_Arrival at Eimeo.--Two Harbours there, and an Account of them.--Visit
from Maheine, Chief of the Island.--His Person described.--A Goat
stolen, and sent back with the Thief.--Another Goat stolen, and
secreted.--Measures taken on the Occasion.--Expedition cross the
Island.--Houses and Canoes burnt.--The Goat delivered up, and Peace
restored. Some Account of the Island, &c._
As I did not give up my design of touching at Eimeo, at day-break, in
the morning of the 30th, after leaving Otaheite, I stood for the north
end of the island; the harbour which I wished to examine being at that
part of it. Omai, in his canoe, having arrived there long before us,
had taken some necessary measures to shew us the place. However, we
were not without pilots, having several men of Otaheite on board, and
not a few women. Not caring to trust entirely to these guides, I sent
two boats to examine the harbour; and, on their making the signal for
safe anchorage, we stood in with the ships, and anchored close up to
the head of the inlet, in ten fathoms water, over a bottom of soft
mud, and moored with a hawser fast to the shore.
This harbour, which is called Taloo, is situated upon the north side
of the island, in the district of Oboonohoo, or Poonohoo. It runs
in south, or south by east, between the hills, above two miles. For
security and goodness of its bottom, it is not inferior to any harbour
that I have met with at any of the islands in this ocean; and it has
this advantage over most of them, that a ship can sail in and out,
with the reigning trade wind; so that the access and recess are
equally easy. There are several rivulets that fall into it. The one,
at the head, is so considerable as to admit boats to go a quarter of
a mile up, where we found the water perfectly fresh. Its banks are
covered with the _pooroo_ tree, as it is called by the natives, which
makes good firing, and which they set no value upon; so that wood and
water are to be got here with great facility.
On the same side of the island, and about two miles to the eastward,
is the harbour of Parowroah, much larger within than that of Taloo;
but the entrance, or opening in the reef (for the whole island is
surrounded by a reef of coral rock) is considerably narrower, and lies
to leeward of the harbour. These two defects are so striking, that the
harbour of Taloo must always have a decided preference, It is a little
extraordinary, that I should have been three times at Otaheite before,
and have once sent a boat to Eimeo, and yet not know till now that
there was a harbour in it. On the contrary, I always understood there
was not. Whereas, there are not only the two above mentioned, but one
or two more on the south side of the island. But these last are not so
considerable as the two we have just described.
We had no sooner anchored, than the ships were crowded with the
inhabitants, whom curiosity alone brought on board; for they had
nothing with them for the purposes of barter. But, the next morning,
this deficiency was supplied; several canoes then arriving from more
distant parts, which brought with them abundance of bread-fruit,
cocoa-nuts, and a few hogs. These they exchanged for hatchets, nails,
and beads; for red feathers were not so much sought after here as at
Otaheite. The ship being a good deal pestered with rats, I hauled her
within thirty yards of the shore, as near as the depth of water would
allow, and made a path for them to get to the land, by fastening
hawsers to the trees. It is said, that this experiment has sometimes
succeeded; but, I believe, we got clear of very few, if any, of the
numerous tribe that haunted us.[1]
[Footnote 1: A French traveller in Greece, it is believed Sonnini,
makes mention of such an artifice having been used with success by a
vessel that put into one of the islands he visited; but in this case
the transference was made, not into the island, but into another
vessel, containing apples, of which rats are known to be exceedingly
fond. A hawser was secretly fastened to the latter, so as to form a
communication betwixt the two vessels. On the following morning, it is
said, not a rat was found in the one which originally contained them,
the whole having gone over during the night to the other. So much for
the efficacy of the stratagem. The reader will be at no loss to
decide as to the morality of having recourse to it. Mr Bingley relates
another method of getting rid of these vermin, which seems to be
abundantly serviceable, and which certainly has honesty in its favour.
The Valiant man of war, on its return from the Havannah, was so
shockingly infested with them, that they destroyed a hundred weight of
biscuit daily. The ship was smoked between decks in order to suffocate
them, which had the desired effect. In proof of this, he says,
that six hampers were for some time filled every day with the dead
animals.--E.]
In the morning of the 2d, Maheine, the chief of the island, paid me a
visit. He approached the ship with great caution, and it required
some persuasion to get him on board. Probably, he was under some
apprehensions of mischief from us, as friends of the Otaheitans; these
people not being able to comprehend how we can be friends with
any one, without adopting, at the same time, his cause against his
enemies. Maheine was accompanied by his wife, who, as I was informed,
is sister to Oamo, of Otaheite, of whose death we had an account while
we were at this island. I made presents to both of them of such things
as they seemed to set the highest value upon; and, after a stay of
about half-an-hour, they went away. Not long after, they returned with
a large hog, which they meant as a return to my present; but I made
them another present to the full value of it. After this they paid a
visit to Captain Clerke.
