carth, and thus form a congeries of trunks, which being very close to each other, and all 1769. May. joined by a common vegetation, might eafily be Monday . mistaken for one. Though the market at the fort was now tolerably fupplied, provifions were brought more lowly a fufficient quantity used to be purchased between fun-rife and eight o'clock, but it was now become neceffary to attend the greatest part of the day. Mr. Banks, therefore, fixed his little boat up before the door of the fort, which was of great ufe as a place to trade in: hitherto we had purchased cocoa-nuts and bread-fruit for beads; but the market becoming rather flack in these articles, we were now, for the first time, forced to bring out our nails: one of our smallest size, which was about four inches long, procured us twenty cocoa-nuts, and breadfruit in proportion, so that in a short time our firft plenty was restored. On the 9th, foon after breakfast, we received Tuesday 9, a vifit from Oberea, being the first that she had made us after the lofs of our quadrant, and the unfortunate confinement of Tootahah; with her came her prefent favourite, Obadée, and Tupia: they brought us a hog and fome bread-fruit, in return for which we gave her a hatchet. We had now afforded our Indian friends a new and interesting object of curiofity, our forge, which having been fet up fome time, was almost con ftantly 1769. ftantly at work. It was now common for them May. to bring pieces of iron, which we suppose they Tuesday 9. must have got from the Dolphin, to be made into tools of various kinds; and as I was very defirous to gratify them, they were indulged, except when the fmith's time was too precious to be fpared. Oberea having received her hatchet, produced as much old iron as would have made another, with a request that another might be made of it; in this, however, I could not gratify her, upon which he brought out a broken axe, and defired it might be mended; I was glad of an opportunity to compromise the difference between us: her axe was mended, and fhe appeared to be content. They went away at night, and took with them the canoe, which had been a confiderable time at the point, but promised to return in three days. Wednef.10. On the 10th, I put fome feeds of melons and other plants into a spot of ground which had been turned up for the purpose; they had all been fealed up by the person of whom they were bought, in small bottles with rofin; but none of them came up except mustard; even the cucumbers and melons failed, and Mr. Banks is of opinion that they were spoiled by the total exclufion of fresh air. This day we learnt the Indian name of the ifland, which is OTAHEITE, and by that name I shall hereafter diftinguish it: but after great pains taken we found it utterly impoffible to teach the Indians to pronounce our names; we had, therefore, new names, confifting of fuch founds as they produced in the attempt. They called me Toote; Mr. Hicks, Hete; Molineux they renounced in abfolute despair, and called the Master Boba, from his Christian name Robert; Mr. Gore was Toarro; Dr. Solander, Torano; and Mr. Banks, Tapane; Mr. Green, Eteree; Mr. Parkinson, Patini; Mr. Sporing, Polini; Peterfgill, Petrodero; and in this manner they had now formed names for almoft every man in the fhip: in fome, however, it was not easy to find any traces of the original, and they were perhaps not mere arbitrary sounds formed upon the occafion, but fignificant words in their own language. Monkhouse, the Midshipman, who commanded the party that killed the man for stealing the mufket, they called Matte; not merely by an attempt to imitate in found the first fyllable of Monkhouse, but because Matte fignifies dead; and this probably might be the cafe with others. 1769. May. Wednef.10. CHAP. 1769. May. Friday 12. CHAP. XII. Some Ladies vifit the Fort with very uncommon Ceremonies: The Indians attend Divine Service, and in the Evening exhibit a most extraordinary Spectacle : Tubourai Tamaide falls into Temptation. FR RIDAY, the 12th of May, was distinguished by a visit from fome ladies whom we had never seen before, and who introduced themselves with fome very fingular ceremonies. Mr. Banks was trading in his boat at the gate of the fort as ufual, in company with Tootahah, who had that morning paid him a vifit, and fome other of the natives; between nine and ten o'clock, a double canoe came to the landing-place, under the awning of which fat a man and two women: the Indians that were about Mr. Banks made figns that he fhould go out to meet them, which he hafted to do; but by the time he could get out of the boat, they had advanced within ten yards of him: they then stopped, and made figns that he should do fo too, laying down about a dozen young plantain trees, and fome other fmall plants: he com 1769. May. plied, and the people having made a lane between them, the man, who appeared to be a fervant, brought fix of them to Mr. Banks by Friday 12. one of each at a time, paffing and repaffing fix times, and always pronouncing a short sentence when he delivered them. Tupia, who stood by Mr. Banks, acted as his master of the cere monies, and receiving the her |