combatants, and who were naked, except a cloth that was fastened about
the waist, entered the area, and walked slowly round it, in a stooping
posture, with their left hands on their right breasts, and their right
hands open, with which they frequently struck the left fore-arm so as to
produce a quick smart sound: This was a general challenge to the
combatants whom they were to engage, or any other person present: After
these followed others in the same manner, and then a particular
challenge was given, by which each man singled out his antagonist: This
was done by joining the finger ends of both hands, and bringing them to
the breast, at the same time moving the elbows up and down with a quick
motion: If the person to whom this was addressed accepted the challenge,
he repeated the signs, and immediately each put himself into an attitude
to engage: The next minute they closed; but, except in first seizing
each other, it was a mere contest of strength: Each endeavoured to lay
hold of the other, first by the thigh, and if that failed by the hand,
the hair, the cloth, or elsewhere as he could: When, this was done they
grappled, without the least dexterity or skill, till one of them, by
having a more advantageous hold, or greater muscular force, threw the
other on his back. When the contest was over, the old men gave their
plaudit to the victor in a few words, which they repeated together in a
kind of tone: His conquest was also generally celebrated by three
huzzas. The entertainment was then suspended for a few minutes, after
which another couple of wrestlers came forward and engaged in the same
manner: If it happened that neither was thrown, after the contest had
continued about a minute, they parted, either by consent or the
intervention of their friends, and in this case each slapped his arm, as
a challenge; to a new engagement, either with the same antagonist or
some other. While the wrestlers were engaged, another party of men
performed a dance, which lasted also about a minute; but neither of
these parties took the least notice of each other, their attention being
wholly fixed on what they were doing. We observed with pleasure, that
the conqueror never exulted over the vanquished, and that the vanquished
never repined at the success of the conqueror; the whole contest was
carried on with perfect good-will and good-humour, though in the
presence of at least five hundred spectators, of whom some were women.
The number of women indeed was comparatively small, none but those of
rank were present, and we had reason to believe that they would not have
been spectators of this exercise but in compliment to us.
This lasted about two hours; during all which time the man who had made
a way for us when we landed, kept the people at a proper distance, by
striking those who pressed forward very severely with his stick: Upon
enquiry we learnt that he was an officer belonging to Tootahah, acting
as master of the ceremonies.
It is scarcely possible for those who are acquainted with the athletic
sports of very remote antiquity, not to remark a rude resemblance of
them in this wrestling-match among the natives of a little island in the
midst of the Pacific Ocean: And our female readers may recollect the
account given of them by Fenelon in his Telemachus, where, though the
events are fictitious, the manners of the age are faithfully transcribed
from authors by whom they are supposed to have been truly related.
When the wrestling was over, we were given to understand that two hogs,
and a large quantity of bread-fruit, were preparing for our dinner,
which, as our appetites were now keen, was very agreeable intelligence.
Our host, however, seemed to repent of his liberality; for, instead of
setting his two hogs before us, he ordered one of them to be carried
into our boat; at first we were not sorry for this new disposition of
matters, thinking that we should dine more comfortably in the boat than
on shore, as the crowd would more easily be kept at a distance: But when
we came on board, he ordered us to proceed with his hog to the ship:
This was mortifying, as we were now to row four miles while our dinner
was growing cold; however, we thought fit to comply, and were at last
gratified with the cheer that he had provided, of which he and Tubourai
Tamaide had a liberal share.
Our reconciliation with this man operated upon the people like a charm;
for he was no sooner known to be on board, than bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts,
and other provisions were brought to the fort in great plenty.
Affairs now went on in the usual channel; but pork being still a scarce
commodity, our master, Mr Mollineux, and Mr Green, went in the pinnace
to the eastward, on the 8th, early in the morning, to see whether they
could procure any hogs or poultry in that part of the country: They
proceeded in that direction twenty miles; but though they saw many hogs,
and one turtle, they could not purchase either at any price: The people
every where told them, that they all belonged to Tootahah, and that they
could sell none of them without his permission. We now began to think
that this man was indeed a great prince; for an influence so extensive
and absolute could be acquired by no other. And we afterwards found that
he administered the government of this part of the island, as sovereign,
for a minor whom we never saw all the time that we were upon it. When Mr
Green returned from this expedition he said he had seen a tree of a size
which he was afraid to relate, it being no less than sixty yards in
circumference; but Mr Banks and Dr Solander soon explained to him that
it was a species of the fig, the branches of which, bending down, take
fresh root in the earth, and thus form a congeries of trunks, which
being very close to each other, and all joined by a common vegetation,
might easily be mistaken for one.
Though the market at the fort was now tolerably supplied, provisions
were brought more slowly: A sufficient quantity used to be purchased
between sun-rise and eight o'clock, but it was now become necessary to
attend the greatest part of the day. Mr Banks, therefore, fixed his
little boat up before the door of the fort, which was of great use as a
place to trade in: Hitherto we had purchased cocoa-nuts and bread-fruit
for beads; but the market becoming rather slack in these articles, we
were now, for the first time, forced to bring out our nails: One of our
smallest size, which was about four inches long, procured us twenty
cocoa-nuts, and bread-fruit in proportion, so that in a short time our
first plenty was restored.
On the 9th; soon after breakfast, we received a visit from Oberea, being
the first that she had made us after the loss of our quadrant, and the
unfortunate confinement of Tootahah; with her came her present
favourite, Obadee, and Tupia: They brought us a hog and some
bread-fruit, in return for which we gave her a hatchet. We had now
afforded our Indian friends a new and interesting object of curiosity,
our forge, which, having been set up some time, was almost constantly at
work. It was now common for them to bring pieces of iron, which we
suppose they must have got from the Dolphin, to be made into tools of
various kinds; and as I was very desirous to gratify them, they were
indulged, except when the smith's time was too precious to be spared.
Oberea having received her hatchet, produced as much old iron as would
have made another, with a request that another might be made of it; in
this, however, I could not gratify her upon which she brought out a
broken axe, and desired it might be mended; I was glad of an opportunity
to compromise the difference between us: Her axe was mended, and she
appeared to be content. They went away at night, and took with them the
canoe, which had been a considerable time at the point, but promised to
return in three days.
On the 10th, I put some seeds of melons and other plants into a spot of
ground which had been turned up for the purpose; they had all been
sealed up by the person of whom, they were bought, in small bottles,
with resin; but none of them came up except mustard; even the cucumbers
and melons failed, and Mr Banks is of opinion that they were spoiled by
the total exclusion of fresh air.
This day we learned the Indian name of the island, which is _Otaheite_,
and by that name I shall hereafter distinguish it: But after great pains
taken we found it utterly impossible to teach the Indians to pronounce
our names; we had, therefore, new names, consisting of such sounds as
they produced in the attempt. They called me _Toote_; Mr Hicks, _Hete_;
Mollineux they renounced in absolute despair, and called the master
_Boba_, from his Christian name Robert; Mr Gore was _Toarro_; Dr
Solander, _Torario_; and Mr Banks, _Tapane_; Mr Green, _Eteree_; Mr
Parkinson, _Patini_; Mr Sporing, _Poliui_; Petersgill, _Petrodero_; and
in this manner they had now formed names for almost every man in the
ship: In some, however, it was not easy to find any traces of the
original, and they were perhaps not mere arbitrary sounds, formed upon
the occasion, but significant words in their own language. Monkhouse,
the midshipman, who commanded the party that killed the man for stealing
the musket, they called _Matte_; not merely by an attempt to imitate in
sound the first syllable of Monkhouse, but because _Matte_ signifies
dead; and this probably might be the case with others.
