having met with a much larger supply of hogs, fowls, etc., than we have done, I can most readily account for that, as we have found by constant experience that these people. may be frightened into anything. They have often described to us the terror which the Dolphin's gun caused them, and when we ask how many people were killed, they number names upon their fingers, some ten, some twenty, some thirty, and then say worrow worrow, the same word as is used for a flock of birds or a shoal of fish. The Dolphin's journals often serve to confirm this opinion. "When," say they, "towards the latter end of our time provisions were scarce, a party of men were sent towards Eparre to get hogs, etc., an office which they had not the smallest difficulty in performing, for the people, as we went along the shore, drove out their hogs to meet us, and would not allow us to pay anything for them."

About a mile farther on we found houses fairly plentiful on each side of the river, the valley being all this way three or four hundred yards across. We were now shown a house which proved the last we saw; the master offered us cocoanuts, and we refreshed ourselves. Beyond this we went maybe six miles (it is difficult to guess distances when roads are bad as this was, for we were generally obliged to travel along the course of the river). We passed by several hollow places under stones where, we were told, that people who were benighted slept. At length we arrived at a place where the river was banked on each side with steep rocks; and a cascade which fell from them made a pool so deep, that the Indians said we could not go beyond it-they never did. Their business lay below the rocks, on each side of the plains, above which grew great plenty of vae. The avenues to these were truly dreadful, the rocks were nearly perpendicular, one being nearly a hundred feet in height, with its face constantly wet and slippery from the water of numberless springs. Directly up the face of even this was a road, or rather a succession of long pieces of bark of Hibiscus tiliaceus, which served as a rope to take hold of and scramble from ledge to ledge, though upon these very ledges none

up

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INTERIOR OF THE ISLAND

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but a goat or an Indian could have stood. One of these ropes was nearly thirty feet in length; our guides offered to help us up this pass, but rather recommended one lower down, a few hundred yards away, which was much less dangerous. We did not choose to venture on it, as the sight which was to reward our hazard was nothing but a grove of vae trees, such as we had often seen before.

In the whole course of this walk the rocks were almost constantly bare to the view, so that I had a most excellent opportunity of searching for any appearance of minerals, but saw not the smallest sign of any. The stones everywhere showed manifest signs of having been at some time or other burnt, indeed I have not yet seen a specimen of stone in the island that has not the visible marks of fire upon it; small pieces indeed of the hatchet stone may be without them, but I have pieces of the same kind burnt almost to a pumice: the very clay upon the hills shows manifest signs of fire. Possibly the island owes its origin to a volcano, which now no longer burns, or, theoretically speaking, for the sake of those authors who balance this globe by a proper weight of continent placed near these latitudes, this necessary continent may have been sunk by dreadful earthquakes and volcanoes two or three hundred fathoms under the sea, the tops of the highest mountains only remaining above the water in the shape of islands: an undoubted proof being that such a thing now exists, to the great support of their theory, which, were it not for this proof, would have been already totally demolished by the course our ship made. from Cape Horn to this island.

4th. I employed myself in planting a large quantity of the seeds of water-melons, oranges, lemons, limes, etc., which I had brought from Rio de Janeiro; they were planted on both sides of the fort in as many varieties of soil as I could choose. I have very little doubt of the former, especially, coming to perfection, as I have given away large quantities of seed among the natives; I planted some also in the woods. The natives now continually ask me for seeds, and have already shown me melon plants of their raising which

had taken perfectly well. The seeds that Captain Cook sowed have proved so bad that not one has come up, except the mustard; even the cucumbers and melons have failed, owing probably to their having been packed in small bottles sealed down with rosin.

7th. The carpenters were this morning employed in taking down the gates and palisades of our little fortification to make us firewood for the ship, when one of the Indians made shift to steal the staple and hook of the great gate. We were immediately apprised of the theft, to the great affright of our visitors, of whom the bell-tent was full; their fears were, however, presently quieted, and I (as usual) set out on my ordinary occupation of thief-catching. The Indians most readily joined me, and away we set full cry, much like a pack of fox-hounds; we ran and walked, and walked and ran, for, I believe, six miles with as little delay as possible, when we learnt that we had very early in the chase passed our game, who was washing in a brook when he saw us coming, and hid himself in the rushes. We returned to the place, and by some intelligence which some of our people got, found a scraper which had been stolen from the ship and was hid in those very rushes; with this we returned, and Tubourai soon after brought the staple.

12th. This morning Tupia came on board; he had expressed his intention of going with us to England, a circumstance which gives me much satisfaction; he is certainly a most proper man, well born, chief Tahowa or priest of this island, consequently skilled in the mysteries of their religion; but what makes him more than anything desirable is his experience in the navigation of these people and knowledge of the islands in these seas. He has told us the names of above seventy, at most of which he has himself been. The captain refuses to take him on his own account; in my opinion sensibly enough, as the Government will never in all human probability take any notice of him. I therefore have resolved to take him; thank Heaven, I have a sufficiency, and I do not know why I may not keep him as a curiosity as well as my neighbours do lions and tigers at a

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TUPIA JOINS THE SHIP

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larger expense than he will ever probably put me to. The amusement I shall have in his future conversation, and the benefit which will be derived by this ship, as well as any other which may in the future be sent into these seas, will, I think, fully repay me. As soon as he had made his mind known, he said he would go ashore and return in the evening, when he would make a signal for a boat to be sent off for him. He took with him a miniature picture of mine to show his friends, and several little things to give them as parting presents.

CHAPTER VI

OTAHITE TO OHETEROA

JULY 13-AUGUST 14, 1769

Departure from Otahite-Huahine-Ulhietea-God-houses-Boats and boathouses-Otahah-Bola-Bola-Return to Ulhietea-Reception by natives -Dancing-Pearls-The King of Bola-Bola-Native drama-Oheteroa

-Dress-Arms.

13th July. About ten this morning we sailed from Otahite, leaving our friends, some of them at least, I really believe, personally sorry for our departure. Our nearest friends came on board at this critical time, except only Tubourai and Tamio; we had Oborea, Otheothea, Taysa, Nuna, Tuanne, Matte, Pottatow, Polothearia, etc., on board. When the anchor was weighed they took their leaves tenderly enough, not without plenty of tears, though entirely without that clamorous weeping made use of by the other Indians, several boats of which were about the ship, shouting out their lamentations, as vying with each other, not who should cry most, but who should cry loudest, a custom we had often condemned in conversation with our particular friends, as savouring more of affected than real grief.

Tupia, who after all his struggles stood firm at last in his resolution of accompanying us, parted with a few heartfelt tears, so I judge them to have been by the efforts I saw him make to hide them. He sent by Otheothea his last present, a shirt, to Potamia, Dootahah's favourite; he and I went then to the topmast-head, where we stood a long time waving to the canoes as they went off, after which he came down and showed no further signs of seriousness or concern.