1769. June. Wednef.28. fore; and when we had coafted about two thirds of it, we determined to go on fhore for the night. We faw a large house at some distance, which, Mathiabo informed us, belonged to one of his friends; and foon after feveral canoes. came off to meet us, having on board fome very handsome women, who, by their behaviour, feemed to have been fent to entice us on fhore. As we had before refolved to take up our refidence here for the night, little invitation was neceffary. We found that the house belonged to the Chief of the diftrict, whofe name was WIVEROU: he received us in a very friendly manner, and ordered his people to assist us in dreffing our provifion, of which we had now got a tolerable ftock. When our fupper was ready, we were conducted into that part of the house where Wiverou was fitting, in order to eat it; Mathiabo fupped with us, and Wiverou calling for his fupper at the fame time, we eat our meal very fociably, and with great goodhumour. When it was over, we began to inquire where we were to fleep, and a part of the house was fhewn us, of which we were told we might take poffeffion for that purpose. We then fent for our cloaks, and Mr. Banks began to undress, as his cuftom was, and, with a precaution which he had been taught by the lofs of the jackets at Atahourou, fent his clothes aboard the boat, propofing to cover himself with a piece of Indian cloth. When Mathiabo perceived what was doing, he also pretended to want a cloak; and, as he had behaved very well, and done us fome fervice, a cloak was ordered for him. We lay down, and observed that Mathiabo was not with us; but we fuppofed that he was gone to bathe, as the Indians always do before they fleep. We had not waited long, however, when an Indian, who was a ftranger to us, came and told Mr. Banks, that the cloak and Mathiabo had difappeared together. This man had fo far gained our confidence, that we did not at first believe the report; but it being foon after confirmed by Tuahow, our own Indian, we knew no time was to be lost. As it was impoffible for us to pursue the thief with any hope of fuccefs, without the affiftance of the people about us, Mr. Banks started up, and telling our cafe, required them to recover the cloak; and to enforce this requifition, fhewed one of his pocket-piftols, which he always kept about him. Upon the fight of the piftol, the whole company took the alarm, and, instead of affifting to catch the thief, or recover what had been stolen, began with great precipitation to leave the place; one of them, however, was feized, upon which he immediately offered to direct the chase: I fet out therefore with Mr. Banks, and though we ran all the way, the alarm had got before us, for in about Ff 2 1769. June. Wednef. 28. 1769. June. about ten minutes we met a man bringing back the cloak, which the thief had relinquishWednef. 28. ed in great terror; and as we did not then think fit to continue the purfuit, he made his escape. When we returned, we found the house, in which there had been between two and three hundred people, entirely deferted. It being, however, foon known that we had no refentment against any body but Mathiabo, the Chief, Wiverou, our host, with his wife and many others, returned, and took up their lodgings with us for the night. In this place, however, we were destined to more confufion and trouble, for about five o'clock in the morning our fentry alarmed us, with an account that the boat was miffing: he had seen her, he said, about half an hour before, at her grappling, which was not above fifty yards from the fhore; but, upon hearing the found of oars, he had looked out again, and could fee nothing of her. At this account we and ran to the water ftarted up greatly alarmed, their enterprise: we were but four, with only one mufquet and two pocket piftols, without a spare ball or charge of powder for either. In this state of anxiety and diftrefs we remained at confiderable time, expecting the Indians every moment to improve their advantage, when, to our unfpeakable fatisfaction, we faw the boat return, which had been driven from her grappling by the tide, a circumftance to which, in our confufion and surprise, we did not advert. 1769. June. Wednes, 28. As foon as the boat returned, we got our Thurd, 29, breakfast, and were impatient to leave the place, left fome other vexatious accident fhould befal us. It is fituated on the north fide of Tiarrabou, the south east peninfula, or divifion, of the ifland, and at the diftance of about five miles. fouth-east from the ifthmus, having a large and commodious harbour, inferior to none in the island, about which the land is very rich in produce. Notwithstanding we had had little com*munication with this divifion, the inhabitants every where received us in a friendly manner; we found the whole of it fertile and populous, and, to all appearance, in a more flourishing ftate than Opoureonu, though it is not above one fourth part as large. The next district in which we landed, was the last in Tiarrabou, and governed by a Chief, whose name we understood to be OмOE. Omoe was building a house, and being therefore very defirous Ff3 1769. June. We defirous of procuring a hatchet, he would have been glad to have purchased one with any thing Thurid. 29. that he had in his poffeffion; it happened, however, rather unfortunately for him and us, that we had not one hatchet left in the boat. offered to trade with nails, but he would not part with any thing in exchange for them; we therefore reimbarked, and put off our boat, but the Chief being unwilling to relinquish all hope of obtaining something from us that would be of use to him, embarked in a canoe, with his wife WHANNO-OUDA, and followed us. After fome time, we took them into the boat, and when we had rowed about a league, they defired we would put afhore: we immediately complied with his requeft, and found fome of his people, who had brought down a very large hog. We were as unwilling to lofe the hog, as the Chief was to part with us, and it was indeed worth the best axe we had in the ship; we therefore hit upon an expedient, and told him, that if he would bring his hog to the fort at MATAVAI, the Indian name for Port Royal bay, he fhould have a large axe, and a nail into the bargain, for his trouble. To this propofal, after having confulted with his wife, he agreed, and gave us a large piece of his country cloth as a pledge that he would perform his agreement, which, however, he never did. At |