SECTION XII
_Some Ladies visit the Fort with very uncommon Ceremonies: The Indians
attend Divine Service, and in the Evening exhibit a most extraordinary
Spectacle: Tubourai Tamaide falls into Temptation._
Friday, the 12th of May, was distinguished by a visit from some ladies
whom we had never seen before, and who introduced themselves with very
singular ceremonies. Mr Banks was trading in his boat at the gate of the
fort as usual, in company with Tootahah, who had that morning paid him a
visit, and some, other of the natives; between nine and ten o'clock, a
double canoe came to the landing-place, under the awning of which sat a
man and two women: The Indians that were about Mr Banks made signs that
he should go out to meet them, which he hasted to do; but by the time he
could get out of the boat, they had advanced within ten yards of him:
They then stopped, and made signs that he should do so too, laying down
about a dozen young plantain trees, and some other small plants: He
complied, and the people having made a lane between them, the man, who
appeared to be a servant, brought six of them to Mr Banks by one of each
at a time, passing and repassing six times, and always pronouncing a
short sentence when he delivered them. Tupia, who stood by Mr Banks,
acted as his master of the ceremonies, and receiving the branches as
they were brought, laid them down in the boat. When this was done
another man brought a large bundle of cloth, which having opened, he
spread piece by piece upon the ground, in the space between Mr Banks and
his visitors; there were nine pieces, and having laid, three pieces one
upon another, the foremost of the women, who seemed to be the principal,
and who was called Oorattooa, stepped upon them, and taking up her
garments all around her to the waist, turned about, with great composure
and deliberation, and with an air of perfect innocence and simplicity,
three times; when this was done, she dropped the veil, and stepping off
the cloth, three more pieces were laid on, and she repeated the
ceremony, then stepping off as before; the last three were laid on, and
the ceremony was repeated in the same manner the third time. Immediately
after this the cloth was rolled up, and given to Mr Banks as a present
from the lady, who, with her friend, came up and saluted him. He made
such presents to them both as he thought would be most acceptable, and
after having staid about an hour they went away. In the evening the
gentlemen at the fort had a visit from Oberea, and her favourite female
attendant, whose name was Otheothea, an agreeable girl, whom they were
the more pleased to see, because, having been some days absent, it had
been reported she was either sick or dead.
On the 19th, the market being over about ten o'clock; Mr Banks walked
into the woods with his gun, as he generally did, for the benefit of the
shade in the heat of the day: As he was returning back, he met Tubourai
Tamaide, near his occasional dwelling, and stopping to spend a little
time with him, he suddenly took the gun out of Mr Banks's hand, cocked
it, and holding it up in the air, drew the trigger: Fortunately for him
it flashed in the pan: Mr Banks immediately took it from him, not a
little surprised how he had acquired sufficient knowledge of a gun to
discharge it, and reproved him with great severity for what he had done.
As it was of infinite importance to keep the Indians totally ignorant of
the management of fire-arms, he had taken every opportunity of
intimating that they could never offend him so highly as by even
touching his piece; it was now proper to enforce this prohibition, and
he therefore added threats to his reproof: The Indian bore all
patiently; but the moment Mr Banks crossed the river, he set off with
all his family and furniture for his house at Eparre. This being quickly
known from the Indians at the fort, and great incovenience being
apprehended from the displeasure of this man, who upon all occasions had
been particularly useful, Mr Banks determined to follow him without
delay, and solicit his return: He set out the same evening, accompanied
by Mr Mollineux, and found him sitting in the middle of a large circle
of people, to whom he had probably related what had happened, and his
tears of the consequences; he was himself the very picture of grief and
dejection, and the same passions were strongly marked in the
countenances of all the people that surrounded him. When Mr Banks and Mr
Mollineux went into the circle, one of the women expressed her trouble,
as Terapo had done upon another occasion, and struck a shark's tooth
into her head several times, till it was covered with blood. Mr Banks
lost no time in putting an end to this universal distress; he assured
the chief, that every thing which had passed should be forgotten, that
there was not the least animosity remaining on one side, nor any thing
to be feared on the other. The chief was soon soothed into confidence
and complacency, a double canoe was ordered to be got ready, they all
returned together to the fort before supper, and as a pledge of perfect
reconciliation, both he and his wife slept all night in Mr Banks's tent:
Their presence, however, was no palladium for, between eleven and twelve
o'clock, one of the natives attempted to get into the fort by scaling
the walls, with a design, no doubt, to steal whatever he should happen
to find; he was discovered by the centinel, who happily did not fire,
and he ran away much faster than any of our people could follow him. The
iron, and iron-tools, which were in continual use at the armourer's
forge, that was set up within the works, were temptations to theft which
none of these people could withstand.
On the 14th, which was Sunday, I directed that divine service should be
performed at the fort: We were desirous that some of the principal
Indians should be present, but when the hour came, most of them were
returned home. Mr Banks, however, crossed the river, and brought back
Tubourai Tamaide and his wife Tomio, hoping that it would give occasion
to some enquiries on their part, and some instruction on ours: Having
seated them, he placed himself between them, and during the whole
service, they very attentively observed his behaviour, and very exactly
imitated it; standing, sitting, or kneeling, as they saw him do: They
were conscious that we were employed about somewhat serious and
important, as appeared by their calling to the Indians without the fort
to be silent; yet when the service was over, neither of them asked any
questions, nor would they attend to any attempt that was made to explain
what had been done.
In the evening of this day, an exhibition of the grossest lewdness was
made by a young couple, in presence of Oberea and several women of
superior rank, who indeed seemed to assist in it, by their advice to the
female, a girl about eleven or twelve years of age. This was quite in
conformity to the custom of the place, and did not appear to excite the
least feeling of shame in either performers or spectators.[91]
[Footnote 91: The relation of this incident is purposely varied from the
copy. It is but justice to the Otabeitans to apprize the reader, that in
the account of the missionary voyage, published in 1799, and hereafter
to be noticed, this conduct as to immodesty is in no small degree
explained, and they are acknowledged even to excel in some parts, of
delicacy of sentiment and behaviour. The testimony of that account, it
may be remarked, is deserving the more credit, because the mission
itself was avowedly founded on the conviction of the total depravity of
these islanders, and was purposed as an attempt at reformation on
religious principles. Still, however, it is most certain that the
Otabeitans were much addicted to sensual indulgences, and that Oberea,
as we have already seen, was noted for libidinous propensities. How far
their peculiar circumstances may either account for or palliate their
apparent immorality in this respect, is quite another question; one too,
it is probable, which the prejudiced and erring mind of man is, of
itself, incompetent to solve. One thing, however, is most certain: The
Judge of all the earth will do what is right with his creatures, whether
he take vengeance for transgression, or pardon in mercy, or reward in
approbation.--E.]
On the 14th and 15th, we had another opportunity of observing the
general knowledge which these people had of any design that was formed
among them. In the night between the 13th and 14th, one of the
water-casks was stolen from the outside of the fort: In the morning
there was not an Indian to be seen who did not know that it was gone;
yet they appeared not to have been trusted, or not to have been worthy
of trust; for they seemed all of them disposed to give intelligence
where it might be found. Mr Banks traced it to a part of the bay where
he was told it had been put into a canoe, but as it was not of great
consequence, he did not complete the discovery. When he returned, he
was told by Tabourai Tamaide, that another cask would be stolen before
the morning: How he came by this knowledge it is not easy to imagine;
that he was not a party in the design is certain, for he came with his
wife and his family to the place where the water-casks stood, and
placing their beds near them, he said he would himself be a pledge for
their safety, in despight of the thief: Of this, however, we would not
admit; and making them understand that a centry would be placed to watch
the casks till the morning, he removed the beds into Mr Banks's tent,
where he and his family spent the night, making signs to the sentry when
he retired, that he should keep his eyes open. In the night this
intelligence appeared to be true; about twelve o'clock the thief came,
but discovering that a watch had been set, he went away without his
booty.
Mr Banks's confidence in Tubourai Tamaide had greatly--increased since
the affair of the knife, in consequence of which he was at length
exposed to temptations which neither his integrity nor his honour was
able to resist. They had withstood many allurements, but were at length
ensnared by the fascinating charms of a basket of nails: These nails
were much larger than any that had yet been brought into trade, and had,
with perhaps some degree of criminal negligence, been left in a corner
of Mr Banks's tent, to which the chief had always free access. One of
these nails Mr Banks's servant happened to see in his possession, upon
his having inadvertently thrown back that part of his garment under
which it was concealed. Mr Banks being told of this, and knowing that no
such thing had been given him, either as a present or in barter,
immediately examined the basket, and discovered, that out of seven nails
five were missing. He then, though not without great reluctance, charged
him with the fact, which he immediately confessed, and however he might
suffer, was probably not more hurt than his accuser. A demand was
immediately made of restitution; but this he declined, saying that the
nails were at Eparre: However, Mr Banks appearing to be much in earnest,
and using some threatening signs, he thought fit to produce one of them.
He was then taken to the fort, to receive such judgment as should be
given against him by the general voice.
After some deliberation, that we might not appear to think too lightly
of his offence, he was told, that if he would bring the other four nails
to the fort, it should be forgotten. To this condition he agreed; but I
am sorry to say he did not fulfil it. Instead of fetching the nails, he
removed with his family before night, and took all his furniture with
him.