This chief who, with a few followers, has made himself, in a manner,
independent of Otaheite, is between forty and fifty years old. He is
bald-headed, which is rather an uncommon appearance in these islands
at that age. He wore a kind of turban, and seemed ashamed to shew his
head. But whether they themselves considered this deficiency of hair
as a mark of disgrace, or whether they entertained a notion of our
considering it as such, I cannot say. We judged that the latter
supposition was the truth, from this circumstance, that they had seen
us shave the head of one of their people whom we had caught stealing.
They therefore concluded, that this was the punishment usually
inflicted by us upon all thieves; and one or two of our gentlemen,
whose heads were not overburthened with hair, we could observe, lay
under violent suspicions of being _tetos_.
In the evening, Omai and I mounted on horseback, and took a ride along
the shore to the eastward. Our train was not very numerous, as Omai
had forbid the natives to follow us; and many complied; the fear
of giving offence getting the better of their curiosity. Towha had
stationed his fleet in this harbour; and though the war lasted but a
few days, the marks of its devastation were every where to be seen.
The trees were stripped of their fruit; and all the houses in the
neighbourhood had been pulled down or burnt.
Having employed two or three days in getting up all our spirit casks
to tar their heads, which we found necessary, to save them from the
efforts of a small insect to destroy them, we hauled the ship off into
the stream, on the 6th, n the morning, intending to put to sea the
next day; but an accident happened that prevented it, and gave me a
good deal of trouble. We had sent our goats ashore, in the day-time,
to graze, with two men to look after them; notwithstanding which
precaution, the natives had contrived to steal one of them this
evening. The loss of this goat would have been of little consequence,
if it had not interfered with my views of stocking other islands with
these animals; but this being the case, it became necessary to recover
it, if possible. The next morning, we got intelligence that it had
been carried to Maheine, the chief, who was at this time at Parowroah
harbour. Two old men offered to conduct any of my people, whom I might
think proper to send to him, to bring back the goat. Accordingly,
I dispatched them in a boat, charged with a threatening message to
Maheine, if the goat was not immediately given up to me, and also the
thief.
It was only the day before that this chief had requested me to give
him two goats. But, as I could not spare them, unless at the expense
of other lands that might never have another opportunity to get any,
and had besides heard that there were already two upon this island,
I did not gratify him. However, to shew my inclination to assist his
views in this respect, I desired Tidooa, an Otaheite chief, who was
present, to beg Otoo, in my name, to send two of these animals to
Maheine; and, by way of insuring a compliance with this request, I
sent to Otoo, by this chief a large piece of red feathers, equal
to the value of the two goats that I required. I expected that this
arrangement would have been satisfactory to Maheine and all the other
chiefs of the island; but the event shewed that I was mistaken.
Not thinking that any one would dare to steal a second, at the very
time I was taking measures to recover the first, the goats were put
ashore again this morning; and, in the evening, a boat was sent to
bring them on board. As our people were getting them into the boat,
one was carried off undiscovered. It being immediately missed, I made
no doubt of recovering it without much trouble, as there had not been
time to carry it to any considerable distance. Ten or twelve of the
natives set out soon after, different ways, to bring it back, or to
look for it; for not one of them would own that it was stolen, but all
tried to persuade us that it had strayed into the woods; and indeed
I thought so myself. I was convinced to the contrary, however, when
I found that not one of those who went in pursuit of it returned; so
that their only view was to amuse me till their prize was beyond my
reach; and night coming on, put a stop to all farther search. About
this time the boat returned with the other goat, bringing also one of
the men who had stolen it; the first instance of the kind that I had
met with amongst these islands.
The next morning, I found that most of the inhabitants in the
neighbourhood had moved off; carrying with them a corpse which lay on
a _toopapaoo_, opposite the ship; and that Maheine himself had retired
to the most distant part of the island. It seemed now no longer
doubtful, that a plan had been laid to steal what I had refused to
give; and that, though they had restored one, they were resolved to
keep the other, which was a she-goat, and big with kid. I was equally
fixed in my resolution that they should not keep it. I therefore
applied to the two old men who had been instrumental in getting
back the first. They told me that this had been carried to Watea, a
district on the south side of the island, by Hamoa, the chief of that
place; but that if I would send any body for it, it would be delivered
up. They offered to conduct some of my people cross the island; but,
on my learning from them that a boat might go and return the same day,
I sent one, with two petty officers, Mr Roberts and Mr Shuttleworth;
one to remain with the boat, in case she could not get to the place,
while the other should go with the guides, and one or two of our
people.
