I Believe This Is The Strongest Mark Of Friendship They Can Show
To A Stranger.
He enquired after Tupia, and all the gentlemen, by name, who
were with me when I first visited the island.
After we had made the chief
and his friends the necessary presents, we went on board with a hog, and
some fruit, received from him in return; and in the afternoon he gave me
another hog, still larger, without asking for the least acknowledgment.
Exchanges for fruit, &c. were mostly carried on alongside the ships. I
attempted to trade for these articles on shore, but did not succeed, as the
most of them were brought in canoes from distant parts, and carried
directly to the ships.
After breakfast, on the 10th, Captain Furneaux and I paid the chief a
visit; and we were entertained by him with such a comedy, or dramatic
heava, as is generally acted in these isles. The music consisted of
three drums, the actors were seven men, and one woman, the chief's
daughter. The only entertaining part in the drama, was a theft committed by
a man and his accomplice, in such a masterly manner, as sufficiently
displayed the genius of the people in this vice. The theft is discovered
before the thief has time to carry off his prize; then a scuffle ensues
with those set to guard it, who, though four to two, are beat off the
stage, and the thief and his accomplices bear away their plunder in
triumph. I was very attentive to the whole of this part, being in full
expectation that it would have ended very differently. For I had before
been informed that Teto (that is, the Thief) was to be acted, and
had understood that the theft was to be punished with death, or a good
tiparahying (or beating), a punishment, we are told, they inflict on
such as are guilty of this crime. Be this as it may, strangers are
certainly excluded from the protection of this law; them they rob with
impunity, on every occasion that offers. After the play was over, we
returned on board to dinner; and in the cool of the evening took a walk on
shore, where we learnt from one of the natives, that nine small islands,
two of which were uninhabited, lay to the westward, at no great distance
from hence.[1]
On the 11th, early in the morning, I had a visit from Oreo and his son, a
youth about twelve years of age. The latter brought me a hog and some
fruit; for which I made him a present of an axe, and dressed him in a
shirt, and other things, which made him not a little proud of himself.
Having staid some hours, they went on shore; as I also did soon after, but
to another part. The chief hearing I was on shore, came to the place where
he found the boat, into which he put a hog and a quantity of fruit, without
saying a word to any body, and, with some of his friends, came on board,
and dined with us.
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