As our long-boat had appeared to be leaky, I thought it necessary to
examine her bottom, and to my great surprise, found it so much eaten by
the worms, that it was necessary to give her a new one; no such accident
had happened to the Dolphin's boats, as I was informed by the officers
on board, and therefore it was a misfortune that I did not expect: I
feared that the pinnace also might be nearly in the same condition; but,
upon examining her, I had the satisfaction to find that not a worm had
touched her, though she was built of the same wood, and had been as much
in the water; the reason of this difference I imagine to be; that the
long-boat was paid with varnish of pine, and the pinnace painted with
white lead and oil; the bottoms of all boats therefore which are sent
into this country should be painted like that of the pinnace, and the
ships should be supplied with a good stock, in order to give them a new
coating when it should be found necessary.
Having received repeated messages from Tootahah, that if we would pay
him a visit he would acknowledge the favour by a present of four hogs, I
sent Mr Hicks, my first lieutenant, to try if he could not procure the
hogs upon, easier terms, with orders to show him every civility in his
power. Mr Hicks found that he was removed from Eparre to a place called
_Tettahah_, five miles farther to the westward. He was received with
great cordiality; one hog was immediately produced, and he was told that
the other three, which were at some distance, should be brought in the
morning. Mr Hicks readily consented to stay; but the morning came
without the hogs; and it not being convenient to stay longer, he
returned in the evening with the one he had got.
On the 25th, Tubourai Tamaide and his wife Tomio made their appearance
at the tent, for the first time since he had been detected in stealing
the nails; he seemed to be under some discontent and apprehension, yet
he did not think fit to purchase our countenance and good-will by
restoring the four which he had sent away. As Mr Banks and the other
gentlemen treated him with a coolness and reserve which did not at all
tend to restore his peace or good-humour, his stay was short, and his
departure abrupt. Mr Monkhouse, the surgeon, went the next morning in
order to effect a reconciliation, by persuading him to bring down the
nails, but he could not succeed.
SECTION XIII
_Another Visit to Tootahah, with various Adventures: Extraordinary
Amusement of the Indians, with Remarks upon it: Preparations to observe
the Transit of Venus, and what happened in the mean Time at the Fort._
On the 27th, it was determined that we should pay our visit to Tootahah,
though we were not very confident that we should receive the hogs for
our pains. I therefore set out early in the morning, with Mr Banks and
Dr Solander, and three others, in the pinnace. He was now removed from
Tettahah, where Mr Hicks had seen him, to a place called _Atahourou_,
about six miles farther; and as we could not go above half-way thither
in the boat, it was almost evening before we arrived. We found him in
his usual state, sitting under a tree, with a great crowd about him. We
made our presents in due form, consisting of a yellow stuff-petticoat,
and some other trifling articles, which were graciously received; a hog
was immediately ordered to be killed and dressed for supper, with a
promise of more in the morning. However, as we were less desirous of
feasting upon our journey than of carrying back with us provisions,
which would be more welcome at the fort, we procured a reprieve for the
hog, and supped upon the fruits of the country. As night now came on,
and the place was crowded with many more than the houses and canoes
would contain, there being Oberea with her attendants, and many other
travellers whom we knew, we began to look out for lodgings. Our party
consisted of six: Mr Banks thought himself fortunate in being offered a
place by Oberea in her canoe, and wishing his friends a good night,
took his leave. He went to rest early, according to the custom of the
country, and taking off his clothes, as was his constant practice, the
nights being hot, Oberea kindly insisted upon taking them into her own
custody, for otherwise, she said, they would certainly be stolen. Mr
Banks, having such a safe guard, resigned himself to sleep with all
imaginable tranquillity: But waking about eleven o'clock, and wanting to
get up, he searched for his clothes where he had seen them deposited by
Oberea when he lay down to sleep, and soon perceived that they were
amissing. He immediately awakened Oberea, who starting up, and hearing
his complaint, ordered lights, and prepared in great haste to recover
what he had lost. Tootahah himself slept in the next canoe, and being
soon alarmed, he came to them, and set out with Oberea in search of the
thief. Mr Banks was not in a condition to go with them, for of his
apparel scarce any thing was left him but his breeches; his coat and his
waistcoat, with his pistols, powder-horn, and many other things that
were in the pockets, were gone. In about half an hour his two noble
friends returned, but without having obtained any intelligence of his
clothes or of the thief. At first he began to be alarmed; his musquet
had not indeed been taken away, but he had neglected to load it; where I
and Dr Solander had disposed of ourselves he did not know; and
therefore, whatever might happen, he could not have recourse to us for
assistance. He thought it best, however, to express neither fear nor
suspicion of those about him; and giving his musquet to Tupia, who had
been waked in the confusion and stood by him, with a charge not to
suffer it to be stolen, he betook himself again to rest, declaring
himself perfectly satisfied with the pains that Tootahah and Oberea had
taken to recover his things, though they had not been successful. As it
cannot be supposed that in such a situation his sleep was very sound, he
soon after heard music, and saw lights at a little distance on shore:
This was a concert or assembly, which they call a _Heiva_, a common name
for every public exhibition; and as it would necessarily bring many
people together, and there was a chance of my being among them with his
other friends, he rose, and made the best of his way towards it. He was
soon led by the lights and the sound to the hut where I lay, with three
other gentlemen of our party; and easily distinguishing us from the
rest, he made up to us more than half naked, and told us his melancholy
story. We gave him such comfort as the unfortunate generally give to
each other, by telling him that we were fellow-sufferers; I showed him
that I was myself without stockings, they having been stolen from under
my head, though I was sure I had never been asleep, and each of my
associates convinced him, by his appearance, that he had lost a jacket.
We determined, nevertheless, to hear out the concert, however deficient
we might appear in our dress; it consisted of three drums, four flutes,
and several voices: When this entertainment, which lasted about an hour,
was over, we retired again to our sleeping-places; having agreed that
nothing could be done toward the recovery of our things till the
morning.
We rose at day-break, according to the custom of the country; the first
man that Mr Banks saw was Tupia, faithfully attending with his musquet;
and soon after, Oberea brought him some of her country clothes as a
succedaneum for his own; so that when he came to us he made a most
motley appearance, half Indian and half English. Our party soon got
together, except Dr Solander, whose quarters we did not know, and who
had not assisted at the concert: In a short time Tootahah made his
appearance, and we pressed him to recover our clothes; but neither he
nor Oberea could be persuaded to take any measure for that purpose, so
that we began to suspect that they had been parties in the theft. About
eight o'clock, we were joined by Dr Solander, who had fallen into
honester hands, at a house about a mile distant, and had lost nothing.
Having given up all hope of recovering our clothes, which indeed were
never afterwards heard of, we spent all the morning in soliciting the
hogs which we had been promised; but in this we had no better success:
We therefore, in no very good humour, set out for the boat about twelve
o'clock, with only that which we had redeemed from the butcher and the
cook the night before.
As we were returning to the boat, however, we were entertained with a
sight that in some measure compensated for our fatigue and
disappointment. In our way we came to one of the few places where access
to the island is not guarded by a reef, and, consequently, a high surf
breaks upon the shore; a more dreadful one indeed I had seldom seen; it
was impossible for any European boat to have lived in it; and if the
best swimmer in Europe had, by any accident, been exposed to its fury,
I am confident that he would not have been able to preserve himself from
drowning, especially as the shore was covered with pebbles and large
stones; yet, in the midst of these breakers, were ten or twelve Indians
swimming for their amusement: Whenever a surf broke near them, they
dived under it, and, to all appearance with infinite facility, rose
again on the other side. This diversion was greatly improved by the
stern of an old canoe, which they happened to find upon the spot; they
took this before them, and swam out with it as far as the outermost
breach, then two or three of them getting into it, and turning the
square end to the breaking wave, were driven in towards the shore with
incredible rapidity, sometimes almost to the beach; but generally the
wave broke over them before they got half way, in which case they dived,
and rose on the other side with the canoe in their hands: They then swam
out with it again, and were again driven back, just as our holiday youth
climb the hill in Greenwich-park for the pleasure of rolling down it. At
this wonderful scene we stood gazing for more than half an hour, during
which time none of the swimmers attempted to come on shore, but seemed
to enjoy their sport in the highest degree; we then proceeded in our
journey, and late in the evening got back to the fort.
