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her friend, came up and faluted him. He made fuch presents to them both, as he thought would be most acceptable, and after having ftaid about an hour they went away. In the evening the Gentlemen at the fort had a visit from Oberea, and her favourite female attendant, whofe name was ОTHEOTHEA, an agreeable girl, whom they were the more pleased to see, because, having been some days abfent, it had been reported she was either fick or dead.

On the 13th, the market being over about ten o'clock, Mr. Banks walked into the woods with his gun, as he generally did, for the benefit of the fhade in the heat of the day as he was returning back, he met Tubourai Tamaide, near his occafional dwelling, and stopping to spend a little time with him, he suddenly took the gun out of Mr. Banks's hand, cocked it, and, holding it up in the air, drew the trigger: fortunately for him, it flashed in the pan : Mr. Banks immediately took it from him, not a little furprised how he had acquired fufficient knowledge of a gun to discharge it, and reproved him with great feverity for what he had done. As it was of infinite importance to keep the Indians totally ignorant of the management of fire-arms, he had taken every opportunity of intimating that they could never offend him fo highly as by even touching his piece; it was

now

nów proper to enforce this prohibition, and he

1769.

May.

therefore added threats to his reproof: the Indian bore all patiently; but the moment Mr. Saturday13. Banks croffed the river, he set off with all his family and furniture for his house at Eparre. This being quickly known from the Indians at the fort, and great inconvenience being apprehended from the displeasure of this man, who upon all occafions had been particularly useful, Mr. Banks determined to follow him without delay, and folicit his return: he fet out the fame evening, accompanied by Mr. Mollineux, and found him fitting in the middle of a large circle of people, to whom he had probably related what had happened, and his fears of the confequences; he was himself the very picture of grief and dejection, and the fame paffions were strongly marked in the countenances of all the people that furrounded him. When Mr. Banks and Mr. Mollineux went into the circle, one of the women expreffed her trouble, as Terapo had done upon another occafion, and ftruck a fhark's tooth into her head feveral times, till it was covered with blood. Mr. Banks loft no time in putting an end to this univerfal diftrefs; he af fured the Chief, that every thing which had paffed fhould be forgotten, that there was not the leaft animofity remaining on one fide, nor any thing to be feared on the other. The

VOL. II.

C c

Chief

1769 Chief was foon foothed into confidence and comMay. placency, a double canoe was ordered to be got Saturday 13 ready, they all returned together to the fort before fupper, and as a pledge of perfect reconciliation, both he and his wife flept all night in Mr. Banks's tent: their prefence, however, was no palladium; for, between eleven and twelve o'clock, one of the natives attempted to get into the fort by fcaling the walls, with a defign, no doubt, to fteal whatever he should hap pen to find; he was difcovered by the centinel, who happily did not fire, and he ran away much fafter than any of our people could follow him. The iron, and iron-tools, which were in continual use at the armourer's forge, that was set up within the works, were temptations to theft which none of these people could withstand.

Sunday 14.

Mr.

On the 14th, which was Sunday, I directed that Divine Service fhould be performed at the fort: we were defirous that some of the principal Indians fhould be prefent, but when the hour came, moft of them were returned home. Banks, however, croffed the river, and brought back Tubourai Tamaide and his wife Tomio, hoping that it would give occafion to fome inquiries on their part, and fome inftruction on ours having feated them, he placed himself between them, and during the whole service, they very attentively obferved his behaviour,

and

1769.

May.

and very exactly imitated it; standing, fitting, or kneeling, as they faw him do: they were conscious that we were employed about fomewhat Sunday 14. ferious and important, as appeared by their calling to the Indians without the fort to be filent; yet when the service was over, neither of them asked any questions, nor would they attend to any attempt that was made to explain what had been done.

Such were our Matins; our Indians thought fit to perform Vefpers of a very different kind. A young man, near fix feet high, performed the rites of Venus with a little girl about eleven or twelve years of age, before several of our people, and a great number of the natives, without the leaft fenfe of its being indecent or improper, but, as appeared, in perfect conformity to the custom of the place. Among the spectators were several women of fuperior rank, particularly Oberea, who may properly be said to have affifted at the ceremony; for they gave inftructions to the girl how to perform her part, which, young as she was, fhe did not seem much to stand in need of.

This incident is not mentioned as an object of idle curiofity, but as it deferves confideration in determining a question which has been long debated in philofophy; Whether the shame attending certain actions, which are allowed on all fides to be in themselves innocent, is implanted

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1769. May.

in Nature, or fuperinduced by custom? If it has its origin in custom, it will, perhaps, be found diffiSunday 14. cult to trace that custom, however general, to

Monday 15.

its fource; if in inftinct, it will be equally difficult to discover from what cause it is fubdued, or at least over-ruled among these people, in whose manners not the leaft trace of it is to be found.

On the 14th and 15th, we had another opportunity of observing the general knowledge which these people had of any defign that was formed among them. In the night between the 13th and 14th, one of the water-cafks was ftolen from the outfide of the fort: in the morning, there was not an Indian to be feen who did not know that it was gone; yet they appeared not to have been trusted, or not to have been worthy of truft; for they feemed all of them disposed to give intelligence where it might be found. Mr. Banks traced it to a part of the bay where he was told it had been put into a canoe, but as it was not of great confequence he did not complete the discovery. When he returned, he was told by Tubourai Tamaide, that another cask would be ftolen before the morning: how he came by this knowledge it is not eafy to imagine; that he was not a party in the design is certain, for he came with his wife and his family to the place where the water cafks ftood, and placing their beds near them, he said he would

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