Mr
Edgcumbe And His Party Were Just Re-Embarking, When These Were Brought To
The Water-Side, And The Bearers Said It Was A Present From The
Areeke, That Is, The King Of The Island, To The Areeke Of The
Ship.
After this I was no longer to doubt the dignity of this sullen chief.
Early in the morning of the 7th, while the ships were unmooring, I went
ashore with Captain Furneaux and Mr Forster, in order to make some return
to the king, for his last night's present. We no sooner landed than we
found Attago, of whom we enquired for the king, whose name was Kohaghee-
too-Fallangou. He accordingly undertook to conduct us to him; but, whether
he mistook the man we wanted, or was ignorant where he was, I know not.
Certain it is, that he took us a wrong road, in which he had not gone far
before he stopped, and after some little conversation between him and
another man, we returned back, and presently after the king appeared, with
very few attendants. As soon as Attago saw him coming, he sat down under a
tree, and desired us to do the same. The king seated himself on a rising
ground, about twelve or fifteen yards from us: Here we sat facing one
another for some minutes. I waited for Attago to shew us the way; but
seeing he did not rise, Captain Furneaux and I got up, went and saluted the
king, and sat down by him. We then presented him with a white shirt, (which
we put on his back) a few yards of red cloth, a brass kettle, a saw, two
large spikes, three looking-glasses, a dozen of medals, and some strings of
beads. All this time he sat with the same sullen stupid gravity as the day
before; he even did not seem to see or know what we were about; his arms
appeared immoveable at his sides; he did not so much as raise them when we
put on the shirt. I told him, both by words and signs, that we were going
to leave his island; he scarcely made the least answer to this, or any
other thing we either said or did. We, therefore, got up and took leave;
but I yet remained near him, to observe his actions. Soon after, he entered
into conversation with Attago and an old woman, whom we took to be his
mother. I did not understand any part of the conversation; it however made
him laugh, in spite of his assumed gravity. I say assumed, because it
exceeded every thing of the kind I ever saw; and therefore think it could
not be his real disposition, unless he was an idiot indeed, as these
islanders, like all the others we had lately visited, have a great deal of
levity, and he was in the prime of life. At last he rose up, and retired
with his mother and two or three more.[6]
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