Upon this occasion it may be observed, that human nature is endued with
powers which are only accidentally exerted to the utmost; and that all
men are capable of what no man attains, except he is stimulated to the
effort by some uncommon circumstances or situation. These Indians
effected what to us appeared to be supernatural, merely by the
application of such powers as they possessed in common with us, and all
other men who have no particular infirmity or defect. The truth of the
observation is also manifest from more familiar instances. The
rope-dancer and balance-master owe their art, not to any peculiar
liberality of nature, but to an accidental improvement of her common
gifts; and though equal diligence and application would not always
produce equal excellence in these, any more than in other arts, yet
there is no doubt but that a certain degree of proficiency in them might
be universally attained. Another proof of the existence of abilities in
mankind, that are almost universally dormant, is furnished by the
attainments of blind men. It cannot be supposed that the loss of one
sense, like the amputation of a branch from a tree, gives new vigour to
those that remain. Every man's hearing and touch, therefore, are capable
of the nice distinctions which astonish us in those that have lost
their sight, and if they do not give the same intelligence to the mind,
it is merely because the same intelligence is not required of them: He
that can see may do from choice what the blind do by necessity, and by
the same diligent attention to the other senses, may receive the same
notices from them; let it therefore be remembered as an encouragement to
persevering diligence, and a principle of general use to mankind, that
he who does all he can, will ever effect much more than is generally
thought to be possible.
Among other Indians that had visited us, there were some from a
neighbouring island which they called _Eimeo_; or _Imao_, the same to
which Captain Wallis had given the name of the Duke of York's Island,
and they gave us an account of no less than two-and-twenty islands that
lay in the neighbourhood of Otaheite.
As the day of observation now approached, I determined, in consequence
of some hints which had been given me by Lord Morton, to send out two
parties to observe the transit from other situations; hoping, that if we
should fail at Otaheite, they might have better success. We were,
therefore, now busily employed in preparing our instruments, and
instructing such gentlemen in the use of them as I intended to send out.
On Thursday the 1st of June, the Saturday following being the day of the
transit, I dispatched Mr Gore in the long boat to Imao, with Mr
Monkhouse and Mr Sporing, a gentleman belonging to Mr Banks, Mr Green
having furnished them with proper instruments. Mr Banks himself thought
fit to go upon this expedition, and several natives, particularly
Tubourai Tamaide and Tomio, were also of the party. Very early on the
Friday morning, I sent Mr Hicks, with Mr Clerk and Mr Petersgill, the
master's mates, and Mr Saunders, one of the midshipmen, in the pinnace
to the eastward, with orders to fix on some convenient spot, at a
distance from our principal observatory, where they also might employ
the instruments with which they had been furnished for the same purpose.
The long-boat not having been got ready till Thursday in the afternoon,
though all possible expedition was used to fit her out, the people on
board after having rowed most part of the night, brought her to a
grappling just under the land of Imao. Soon after day-break, they saw
an Indian canoe, which they hailed, and the people on board shewed them
an inlet through the reef into which they pulled, and soon fixed upon a
coral rock, which rose out of the water about one hundred and fifty
yards from the shore, as a proper situation for their observatory: It
was about eighty yards long and twenty broad, and in the middle of it
was a bed of white sand, large enough for the tents to stand upon. Mr
Gore and his assistants immediately began to set them up, and make other
necessary preparations for the important business of the next day. While
this was doing, Mr Banks, with the Indians of Otaheite, and the people
whom they had met in the canoe went ashore upon the main island, to buy
provisions; of which he procured a sufficient supply before night. When
he returned to the rock, he found the observatory in order; and the
telescopes all fixed and tried. The evening was very fine, yet their
solicitude did not permit them to take much rest in the night: One or
other of them was up every half hour, who satisfied the impatience of
the rest by reporting the changes of the sky; now encouraging their hope
by telling them that it was clear, and now alarming their fears by an
account that it was hazy.
At day-break they got up, and had the satisfaction to see the sun rise,
without a cloud. Mr Banks then, wishing the observers, Mr Gore and Mr
Monkhouse, success, repaired again to the island, that he might examine
its produce, and get a fresh supply of provisions: He began by trading
with the natives, for which purpose he took his station under a tree;
and to keep them from pressing upon him in a crowd, he drew a circle
round him, which he suffered none of them to enter.
About eight o'clock, he saw two canoes coming towards the place, and was
given to understand by the people about him, that they belonged to
_Tarrao_, the king of the island, who was coming to make him a visit. As
soon as the canoes came near the shore, the people made a lane from the
beach to the trading-place, and his majesty landed, with his sister,
whose name was _Nuna_; as they advanced towards the tree where Mr Banks
stood, he went out to meet them, and, with great formality, introduced
them into the circle from which the other natives had been excluded. As
it is the custom of these people to sit during all their conferences, Mr
Banks unwrapped a kind of turban of Indian cloth, which he wore upon his
head instead of a hat, and spreading it upon the ground, they all sat
down upon it together. The royal present was then brought, which
consisted of a hog and a dog, some bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, and other
articles of the like kind. Mr Banks then dispatched a canoe to the
observatory for his present, and the messengers soon returned with an
adze, a shirt, and some beads, which were presented to his majesty, and
received with great satisfaction.
By this time, Tubourai Tamaide and Tomio joined them, from the
observatory. Tomio said, that she was related to Tarrao; and brought him
a present of a long nail, at the same time complimenting Nuna with a
shirt.
The first internal contact of the planet with the sun being over, Mr
Banks returned to the observatory, taking Tarrao, Nuna, and some of
their principal attendants, among whom were three very handsome young
women, with him: He showed them the planet upon the sun, and endeavoured
to make them understand that he and his companions had come from their
own country on purpose to see it. Soon after, Mr Banks returned with
them to the island, where he spent the rest of the day in examining its
produce, which he found to be much the same with that of Otaheite. The
people whom he saw there also exactly resembled the inhabitants of that
island, and many of them were persons whom he had seen upon it; so that
all those whom he had dealt with, knew of what his trading articles
consisted, and the value they bore.
The next morning having struck the tents, they set out on their return,
and arrived at the fort before night.
The observation was made with equal success by the persons whom I had
sent to the eastward, and at the fort, there not being a cloud in the
sky from the rising to the setting of the sun, the whole passage of the
planet Venus over the sun's disk was observed with great advantage by Mr
Green, Dr Solander, and myself: Mr Green's telescope and mine were of
the same magnifying power, but that of Dr Solander was greater. We all
saw an atmosphere or dusky cloud round the body of the planet, which
very much disturbed the times of contact, especially of the internal
ones; and we differed from each other in our accounts of the times of
the contacts much more than might have been expected. According to Mr
Green,
Hours. Min. Sec.
The first external contact, or first
appearance of Venus on the Sun, was 9 25 42 |
|Morning
The first internal contact, or total |
emersion, was 9 44 4 |
The second internal contact, or
beginning of the emersion, 3 14 8 |
|Afternoon
The second external contact, or |
total emersion, 3 32 10 |
The latitude of the observatory was found to be 17° 29' 15"; and the
longitude 149° 32' 30" W. of Greenwich. A more particular account will
appear by the tables, for which the reader is referred to the
Transactions of the Royal Society; vol. lxi. part 2. p. 397 et seq.
where they are illustrated by a cut.
But if we had reason to congratulate ourselves upon the success of our
observation; we had scarce less cause to regret the diligence with which
that time had been improved by some of our people to another purpose.
While the attention of the officers was engrossed by the transit of
Venus, some of the ship's company broke into one of the store-rooms, and
stole a quantity of spike-nails, amounting to no less than one hundred
weight: This was a matter of public and serious concern; for these
nails, if circulated by the people among the Indians, would do us
irreparable injury, by reducing the value of iron, our staple commodity.
One of the thieves was detected, but only seven nails were found in his
custody. He was punished with two dozen lashes, but would impeach none
of his accomplices.
SECTION XIII.
_The Ceremonies of an Indian Funeral particularly described: General
Observations on the Subject: A Character found among the Indians to
which the Ancients paid great veneration: A Robbery at the Fort, and its
Consequences; with a Specimen of Indian Cookery, and various Incidents._
On the 5th, we kept his majesty's birth-day; for though it is the 4th,
we were unwilling to celebrate it during the absence of the two parties
who had been sent out to observe the transit. We had several of the
Indian chiefs at our entertainment, who drank his majesty's health by
the name of Kihiargo, which was the nearest imitation they could produce
of King George.