Late in the evening the boat returned; and the officers informed me,
that, after proceeding as far in the boat as rocks and shoals would
permit, Mr Shuttleworth, with two marines, and one of the guides,
landed and travelled to Watea, to the house of Hamoa, where the people
of the place amused them for some time, by telling that the goat would
soon be brought, and pretended they had sent for it. It however never
came; and the approach of night obliged Mr Shuttleworth to return to
the boat without it.
I was now very sorry that I had proceeded so far, as I could not
retreat with any tolerable credit, and without giving encouragement
to the people of the other islands we had yet to visit, to rob us with
impunity. I asked Omai and the two old men what methods I should next
take; and they, without hesitation, advised me to go with a party of
men into the country, and shoot every soul I should meet with. This
bloody counsel I could not follow; but I resolved to march a party of
men cross the island; and at day-break the next morning, set out with
thirty-five of my people, accompanied by one of the old men, by
Omai, and three or four of his attendants. At the same time I ordered
Lieutenant Williamson, with three armed boats, round the western part
of the island, to meet us.
I had no sooner landed with my party, than the few natives, who still
remained in the neighbourhood, fled before us. The first man that
we met with upon our march run some risk of his life; for Omai, the
moment he saw him, asked me if he should shoot him; so fully was
he persuaded that I was going to carry his advice into execution. I
immediately ordered both him and our guide to make it known that I
did not intend to hurt, much less to kill, a single native. These glad
tidings flew before us like lightning, and stopped the flight of
the inhabitants; so that no one quitted his house, or employment,
afterward.
As we began to ascend the ridge of hills over which lay our road, we
got intelligence that the goat had been carried that way before us;
and, as we understood, could not as yet have passed the hills; so that
we marched up in great silence, in hopes of surprising the party
who were bearing off the prize. But when we had got to the uppermost
plantation on the side of the ridge, the people there told us, that
what we were in search of had indeed been kept there the first night,
but had been carried the next morning to Watea, by Hamoa. We then
crossed the ridge without making any further enquiry, till we came
within sight of Watea, where some people shewed us Hamoa's house, and
told us that the goat was there; so that I made no doubt of getting it
immediately upon my arrival. But when I reached the house, to my very
great surprise, the few people we met with denied that they had ever
seen it, or knew any thing about it; even Hamoa himself came, and made
the same declaration.
On our first coming to the place, I observed several men running to
and fro in the woods, with clubs and bundles of darts in their hands;
and Omai, who followed them, had some, stones thrown at him; so that
it seemed as if they had intended to oppose any step I should take by
force; but on seeing my party was too strong, had dropped the design.
I was confirmed in this notion, by observing that all their houses
were empty. After getting a few of the people of the place together, I
desired Omai to expostulate with them on the absurdity of the conduct
they were pursuing; and to tell them, that, from the testimony of many
on whom I could depend, I was well assured that the goat was in their
possession; and, therefore, insisted upon its being delivered up,
otherwise I would burn their houses and canoes. But, notwithstanding
all that I or Omai could say, they continued to deny their having any
knowledge of it. The consequence was, that I set fire to six or eight
houses, which were presently consumed, with two or three war-canoes
that lay contiguous to them. This done, I marched off to join the
boats, which were about seven or eight miles from us; and, in our way,
we burnt six more war-canoes, without any one attempting to oppose us;
on the contrary, many assisted, though probably more out of fear than
good-will. In one place, Omai, who had advanced a little before, came
back with information, that a great many men were getting together to
attack us. We made ready to receive them; but, instead of enemies, we
found petitioners, with plantain-trees in their hands, which they laid
down at my feet, and begged that I would spare a canoe that lay close
by, which I readily complied with.
At length, about four in the afternoon, we got to the boats that were
waiting at Wharrarade, the district belonging to Tiarataboonoue; but
this chief, as well as all the principal people of the place, had
fled to the hills; though I touched not a single thing that was their
property, as they were the friends of Otoo. After resting ourselves
here about an hour, we set out for the ships, where we arrived about
eight o'clock in the evening. At that time no account of the goat had
been received; so that the operations of this day had not produced the
desired effect.
