It Was Easy To
See How Well Pleased Every One Present Was, With The Means I Took To Obtain
It.
With one voice they gave their consent, Paowang joining his also, which
he perhaps could not have done without the others; for I do not know that
he had either more property, or more authority, than the rest.
This point
being obtained, I took our friend on board to dinner, and after it was
over, went with him ashore, to pay a visit to an old chief, who was said to
be king of the island; which was a doubt with me. Paowang took little or no
notice of him. I made him a present, after which he immediately went away,
as if he got all he came for. His name was Geogy, and they gave him the
title of Areeke. He was very old, but had a merry open countenance. He wore
round his waist a broad red-and-white chequered belt, the materials and
manufacture of which seemed the same as that of Otaheite cloth; but this
was hardly a mark of distinction. He had with him a son, not less than
forty-five or fifty years of age. A great number of people were at this
time at the landing-place, most of them from distant parts. The behaviour
of many was friendly; while others were daring and insolent, which I
thought proper to put up with, as our stay was nearly at an end.
On the 17th, about ten o'clock, I went ashore, and found in the crowd old
Geogy and his son, who soon made me understand that they wanted to dine
with me; and accordingly I brought them and two more on board.
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