About this time died an old woman of some rank, who was related to
Tomio, which gave us an opportunity to see how they disposed of the
body, and confirmed us in our opinion that these people, contrary to the
present custom of all other nations now known, never bury their dead. In
the middle of a small square, neatly railed in with bamboo, the awning
of a canoe was raised upon two posts, and under this the body was
deposited upon such a frame as has before been described: It was covered
with fine cloth, and near it was placed bread-fruit, fish, and other
provisions: We supposed that the food was placed there for the spirit of
the deceased, and consequently, that these Indians had some confused
notion of a separate state; but upon our applying for further
information to Tubourai Tamaide, he told us, that the food was placed
there as an offering to their gods. They do not, however, suppose, that
the gods eat, any more than the Jews supposed that Jehovah could dwell
in a house: The offering is made here upon the same principle as the
temple was built at Jerusalem, as an expression of reverence and
gratitude, and a solicitation of the more immediate presence of the
Deity. In the front of the area was a kind of stile, where the relations
of the deceased stood to pay the tribute of their sorrow; and under the
awning were innumerable small pieces of cloth, on which the tears and
blood of the mourners had been shed; for in their paroxysms of grief it
is a universal custom to wound themselves with the shark's tooth.
Within a few yards two occasional houses were set up, in one of which
some relations of the deceased constantly resided, and in the other the
chief mourner, who is always a man, and who keeps there a very singular
dress in which a ceremony is performed that will be described in its
turn. Near the place where the dead are thus set up to rot, the bones
are afterwards buried.
What can have introduced among these people the custom of exposing their
dead above ground, till the flesh is consumed by putrefaction, and then
burying the bones, it is perhaps impossible to guess; but it is
remarkable that AElian and Apollonius Rhodius impute a similar practice
to the ancient inhabitants of Colchis, a country near Pontus in Asia,
now called Mingrelia; except that among them this manner of disposing of
the dead did not extend to both sexes: The women they buried; but the
men they wrapped in a hide; and hung up in the air by a chain. This
practice among the Colchians is referred to a religious cause. The
principal objects of their worship were the Earth and the Air; and it is
supposed that, in consequence of some superstitious notion, they devoted
their dead to both.[92] Whether the natives of Otaheite had any notion
of the same kind, we were never able certainly to determine; but we soon
discovered, that the repositories of their dead were also places of
worship. Upon this occasion it may be observed, that nothing can be more
absurd than the notion that the happiness or misery of a future life
depends, in any degree, upon the disposition of the body when the state
of probation is past; yet that nothing is more general than a solicitude
about it. However cheap we may hold any funeral rites which custom has
not familiarized, or superstition rendered sacred, most men gravely
deliberate how to prevent their body from being broken by the mattock
and devoured by the worm, when it is no longer capable of sensation; and
purchase a place for it in holy ground, when they believe the lot of its
future existence to be irrevocably determined. So strong is the
association of pleasing or painful ideas with certain opinions and
actions which affect us while we live, that we involuntarily act as if
it was equally certain that they would affect us in the same manner when
we are dead, though this is an opinion that nobody will maintain. Thus
it happens, that the desire of preserving from reproach even the name
that we leave behind us, or of procuring it honour, is one of the most
powerful principles of action, among the inhabitants of the most
speculative and enlightened nations. Posthumous reputation, upon every
principle, must be acknowledged to have no influence upon the dead; yet
the desire or obtaining and securing it, no force of reason, no habits
of thinking can subdue, except in those whom habitual baseness and guilt
have rendered indifferent to honour and shame while they lived. This
indeed seems to be among the happy imperfections of our nature, upon
which the general good of society in a certain measure depends; for as
some crimes are supposed to be prevented by hanging the body of the
criminal in chains after he is dead, so, in consequence of the same
association of ideas, much good is procured to society, and much evil
prevented, by a desire of preventing disgrace or procuring honour to a
name, when nothing but a name remains.
[Footnote 92: If the Colchians, according to the assertion of Herodotus,
Euter. 104, are to be considered as derived from the Egyptians, which
some circumstances of resemblance render probable, it seems not
irrational to imagine, that they had acquired from that people an
abhorrence to the thought of becoming food for worms. This, Herodotus
says, in Thal. 16. was the reason why they (the Egyptians) embalmed the
bodies of the dead; for which the practice adopted by the Colchians, of
wrapping them in hides of oxen for the purpose of preservation, was
judged an adequate substitute. But though this be admitted as
satisfactory with respect to the origin of the usage, it affords no
explanation as to the difference observable in the treatment of the
sexes after death, which must be looked for in some other circumstance,
common to these two people, or peculiar to one, of them. It can scarcely
be imputed to the different estimation in which the sexes were held
whilst living; for if any thing, at least in the opinion of Diodorus
Siculus, the women were in higher authority in Egypt than the men, in so
far as civil and political rights were concerned. On the other hand, it
is certain from Herodotus, that men alone could officiate in the service
of their gods, whether male or female, and that there were no
priestesses in Egypt. No reason can be discovered for this exclusion. It
is merely credible, that the Egyptians, though ascribing great
excellence to the female sex in various particulars, nevertheless judged
them to be destitute of that principle which constituted the essence of
the gods; and therefore unfit for their society. Possibly they might in
consequence imagine them to be incapable of immortality and
transmigration, a belief which they so firmly maintained, as to be led
to specify the various changes which the soul underwent for the space of
three thousand years, when it re-assumed the human body. Now, if the
Colchians credited this doctrine of the immortality and transmigration
of the soul, and at the same time depreciated for any reasons whatever
the dignity of women, one may easily conceive why they should think of
a difference in the mode of disposing of male and female corpses. After
all, however, such reasoning as this is very far from satisfactory;
nevertheless, in the mind of the judicious reader, accustomed to
contemplate the minute circumstances, which, though much modified, prove
a connection betwixt different people, it cannot but have some
weight,--E.]
Perhaps no better use can be made of reading an account of manners
altogether new, by which the follies and absurdities of mankind are
taken out of that particular connection in which habit has reconciled
them to us, than to consider in how many instances they are essentially
the same. When an honest devotee of the church of Rome reads, that there
are Indians on the banks of the Ganges who believe that they shall
secure the happiness of a future state by dying with a cow's tail in
their hands, he laughs at their folly and superstition; and if these
Indians were to be told, that there are people upon the continent of
Europe, who imagine that they shall derive the same advantage from dying
with the slipper of St Francis upon their foot, they would laugh in
their turn. But if, when the Indian heard the account of the catholic,
and the catholic that of the Indian, each was to reflect, that there was
no difference between the absurdity of the slipper and of the tail, but
that the veil of prejudice and custom, which covered it in their own
case, was withdrawn in the other, they would turn their knowledge to a
profitable purpose.
Having observed that bread-fruit had for some days been brought in less
quantities than usual, we enquired the reason, and were told, that there
being a great shew of fruit upon the trees, they had been thinned all at
once, in order to make a kind of sour paste, which the natives call
_Mahie_, and which, in consequence of having undergone a fermentation,
will keep a considerable time, and supply them with food when no ripe
fruit is to be had.
On the 10th, the ceremony was to be performed, in honour of the old
woman whose sepulchral tabernacle has just been described, by the chief
mourner; and Mr Banks had so great a curiosity to see all the mysteries
of the solemnity, that he determined to take a part in it, being told,
that he could be present upon no other condition. In the evening,
therefore, he repaired to the place where the body lay, and was received
by the daughter of the deceased, and several other persons, among whom
was a boy about fourteen years old, who were to assist in the ceremony.
Tubourai Tamaide was to be the principal mourner; and his dress was
extremely fantastical, though not unbecoming. Mr Banks was stripped of
his European clothes, and a small piece of cloth being tied round his
middle, his body was smeared with charcoal and water, as low as the
shoulders, till it was as black as that of a negro: The same operation
was performed upon several others, among whom were some women, who were
reduced to a state as near to nakedness as himself; the boy was blacked
all over, and then the procession set forward. Tubourai Tamaide uttered
something, which was supposed to be a prayer, near the body; and did the
same when he came up to his own house: When this was done, the
procession was continued towards the fort, permission having been
obtained to approach it upon this occasion. It is the custom of the
Indians to fly from these processions with the utmost precipitation, so
that as soon as those who were about the fort, saw it at a distance,
they hid themselves in the woods. It proceeded from the fort along the
shore, and put to flight another body of Indians, consisting of more
than an hundred, every one hiding himself under the first shelter that
he could find: It then crossed the river, and entered the woods, passing
several houses, all which were deserted, and not a single Indian could
be seen during the rest of the procession, which continued more than
half an hour. The office that Mr Banks performed was called that of the
_Nineveh_, of which there were two besides himself; and the natives
having all disappeared, they came to the chief mourner, and said
_imitata_, there are no people, after which the company was dismissed to
wash themselves in the river, and put on their customary apparel.
On the 12th, complaint being made to me, by some of the natives, that
two of the seamen had taken from them several bows and arrows, and some
strings of plaited hair, I examined the matter, and finding the charge
well supported, I punished each of the criminals with two dozen lashes.
