that, upon this occafion, Oberea, and Oamo, who then adminiftered the government for his fon, had fled to the mountains; and that the conquerors burnt all the houses, which were very large, and carried away the hogs and what other animals they found. We learnt also, that the turkey and goose, which we had seen when we were with Mathiabo, the stealer of cloaks, were among the spoils; this accounted for their being found among people with whom the Dolphin had little or no communication; and upon mentioning the jaw-bones, which we had seen hanging from a board in a long houfe, we were told, that they also had been carried away as trophies, the people here carrying away the jawbones of their enemies, as the Indians of North America do the fcalps. 1769. June. Thursday 29. After having thus gratified our curiofity, we returned to our quarters, where we passed the night in perfect security · and quiet. By the next evening we arrived at Atahourou, Friday 307 the refidence of our friend Tootahah, where, the last time we paffed the night under his protection, we had been obliged to leave the best part of our clothes behind us. This adventure, however, feemed now to be forgotten on both fides. Our friends received us with great pleasure, and gave us a good fupper and a good lodging, where we fuffered neither lofs or disturbance. July. The next day, Saturday, July the ift, we got back to our fort at Matavai, having found the circuit of the island, in- Saturday 1 cluding both peninfulas, to be about thirty leagues. Upon our complaining of the want of bread-fruit, we were told, that the produce of the last season was nearly exhausted; and that what was seen sprouting upon the trees, would not be fit to use in less than three months; this accounted for our having been able to procure fo little of it in our route. Z VOL. II. While 1769. July. Saturday I While the bread-fruit is ripening upon the flats, the inhabitants are fupplied in fome meafure from the trees which they have planted upon the hills to preserve a fucceffion; but the quantity is not fufficient to prevent scarcity: they live therefore upon the four paste which they call Mahie, upon wild plantains, and ahee-nuts, which at this time are in perfection. How it happened that the Dolphin, which was here at this feafon, found fuch plenty of bread-fruit upon the trees, I cannot tell, except the feafon in which they ripen varies. At our return, our Indian friends crouded about us, and none of them came empty-handed. Though I had determined to restore the canoes which had been detained to their owners, it had not yet been done; but I now released them as they were applied for. Upon this occafion I could not but remark with concern, that these people were capable of practising petty frauds against each other, with a deliberate dishonesty, which gave me a much worse opinion of them than I had ever entertained from the robberies they committed under the ftrong temptation to which a fudden opportunity of enriching themselves with the inestimable metal and manufactures of Europe expofed them. Among others who applied to me for the release of a canoe, was one POTATTOW, a man of fome confequence, well known to us all. I confented, fuppofing the veffel to be his own, or that he applied on the behalf of a friend: he went immediately to the beach, and took poffeffion of one of the boats, which, with the affistance of his people, he began to carry off. Upon this, however, it was eagerly claimed by the right owners, who, fupported by the other Indians, clamourously reproached him for invading their property, and prepared to take the canoe from him by force. Upon this, he defired defired to be heard, and told them, that the canoe did, indeed, once belong to those who claimed it; but that I, having seized it as a forfeit, had fold it to him for a pig. This filenced the clamour, the owners, knowing that from my power there was no appeal, acquiefced; and Potattow would have carried off his prize, if the dispute had not fortunately been overheard by fome of our people who reported it to me. I gave orders immediately that the Indians should be undeceived; upon which the right owners took poffeffion of their canoe, and Potattow was fo confcious of his guilt, that neither he nor his wife, who was privy to his knavery, could look us in the face for fome time afterwards. 1769. July. Saturday.1. CHAP. XVI. An Expedition of Mr. Banks to trace the River: Marks of 1769. ON the 3d, Mr. Banks fet out early in the morning, with Monday 3. fome Indian guides, to trace our river up the valley from which it issues, and examine how far it's banks were inhabited. For about fix miles they met with houses, not far distant from each other, on each fide of the river, and the valley was every where about four hundred yards wide from the foot of the hill on one fide, to the foot of that on the other; but they were now fhewn a house which they were told was the last that they would fee. When they came up to it, the master of it offered them refreshments of cocoanuts and other fruit, of which they accepted; after a fhort ftay, they walked forward for a confiderable time; in bad way it is not easy to compute distances, but they imaginedthat they had walked about fix miles farther, following the courfe of the river, when they frequently paffed under vaults, formed by fragments of the rock, in which they were told. people who were benighted frequently paffed the night. Soon after they found the river banked by steep rocks, from. which a cascade, falling with great violence, formed a pool, fo fteep, that the Indians faid they could not pass it. They feemed, indeed, not much to be acquainted with the valley beyond this place, their business lying chiefly upon the de clivity clivity of the rocks on each fide, and the plains which extended on their fummits, where they found plenty of a wild plantain, which they called Vae. The way up these rocks from the banks of the river was in every respect dreadful; the fides were nearly perpendicular, and in fome places one hundred feet high; they were also rendered exceeding flippery by the water of innumerable springs which issued from the fiffures on the furface: yet up these precipices a way was to be traced by a fucceffion of long pieces of the bark of the Hibiscus tiliaceus, which ferved as a rope for the climber to take hold of, and affifted him in scrambling from one ledge to another, though upon these ledges there was footing only for an Indian or a goat. One of these ropes was nearly thirty feet in length, and their guides offered to affift them in mounting this pass, but recommended another at a little diftance lower down, as less difficult and dangerous. They took a view of this "better way," but found it fo bad that they did not to chufe to attempt it, as there was nothing at the top to reward their toil and hazard but a grove of the wild. plantain or Vae tree, which they had often feen before. During this excurfion, Mr. Banks had an excellent opportunity to examine the rocks, which were almost every where naked, for minerals; but he found not the least appearance of any. The ftones every where, like those of Madeira, fhewed manifest tokens of having been burnt; nor is there a fingle specimen of any ftone, among all those that were collected in the island, upon which there are not manifest and indubitable marks of fire; except perhaps some small pieces of the hatchet-stone, and even of that, other fragments were collected which are burnt almost to a pumice. Traces of fire are also manifest in the very clay upon the hills; and it may, therefore, not unreasonably be fuppofed, that this, and the neighbouring iflands, are either hattered remains of. 1769. July. Monday 3. |