1769. May.

Tuesday 2.

other small matters, which in their hurry they had put into a pistol-case, that Mr. Banks knew to be his property, it having been fome time before stolen from the tents, with a horse piftol in it, which he immediately demanded, and which was alfo reftored.

Mr. Green was impatient to fee whether all that had been taken away was returned, and upon examining the box found the stand, and a few small things of less consequence, wanting; feveral perfons were fent in fearch of thefe, and most of the small things were returned: but it was fignified that the thief had not brought the ftand fo far, and that it would be delivered to our friends as they went back; this being confirmed by Tubourai Tamaide, they prepared to return, as nothing would then be wanting but what might eafily be fupplied; and after they had advanced about two miles, I met them with my party, to our mutual fatisfaction, congratulating each other upon the recovery of the quadrant, with a pleasure proportioned to the importance of the

event.

About eight o'clock, Mr. Banks with Tubourai Tamaide got back to the fort; when, to his great furprize, he found Tootahah in cuftody, and many of the natives in the utmost terror and distress, crowding about the gate. He went haftily in, fome of the Indians were fuffered to follow him, and the scene was extremely affecting. Tubourai Tamaide preffing forward, ran up to Tootahah, and catching him in his arms, they both burst into tears, and wept over each other, without being able to speak: the other Indians were alfo 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

furprized

furprized and concerned at what had happened, the confining Tootahah being contrary to my orders, and therefore instantly set him at liberty. Upon enquiring 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 fuppofed I fhould refent, in proportion to our apparent injury by the lofs, had fo 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 Second Lieutenant, who was left in command on board the fhip, 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 fea; and that Tootahah, being unfortunately one of the number, the Boatswain took him up, and brought him to the ship, suffering the rest of the people to fwim on fhore: that Mr. Gore, not fufficiently 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 Gore, did not think himself at liberty to dismiss him.

The notion that we intended to put him to death had pofsessed him so strongly, 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 circumstances, and every one preffed forward to embrace him. Sudden joy is commonly liberal, without a scrupulous regard to merit; and Tootahah, in the first expansion of his heart, upon being unexpectedly restored to liberty and life, infifted upon our receiving a prefent of two hogs; though, being confcious that upon this occafion we had no claim to favours, we refufed them many times.

$769. May.

Wednef. 3.

Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander attended the next morning in their ufual capacity of market-men, but very few Indians appeared, and those who came brought no provisions. Tootahah, however, fent fome 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 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 it, and joined us at the fort, where he spent the day, and flept on board the canoe at night. About noon, some 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 good-will: he found them civil, but they all complained of the ill-treatment of their Chief ; who, they said, had been beaten and pulled by the hair. Mr. Banks endeavoured to convince them, that he had fuffered no perfonal violence, which to the best of our knowlege was true; yet, perhaps the Boatfwain had behaved with a brutality which he was afraid or ashamed to acknowledge. The Chief himself being, probably, upon recollection, of opinion that we had ill-deserved the hogs, which he had left with us. as a prefent, fent a meffenger in the afternoon to demand an ax, and a shirt 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 should see him, hoping that his impatience might induce him to fetch them, and knowing that abfence would probably continue the coolness between us, to which the firft interview might put an end.

The

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 supplied that we were in want of neceffaries. Mr. Banks therefore went into the woods to Tubourai Tamaide, and with some difficulty perfuaded him to let us have five baskets of breadfruit; a very seasonable supply, as they contained above one hundred and twenty. In the afternoon another messenger arrived from Tootahah for the ax 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 provisions, I fent word that Mr. Banks and myself would vifit him on the morrow, and bring what he wanted with us.

1769.

May.

Thursday 4.

Early the next morning he fent again to remind me of my Friday 50promise, 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 found the people waiting for us in great numbers upon the shore, so 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 flick 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 Tootabah, "Tootahah is your friend." We found him, like an ancient Patriarch, fitting under a tree, with a num-ber of venerable old men ftanding round him; he made a fign to us to fit down, and immediately afked for his ax:

6.

this

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1769. May.

Friday 5.

this I prefented to him, with an upper garment of broadcloth, made after the country fashion, and trimmed with tape, to which I also added a fhirt: he received them with great fatisfaction, and immediately put on the garment; but the fhirt he gave to the perfon 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 feveral 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 flow himself in his new finery to the people, but we wronged him, for it was to give directions for our refreshment and entertainment. While we were waiting for his return the last time he left us, very impatient to be difmiffed, as we were almoft fuffocated in the croud, word was brought us, that he expected us elfewhere: we found him fitting under the awning of our own boat, and making figns that we should come to him: as many of us therefore went on board as the boat would hold, and he then ordered bread-fruit and cocoa-nuts to be brought, of both which we tafted, rather to gratify him than because we had a defire to eat. A meffage was foon after brought him, upon which he went out of the boat, and we were in a fhort time defired to follow. We were conducted to a large area or court-yard, which was railed round with bamboos about three feet high, on one fide of his houfe, where an entertainment was provided for us, entirely new: this was a wrestling match. At the upper end of the area fat the Chief, and feveral of his principal men were ranged on each fide of him, so as to form a femicircle; thefe were the judges, by whom the victor was to be applauded; feats were also left for us at each end of the line, but we chofe rather to be at liberty among the reft of the fpectators.

When