Early next morning, I dispatched one of Omai's men to Maheine, with
this peremptory message, that, if he persisted in his refusal, I would
not leave him a single canoe upon the island, and that he might expect
a continuation of hostilities as long as the stolen animal remained
in his possession. And, that the messenger might see that I was in
earnest, before he left me, I sent the carpenter to break up three or
four canoes that lay ashore at the head of the harbour. The plank was
carried on board, as materials for building a house for Omai, at
the place where he intended to settle. I afterward went, properly
accompanied, to the next harbour, where we broke up three or four more
canoes, and burnt an equal number; and then returned on board about
seven in the evening. On my arrival, I found that the goat had been
brought back, about half an hour before; and, on enquiry, it appeared
that it had come from the very place where I had been told, the day
before, by the inhabitants, that they knew nothing of it. But, in
consequence of the message I sent to the chief in the morning, it was
judged prudent to trifle with me no longer.
Thus ended this troublesome, and rather unfortunate business; which
could not be more regretted on the part of the natives than it was on
mine. And it grieved me to reflect, that, after refusing the pressing
solicitations of my friends at Otaheite to favour their invasion of
this island, I should so soon find myself reduced to the necessity of
engaging in hostilities against its inhabitants, which, perhaps, did
them more mischief than they had suffered from Towha's expedition.[2]
[Footnote 2: It is impossible not to think that Cook carried his
resentment farther than the necessity of the case required; at least
we may say, that the necessity, besides being in a great degree of
his own creating, did not warrant such extensive aggression. His
confessing his regret and concern must be allowed to prove this, and
at the same time to indicate the tenderness of his moral feelings. It
is one of the wisest precepts of practical wisdom, not to commit one's
self farther in threatenings, or vindictive resolutions, than it will
be quite safe and convenient to carry into effect.--E.]
The next morning our intercourse with the natives was renewed; and
several canoes brought to the ships bread-fruit and cocoa-nuts to
barter; from whence it was natural for me to draw this conclusion,
that they were conscious it was their own fault if I had treated them
with severity; and that the cause of my displeasure being removed,
they had a full confidence that no further mischief would ensue.
About nine o'clock, we weighed with a breeze down the harbour; but it
proved so faint and variable, that it was noon before we got out to
sea, when I steered for Huaheine, attended by Omai in his canoe. He
did not depend entirely upon his own judgment, but had got on board a
pilot. I observed that they shaped as direct a course for the island
as I could do.
At Eimeo, we abundantly supplied the ships with firewood. We had not
taken in any at Otaheite, where the procuring this article would have
been very inconvenient; there not being a tree at Matavai but what
is useful to the inhabitants. We also got here good store of
refreshments, both in hogs and vegetables; that is, bread-fruit and
cocoa-nuts; little else being in season. I do not know that there is
any difference between the produce of this island and of Otaheite; but
there is a very striking difference in their women that I can by no
means account for. Those of Eimeo are of low stature, have a dark
hue, and, in general, forbidding features. If we met with a fine woman
among them, we were sure, upon enquiry, to find that she had come from
some other island.
The general appearance of Eimeo is very different from that Otaheite.
The latter rising in one steep hilly body, has little low land, except
some deep valleys; and the flat border that surrounds the greatest
part of it toward the sea. Eimeo, on the contrary, has hills running
in different directions, which are very steep and rugged, leaving, in
the interspaces, very large valleys, and gently-rising grounds about
their sides. These hills, though of a rocky disposition, are, in
general, covered, almost to their tops, with trees; but the lower
parts, on the sides, frequently only with fern. At the bottom of the
harbour, where we lay, the ground rises gently to the foot of the
hills, which run across nearly in the middle of the island; but its
flat border, on each side, at a very small distance from the sea,
becomes quite steep. This gives it a romantic cast, which renders it a
prospect superior to any thing we saw at Otaheite. The soil, about
the low grounds, is a yellowish and pretty stiff mould; but, upon the
lower hills, it is blacker and more loose; and the stone that composes
the hills, is, when broken, of a blueish colour, but not very
compact texture, with some particles of _glimmer_ interspersed. These
particles seem worthy of observation. Perhaps the reader will think
differently of my judgment, when I add, that, near the station of our
ships, were two large stones, or rather rocks, concerning which
the natives have some superstitious notions. They consider them as
_eatooas_, or divinities; saying, that they are brother and sister,
and that they came by some supernatural means from Ulieta.