Their bows and arrows have not been mentioned before, nor were they
often brought down to the fort: This day, however, Tubourai Tamaide
brought down his, in consequence of a challenge which he had received
from Mr Gore. The chief supposed it was to try who could send the arrow
farthest; Mr Gore, who best could hit a mark; and as Mr Gore did not
value himself upon shooting to a great distance, nor the chief upon
hitting a mark, there was no trial of skill between them. Tubourai
Tamaide, however, to shew us what he could do, drew his bow, and sent an
arrow, none of which are feathered, two hundred and seventy-four yards,
which is something more than a seventh, and something less than a sixth
part of a mile. Their manner of shooting is somewhat singular; they
kneel down, and the moment the arrow is discharged, drop the bow.
Mr Banks, in his morning walk this day, met a number of the natives,
whom, upon enquiry, he found to be travelling musicians; and having
learnt where they were to be at night, we all repaired to the place. The
band consisted of two flutes and three drums, and we found a great
number of people assembled upon the occasion; The drummers accompanied
the music with their voices, and, to our great surprise, we discovered
that we were generally the subject of the song. We did not expect to
have found among the uncivilized inhabitants of this sequestered spot, a
character, which has been the subject of such praise and veneration
where genius and knowledge have been most conspicuous; yet these were
the bards or minstrels of Otaheite. Their song was unpremeditated, and
accompanied with music; they were continually going about from place to
place, and they were rewarded by the master of the house, and the
audience, with such things as one wanted and the other could spare.
On the 14th, we were brought into new difficulties and inconvenience by
another robbery at the fort. In the middle of the night, one of the
natives contrived to steal an iron coal-rake, that was made use of for
the oven. It happened to be set up against the inside of the wall, so
that the top of the handle was visible from without; and we were
informed that the thief, who had been seen lurking there in the evening,
came secretly about three o'clock in the morning, and, watching his
opportunity when the centinel's back was turned, very dexterously laid
hold of it with a long crooked stick, and drew it over the wall. I
thought it of some consequence, if possible, to put an end to these
practices at once, by doing something that should make it the common
interest of the natives themselves to prevent them. I had given strict
orders that they should not be fired upon, even when detected in these
attempts, for which, I had many reasons: The common centinels were by no
means fit to be entrusted with a power of life and death, to be exerted
whenever they should think fit, and I had already experienced that they
were ready to take away the lives that were in their power, upon the
slightest occasion; neither indeed did I think that the thefts which
these people committed against us, were, in them, crimes worthy of
death: That thieves are hanged in England, I thought no reason why they
should be shot in Otaheite; because with respect to the natives, it
would have been an execution by a law _ex post facto_: They had no such
law among themselves, and it did not appear to me that we had any right
to make such a law for them. That they should abstain from theft, or be
punished with death, was not one of the conditions under which they
claimed the advantages of civil society, as it is among us; and I was
not willing to expose them to fire-arms, loaded with shot, neither could
I perfectly approve of firing only with powder: At first, indeed, the
noise and the smoke would alarm them, but when they found that no
mischief followed, they would be led to despise the weapons themselves,
and proceed to insults, which would make it necessary to put them to the
test, and from which they would be deterred by the very sight of a gun
if it was never used but with effect. At this time, an accident
furnished me with what I thought a happy expedient. It happened that
above twenty of their sailing canoes were just come in with a supply of
fish: Upon these I immediately seized, and bringing them into the river
behind the fort, gave public notice, that except the rake, and all the
rest of the things which from time to time had been stolen, were
returned, the canoes should be burnt. This menace I ventured to publish,
though I had no design to put it into execution, making no doubt but
that it was well known in whose possession the stolen goods were, and
that as restitution was thus made a common cause, they would all of them
in a short time be brought back. A list of the things was made out,
consisting principally of the rake, the musket which had been taken from
the marine when the Indian was shot; the pistols which Mr Banks lost
with his clothes at Atahourou; a sword belonging to one of the petty
officers, and the water cask. About noon, the rake was restored, and
great solicitation was made for the release of the canoes; but I still
insisted upon my original, condition. The next day came, and nothing
farther was restored, at which I was much surprised, for the people were
in the utmost distress for the fish, which in a short time would be
spoilt; I was, therefore, reduced to a disagreeable situation, either of
releasing the canoes, contrary to what I had solemnly and publicly
declared, or to detain them, to the great injury of those who were
innocent, without answering any good purpose to ourselves: As a
temporary expedient, I permitted them to take the fish; but still
detained the canoes. This very licence, however, was productive of new
confusion and injury; for, it not being easy at once to distinguish to
what particular persons the several lots of fish belonged, the canoes
were plundered, under favour of this circumstance, by those who had no
right to any part of their cargo. Most pressing instances were still
made that the canoes might be restored, and I having now the greatest
reason to believe, either that the things for which I detained them were
not in the island, or that those who suffered by their detention had not
sufficient influence over the thieves to prevail upon them to
relinquish, their booty, determined at length to give them up, not a
little mortified at the bad success of my project.
Another accident also about this time was, notwithstanding all our
caution, very near embroiling us with the Indians. I sent the boat on
shore with an officer to get ballast for the ship, and not immediately
finding stones convenient for the purpose, he began to pull down some
part of an enclosure where they deposited the bones of their dead: This
the Indians violently opposed, and a messenger came down to the tents to
acquaint the officers that they would not suffer it. Mr Banks
immediately repaired to the place, and an amicable end was soon put to
the dispute, by sending the boat's crew to the river, where stones
enough were to be gathered without a possibility of giving offence. It
is very remarkable, that these Indians appeared to be much more jealous
of what was done to the dead than the living. This was the only measure
in which they ventured to oppose us, and the only insult that was
offered to any individual among us was upon a similar occasion. Mr
Monkhouse happening one day to pull a flower from a tree which grew in
one of their sepulchral enclosures, an Indian, whose jealousy had
probably been upon the watch, came suddenly behind him, and struck him:
Mr Monkhouse laid hold of him, but he was instantly rescued by two more,
who took hold of Mr Monkhouse's hair, and forced him to quit his hold of
their companion, and then ran away without offering him any farther
violence.
In the evening of the 19th, while the canoes were still detained, we
received a visit from Oberea, which surprised us not a little, as she
brought with her none of the things that had been stolen, and knew that
she was suspected of having some of them in her custody. She said
indeed, that her favourite Obadee, whom she had beaten and dismissed,
had taken them away; but she seemed conscious, that she had no right to
be believed: She discovered the strongest signs of fear, yet she
surmounted it with astonishing resolution; and was very pressing to
sleep with her attendants in Mr Banks's tent. In this, however, she was
not gratified; the affair of the jacket was too recent, and the tent was
besides filled with other people. Nobody else seemed willing to
entertain her, and she therefore, with great appearance of mortification
and disappointment, spent the night in her canoe.
The next morning early, she returned to the fort, with her canoe and
every thing that it contained, putting herself wholly into our power,
with something like greatness of mind, which excited our wonder and
admiration. As the most effectual means to bring about a reconciliation,
she presented us with a hog, and several other things, among which was a
dog. We had lately learnt, that these animals were esteemed by the
Indians as more delicate food than their pork; and upon this occasion we
determined to try the experiment: The dog, which was very fat, we
consigned over to Tupia, who undertook to perform the double office of
butcher and cook. He killed him by holding his hands close over his
mouth and nose, an operation which continued above a quarter of an hour.
While this was doing, a hole was made in the ground about a foot deep,
in which a fire was kindled, and some small stones placed in layers
alternately with the wood to heat; the dog was then singed, by holding
him over the tire, and, by scraping him with a shell, the hair taken off
as clean as if he had been scalded in hot water: He was then cut up with
the same instrument, and his entrails being taken out, were sent to the
sea, where being carefully washed, they were put into cocoa-nut shells,
with what blood had come from the body: When the hole was sufficiently
heated, the fire was taken out, and some of the stones, which were not
so hot as to discolour any thing that they touched, being placed at the
bottom, were covered with green leaves: The dog, with the entrails, was
then placed upon the leaves, and other leaves being laid upon them, the
whole was covered with the rest of the hot stones, and the mouth of the
hole close stopped with mould: In somewhat less than four hours it was
again opened, and the dog taken out excellently baked, and we all agreed
that he made a very good dish. The dogs which are here bred to be eaten,
taste no animal food, but are kept wholly upon bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts,
yams, and other vegetables of the like kind: All the flesh and fish
eaten by the inhabitants is dressed in the same way.
