several other women whom we knew, came and fat down among us: Tootahah left us feveral times, but after a fhort abfence returned; we thought it had been to shew himfelf in his new finery to the people, but we wronged him, for it was to give directions for our refreshment and entertainment. While we 1769. May. Friday 5. |