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1769. May.

Wednef. 10.

and they were perhaps not mere arbitrary founds formed upon the occafion, but fignificant words in their own language. Monkhouse, the Midshipman, who commanded the party that killed the man for ftealing the musket, 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..

Friday 12.

CHA P. 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 Tar maide falls into Temptation.

RIDAY, the 12th of May, was diffinguished by a vifit from fome ladies whom we had never feen before, and who introduced themselves with some very fingular ceremo nies. 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 my Banks two women: the Indians that were about him made figns that he should 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 small plants: he complied, and the people having made a lane between them,

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Siot them, the man, who appeared to be a fervant, brought them. to Mr. Banks by 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 ceremonies, and receiving the branches as they were brought, laid them down in the boat. When. this was done, another man brought a large bundle of cloth, which having opened, he fpread piece by piece upon the ground, in the space between Mr. Banks and his visitors ; there were nine pieces, and having laid three pieces one upon another, the foremost of the women, who feemed to be the principal, and who was called OORATTOOA, ftepped upon them, and taking up her garments all round her to the waift, turned about, with great composure and deliberation, and with an air of perfect innocence and fimplicity, three times; when this was done, she dropped the veil, and stepping off the cloth, three more pieces were laid on, and the repeated the ceremony, then stepping off as before; the laft three were laid on, and the ceremony was repeated in the fame manner the third time. Immediately after this the cloth was rolled up, and given to Mr. Banks, as a prefent from the lady, who, with her friend, came up and faluted him. He made fuch presents to them both as he thought would be most acceptable, and after having flaid about an hour they went away. In the evening, the Gentlemen at the fort had a vifit from Oberea, and her favourite female attendant, whofe name was ОTHEOTHEA, an agreeable girl, whom they were the more pleased to fee, because, having been fome days abfent, it had been reported that the was either fick or dead.

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1769.

May.

Friday 12.

On the 13th, the market being over about ten o'clock, Mr. Saturday 13, 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

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1769. May.

was returning back, he met Tubourai Tamaide, near his occafional dwelling, and stopping to spend a little time with Saturday 13. him, he fuddenly 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 knowlege 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 proper to enforce this prohibition, and he therefore added threats to his reproof: the Indian bore all patiently; but the moment Mr. Banks croffed the river, he fet 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 ufeful, 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 ftrongly 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 struck 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 affured the Chief, that every thing which had paffed fhould be forgotten, that there was not

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the leaft animofity remaining on one fide, nor any thing to be feared on the other. The Chief was foon foothed into confidence and complacency, a double canoe was ordered to be got ready, they all returned together to the fort before fupper, and as a pledge of perfect reconciliation, both he and his wife slept all night in Mr. Banks's tent; their presence, however, was no palladium; for, between eleven and twelve o'clock, onę of the natives attempted to get into the fort by scaling the walls, with a defign, no doubt, to fteal whatever he should happen to find; he was discovered 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 ufe at the armourer's forge, that was fet up within the works, were temptations to theft which none of these people could withstand.

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On the 14th, which was Sunday, I directed that Divine Sunday 14 Service should be performed at the fort: we were defirous that fome of the principal Indians fhould be present, but when the hour came, most of them were returned home. Mr. Banks, however, croffed the river, and brought back Tubourai Tamaide and his wife Tomio, hoping that it would give occafion to fome enquiries on their part, and some inftruction on ours: having feated them, he placed himself between them, and during the whole fervice, they very attentively observed his behaviour, and very exactly imitated it; standing, sitting, or kneeling, as they faw him do they were confcious that we were employed about fomewhat 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.

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1769. May.

Such were our Matins; our Indians thought fit to perform Vefpers of a very different kind. A young man, near fix feet Sunday 14. 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 least sense of its being indecent or improper, but, as appeared, in perfect conformity to the custom of the place. Among the spectators were feveral women of fuperior rank, particularly Oberea, who may properly be faid to have affifted at the ceremony; for they gave inftructions to the girl how to perform her part, which, young as she was, she did not feem much to ftand in need of.

Monday 15.

This incident is not mentioned as an object of idle curiofity, but as it deserves confideration in determining a queftion which has been long debated in philosophy; Whether the shame attending certain actions, which are allowed on all fides to be in themselves innocent, is implanted in Nature, or fuperinduced by cuftom? If it has its origin in cuftom, it will, perhaps, be found difficult to trace that custom, however general, to its fource; if in inftinct, it will be equally difficult to discover from what cause it is subdued or at least over-ruled among thefe people, in whofe manners not the leaft trace of it is to be found.

On the 14th and 15th, we had another opportunity of obferving the general knowlege which thefe people had of any design that was formed among them. In the night between the 13th and 14th, one of the water-casks was stolen from the outside 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 seemed all of them difpofed to give intelligence where it might be found. Mr. Banks

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