I Also Had A
Party On Shore, Trading Under The Protection Of A Guard; Nothing, However,
Was Brought To Market But Fruit And Roots, Though Many Hogs Were Seen (I
Was Told) About The Houses Of The Natives.
The cry was, that they belonged
to Waheatoun the Earee de hi, or king, and him we had not yet seen,
nor, I believe, any other chief of note.
Many, however, who called
themselves Earees, came on board, partly with a view of getting
presents, and partly to pilfer whatever came in their way.
One of this sort of Earees I had, most of the day, in the cabin, and
made presents to him and all his friends, which were not few; at length he
was caught taking things which did not belong to him, and handing them out
of the quarter gallery. Many complaints of the like nature were made to me
against those on deck, which occasioned my turning them all out of the
ship. My cabin guest made good haste to be gone; I was so much exasperated
at his behaviour, that after he had got some distance from the ship, I
fired two muskets over his head, which made him quit the canoe, and take to
the water; I then sent a boat to take up the canoe, but as she came near
the shore, the people from thence began to pelt her with stones. Being in
some pain for her safety, as she was unarmed, I went myself in another boat
to protect her, and ordered a great gun, loaded with ball, to be fired
along the coast, which made them all retire from the shore, and I was
suffered to bring away two canoes without the least shew of opposition. In
one of the canoes was a little boy, who was much frightened, but I soon
dissipated his fears, by giving him beads, and putting him on shore. A few
hours after, we were all good friends again, and the canoes were returned
to the first person who came for them.
It was not till the evening of this day, that any one enquired after Tupia,
and then but two or three. As soon as they learnt the cause of his death,
they were quite satisfied; indeed, it did not appear to me, that it would
have caused a moment's uneasiness in the breast of any one, had his death
been occasioned by any other means than by sickness. As little enquiry was
made after Aotourou, the man who went away with M. de Bougainville. But
they were continually asking for Mr Banks, and several others who were with
me in my former voyage.
These people informed us, that Toutaha, the regent of the greater peninsula
of Otaheite, had been killed in a battle, which was fought between the two
kingdoms about five months before, and that Otoo was the reigning
prince. Tubourai Tamaide, and several more of our principal friends about
Matavai, fell in this battle, as also a great number of common people; but,
at present, a peace subsisted between the two kingdoms.
On the 19th, we had gentle breezes easterly, with some smart showers of
rain. Early in the morning, the boats were again sent to recover the
Adventure's anchors, but returned with the same ill success as the day
before, so that we ceased to look for them any longer, thinking ourselves
very happy in having come off so well, considering the situation we had
been in. In an excursion which Captain Furneaux and I made along the coast,
we met with a chief who entertained us with excellent fish, fruit, &c. In
return for his hospitality, I made him a present of an axe and other
things; and he afterwards accompanied us back to the ships, where he made
but a short stay.
Nothing worthy of note happened on the 20th, till the dusk of the evening,
when one of the natives made off with a musquet belonging to the guard on
shore. I was present when this happened, and sent some of our people after
him, which would have been to little purpose, had not some of the natives,
of their own accord, pursued the thief. They knocked him down, took from
him the musquet, and brought it to us. Fear, on this occasion, certainly
operated more with them than principle. They deserve, however, to be
applauded for this act of justice, for, if they had not given their
immediate assistance, it would hardly have been in my power to have
recovered the musquet, by any gentle means whatever, and by making use of
any other, I was sure to lose more than ten times its value.
The 21st, the wind was at north, a fresh breeze. This morning a chief made
me a visit, and presented me with a quantity of fruit, among which, were a
number of cocoanuts we had drawn the water from, and afterwards thrown,
over board; these he had picked up, and tied in bundles so artfully, that
we did not at first perceive the cheat; when he was told of it, without
betraying the least emotion, and, as if he knew nothing of the matter, he
opened two or three of them himself, signified to us, that he was satisfied
it was so, and then went ashore and sent off a quantity of plantains and
bananoes. Having got on board a supply of water, fruit, and roots, I
determined to sail in the morning to Matavai, as I found it was not likely
that I should get an interview with Waheatoua, without which, it was very
improbable we should get any hogs. Two of the natives, who knew my
intention, slept on board, with a view of going with us to Matavai, but, in
the morning, the wind blew fresh at N.W., and as we could not sail, I sent
the trading party on shore as usual.
In the evening, I was informed that Waheatoua was come into the
neighourhood, and wanted to see me.
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