On the 21st, we were visited at the fort by a chief, called _Oamo_,
whom we had never seen before, and who was treated by the natives with
uncommon respect; he brought with him a boy about seven years old, and a
young woman about sixteen: The boy was carried upon a man's back, which
we considered as a piece of state, for he was as well able to walk as
any present. As soon as they were in sight, Oberea, and several other
natives who were in the fort, went out to meet them, having first
uncovered their heads and bodies as low as the waist: As they came on,
the same ceremony was performed by all the natives who were without the
fort. Uncovering the body, therefore, is in this country probably a mark
of respect; and as all parts are here exposed with equal indifference,
the ceremony of uncovering it from the waist downwards, which was
performed by Oorattooa, might be nothing more than a different mode of
compliment, adapted to persons of a different rank. The chief came into
the tent, but no entreaty could prevail upon the young woman to follow
him, though she seemed to refuse contrary to her inclination: The
natives without were indeed all very solicitous to prevent her;
sometimes, when her resolution seemed to fail, almost using force: The
boy also they restrained in the same manner; but Dr Solander happening
to meet him at the gate, took him by the hand, and led him in before the
people were aware of it: As soon, however, as those that were within saw
him, they took care to have him sent out.
These circumstances having strongly excited our curiosity, we enquired
who they were, and were informed, that Oamo was the husband of Oberea,
though they had been a long time separated by mutual consent; and that
the young woman and the boy were their children. We learnt also, that
the boy, whose name was _Terridiri_, was heir-apparent to the
sovereignty of the island, and that his sister was intended for his
wife, the marriage being deferred only till he should arrive at a proper
age. The sovereign at this time was a son of _Whappai_, whose name was
_Outou_, and who, as before has been observed, was a minor. Whappai,
Oamo, and Tootahah, were brothers: Whappai was the eldest, and Oamo the
second; so that, Whappai having no child but Outon, Terridiri, the son
of his next brother Oamo, was heir to the sovereignty. It will, perhaps,
seem strange that a boy should be sovereign during the life of his
father; but, according to the custom of the country, a child succeeds
to a fathers title and authority as soon as it is born: A regent is then
elected, and the father of the new sovereign is generally continued in
his authority, under that title, till his child is of age; but, at this
time, the choice had fallen upon Tootahah, the uncle, in consequence of
his having distinguished himself in a war. Oamo asked many questions
concerning England and its inhabitants, by which he appeared to have
great shrewdness and understanding.
SECTION XIV.
_An Account of the Circumnavigation of the Island, and various Incidents
that happened during the Expedition; with a Description of a
Burying-place and Place of Worship, called, a Morai._
On Monday the 26th, about three o'clock in the morning, I set out in the
pinnace, accompanied by Mr Banks, to make the circuit of the island,
with a view to sketch out the coast and harbours. We took our route to
the eastward, and about eight in the forenoon we went on shore, in a
district called _Oahounue_, which is governed by _Ahio_, a young chief,
whom we had often seen at the tents, and who favoured us with his
company to breakfast. Here also we found two other natives of our old
acquaintance, _Tituboalo_ and _Hoona_, who carried us to their houses,
near which we saw the body of the old woman, at whose funeral rites Mr
Banks had assisted, and which had been removed hither from the spot
where it was first deposited, this place having descended from her by
inheritance to Hoona, and it being necessary on that account that it
should lie here. We then proceeded on foot, the boat attending within
call, to the harbour in which Mr Bougainville lay, called _Ohidea_,
where the natives shewed us the ground upon which his people pitched
their tent, and the brook at which they watered, though no trace of them
remained, except the holes where the poles of the tent had been fixed,
and a small piece of potsheard, which Mr Banks found in looking
narrowly about the spot. We met, however, with _Orette_, a chief who
was their principal friend, and whose brother _Outorrou_ went away with
them.
This harbour lies on the west side of a great bay, under shelter of a
small island called _Boourou_, near which is another called _Taawirrii_;
the breach in the reefs is here very large, but the shelter for the
ships is not the best.
Soon after we had examined this place, we took boat, and asked Tituboalo
to go with us to the other side of the bay; but he refused, and advised
us not to go, for he said the country there was inhabited by people who
were not subject to Tootahah, and who would kill both him and us. Upon
receiving this intelligence, we did not, as may be imagined, relinquish
our enterprise; but we immediately loaded our pieces with ball: This was
so well understood by Tituboalo as a precaution which rendered us
formidable, that he now consented to be of our party.
Having rowed till it was dark, we reached a low neck of land, or
isthmus, at the bottom of the bay, that divides the island into two
peninsulas, each of which is a district or government wholly independent
of the other. From Port Royal, where the ship was at anchor, the coast
trends E. by S. and E.S.E. ten miles, then S. by E. and S. eleven miles
to the isthmus. In the first direction, the shore is in general open to
the sea, but in the last it is covered by reefs of rocks, which form
several good harbours, with safe anchorage, in 16, 18, 20, and 24 fathom
of water, with other conveniences. As we had not yet got into our
enemy's country, we determined to sleep on shore: We landed, and though
we found but few houses, we saw several double canoes, whose owners were
well known to us, and who provided us with supper and lodging; of which
Mr Banks was indebted for his share to Ooratooa, the lady who had paid
him her compliments in so singular a manner at the fort.
In the morning, we looked about the country, and found it to be a marshy
flat, about two miles over, across which the natives haul their canoes
to the corresponding bay on the other side. We then prepared to continue
our route for what Tituboalo called the other kingdom; he said that the
name of it was _Tiarrabou_, or _Otaheite Ete_; and that of the chief
who governed it, _Waheatua_: Upon this occasion also, we learnt that the
name of the peninsula where we had taken our station was _Opoureonu_, or
_Otaheite Nue_. Our new associate seemed to be now in better spirits
than he had been the day before; the people in Tiarrabou would not kill
us, he said, but he assured us that we should be able to procure no
victuals among them; and indeed we had seen no bread-fruit since we set
out.
After rowing a few miles, we landed in a district, which was the
dominion of a chief called _Maraitata_, the burying-place of men, whose
father's name was _Pahairedo_, the stealer of boats. Though these names
seemed to favour the account that had been given by Tituboalo, we soon
found that it was not true. Both the father and the son received us with
the greatest civility, gave us provisions, and, after some delay, sold
us a very large hog for a hatchet A crowd soon gathered round us, but we
saw only two people that we knew; neither did we observe a single bead
or ornament among them that had come from our ship, though we saw
several things which had been brought from Europe: In one of the houses
lay two twelve-pound shot, one of which was marked with the broad arrow
of England, though the people said they had them from the ships that lay
in Bougainville's harbour.
We proceeded on foot till we came to the district which was immediately
under the government of the principal chief, or king of the peninsula,
Waheatua. Waheatua had a son, but whether, according to the custom of
Opoureonu, he administered the government as regent, or in his own
right, is uncertain. This district consists of a large and fertile
plain, watered by a river so wide, that we were obliged to ferry over it
in a canoe; our Indian train, however, chose to swim, and took to the
water with the same facility as a pack of hounds. In this place we saw
no house that appeared to be inhabited, but the ruins of many, that had
been very large. We proceeded along the shore; which forms a bay, called
_Oaitipeha_, and at last we found the chief sitting near some pretty
canoe awnings, under which, we supposed, he and his attendants slept. He
was a thin old man, with a very white head and beard, and had with him a
comely woman, about five-and-twenty years old, whose name was
_Toudidde_. We had often heard the name of this woman, and, from report
and observation, we had reason to think that she was the _Oberea_ of
this peninsula. From this place, between which and the isthmus there are
other harbours, formed by the reefs that lie along the shore, where
shipping may lie in perfect security, and from whence the land trends
S.S.E. and S. to the S.E. part of the island, we were accompanied by
_Tearee_, the son of Waheatua, of whom we had purchased a hog, and the
country we passed through appeared to be more cultivated than any we had
seen in other parts of the island: The brooks were every where banked
into narrow channels with stone, and the shore had also a facing of
stone, where it was washed by the sea. The houses were neither large nor
numerous, but the canoes that were hauled up along the shore were almost
innumerable, and superior to any that we had seen before, both in size
and make; they were longer, the sterns were higher, and the awnings were
supported by pillars. At almost every point there was a sepulchral
building, and there were many of them also in land. They were of the
same figure as those in Opoureonu, but they were cleaner and better
kept, and decorated with many carved boards, which were set upright, and
on the top of which were various figures of birds and men: On one in
particular, there was the representation of a cock, which was painted
red and yellow, to imitate the feathers of that animal, and rude images
of men were, in some of them, placed one upon the head of another. But
in this part of the country, however fertile and cultivated, we did not
see a single bread-fruit; the trees were entirely bare, and the
inhabitants seemed to subsist principally upon nuts, which are not
unlike a chesnut, and which they call _Ahee_.
When we had walked till we were weary, we called up the boat, but both
our Indians, Tituboalo and Tuahow, were missing: They had, it seems,
stayed behind at Waheatua's, expecting us to return thither, in
consequence of a promise which had been extorted from us, and which we
had it not in our power to fulfil.
Tearee, however, and another, embarked with us, and we proceeded till we
came a-breast of a small island called _Otooareite_; it being then dark,
we determined to land, and our Indians conducted us to a place where
they said we might sleep: It was a deserted house, and near it was a
little cove, in which the boat might lie with great safety and
convenience. We were, however, in want of provisions, having been very
sparingly supplied since we set out; and Mr Banks immediately went into
the woods to see whether any could be procured. As it was dark, he met
with no people, and could find but one house that was inhabited: A
bread-fruit and a half, a few Ahees, and some fire, were all that it
afforded; upon which, with a duck or two, and a few curlieus, we made
our supper, which, if not scanty, was disagreeable, by the want of
bread, with which we had neglected to furnish ourselves, as we depended
upon meeting with bread-fruit, and took up our lodging under the awning
of a canoe belonging to Tearee, which followed us.
The next morning, after having spent some time in another fruitless
attempt to procure a supply of provisions, we proceeded round the
south-east point, part of which is not covered by any reef, but lies
open to the sea; and here the hill rises directly from the shore. At the
southermost part of the island, the shore is again covered by a reef,
which forms a good harbour; and the land about it is very fertile. We
made this route partly on foot, and partly in the boat: When we had
walked about three miles, we arrived at a place where we saw several
large canoes, and a number of people with them, whom we were agreeably
surprised to find were of our intimate acquaintance. Here, with much
difficulty, we procured some cocoa-nuts, and then embarked, taking with
us Tuahow, one of the Indians who had waited for us at Waheatua's, and
had returned the night before, long after it was dark.
When we came abreast of the south-east end of the island, we went
ashore, by the advice of our Indian guide, who told us that the country
was rich and good. The chief, whose name was _Mathiabo_, soon came down
to us, but seemed to be a total stranger both to us and to our trade:
His subjects, however, brought us plenty of cocoa-nuts, and about twenty
bread-fruit. The bread-fruit we bought at a very dear rate, but his
excellency sold us a pig for a glass bottle, which he preferred to every
thing else that we could give him. We found in his possession a goose
and a turkey-cock, which, we were informed, had been left upon the
island by the Dolphin: They were both enormously fat, and so tame that
they followed the Indians, who were fond of them to excess, wherever
they went.
In a long house in this neighbourhood, we saw what was altogether new to
us. At one end of it, fastened to a semicircular board, hung fifteen
human jaw-bones; they appeared to be fresh, and there was not one of
them that wanted a single tooth. A sight so extraordinary, strongly
excited our curiosity, and we made many enquiries about it: But at this
time could get no information, for the people either could not, or would
not understand us.
When we left this place, the chief, Mathiabo, desired leave to accompany
us, which was readily granted. He continued with us the remainder of the
day, and proved very useful, by piloting us over the shoals. In the
evening, we opened the bay on the north-west side of the island, which
answered to that on the south-east, so as at the isthmus, or
carrying-place, almost to intersect the island, as I have observed
before; and when we had coasted about two-thirds of it, we determined to
go on shore for the night. We saw a large house at some distance, which,
Mathiabo informed us, belonged to one of his friends; and soon after
several canoes came off to meet us, having on board some very handsome
women, who, by their behaviour, seemed to have been sent to entice us on
shore. As we had before resolved to take up our residence here for the
night, little invitation was necessary. We found that the house belonged
to the chief of the district, whose name was _Wiverou_: He received us
in a very friendly manner, and ordered his people to assist us in
dressing our provision, of which we had now got a tolerable stock. When
our supper was ready, we were conducted into that part of the house
where Wiverou was sitting, in order to eat it; Mathiabo supped with us,
and Wiverou calling for his supper at the same time, we eat our meal
very sociably, and with great good humour. When it was over, we began to
enquire where we were to sleep, and a part of the house was shewn us, of
which we were told we might take possession for that purpose. We then
sent for our clokes, and Mr Banks began to undress, as his custom was,
and, with a precaution which he had been taught by the loss of the
jackets at Atahourou, sent his clothes aboard the boat, proposing to
cover himself with a piece of Indian cloth. When Mathiabo perceived what
was doing, he also pretended to want a cloak; and, as he had behaved
very well, and done us some service, a cloke was ordered for him. We lay
down, and observed that Mathiabo was not with us; but we supposed that
he was gone to bathe, as the Indians always do before they sleep. We had
not waited long, however, when an Indian, who was a stranger to us, came
and told Mr Banks, that the cloke and Mathiabo had disappeared
together. This man had so far gained our confidence, that we did not at
first believe the report; but it being soon after confirmed by Tuahow,
our own Indian, we knew no time was to be lost. As it was impossible for
us to pursue the thief with any hope of success, without the assistance
of the people about us, Mr Banks started up, and telling our case,
required them to recover the cloak; and to enforce this requisition,
shewed one of his pocket-pistols, which he always kept about him. Upon
the sight of the pistol, the whole company took the alarm, and, instead
of assisting to catch the thief, or recover what had been stolen, began
with great precipitation to leave the place; one of them, however, was
seized, upon which he immediately offered to direct the chase: I set out
therefore with Mr Banks, and though we ran all the way, the alarm had
got before us, for in about ten minutes we met a man bringing back the
cloak, which the thief had relinquished in great terror; and as we did
not then think fit to continue the pursuit, he made his escape. When we
returned, we found the house, in which there had been between two and
three hundred people, entirely deserted. It being, however, soon known
that we had no resentment against any body but Mathiabo, the chief,
Wiverou, our host, with his wife and many others, returned, and took up
their lodgings with us for the night. In this place, however, we were
destined to more confusion and trouble, for about five o'clock in the
morning our sentry alarmed us, with an account that the boat was
missing: He had seen her, he said, about half an hour before, at her
grappling, which was not above fifty yards from the shore; but, upon
hearing the sound of oars, he had looked out again, and could see
nothing of her. At this account we started up greatly alarmed, and ran
to the water-side: The morning was clear and star-light, so that we
could see to a considerable distance, but there was no appearance of the
boat. Our situation was now such as might justify the most terrifying
apprehensions; as it was a dead calm, and we could not therefore suppose
her to have broken from her grappling, we had great reason to fear that
the Indians had attacked her, and finding the people asleep, had
succeeded in their enterprise: We were but four, with only one musquet
and two pocket-pistols, without a spare ball or charge of powder for
either. In this state of anxiety and distress we remained a considerable
time, expecting the Indians every moment to improve their advantage,
when, to our unspeakable satisfaction, we saw the boat return, which
had been driven from her grappling by the tide; a circumstance to which,
in our confusion and surprise, we did not advert.
As soon as the boat returned, we got our breakfast, and were impatient
to leave the place, lest some other vexatious accident should befall us.
It is situated on the north side of Tiarrabou, the south-east peninsula,
or division, of the island, and at the distance of about five miles
south east from the isthmus, having a large and commodious harbour,
inferior to none in the island, about which the land is very rich in
produce. Notwithstanding we had had little communication with this
division, the inhabitants everywhere received us in a friendly manner;
we found the whole of it fertile and populous, and to all appearance, in
a more flourishing stale than Opoureonu, though it is not above
one-fourth part as large.
The next district in which we landed, was the last in Tiarrabou, and
governed by a chief, whose name we understood to be _Omoe_. Omoe was
building a house, and being, therefore very desirous of procuring a
hatchet, he would have been glad to have purchased one with any thing
that he had in his possession; it happened, however, rather
unfortunately for him and us, that we had not one hatchet left in the
boat. We offered to trade with nails, but he would not part with any
thing in exchange for them; we therefore re-embarked, and put off our
boat, but the chief being unwilling to relinquish all hope of obtaining
something from us that would be of use to him, embarked in a canoe, with
his wife _Whanno-ouda_, and followed us. After some time, we took them
into the boat, and when we had rowed about a league, they desired we
would put ashore: We immediately complied with his request, and found
some of his people, who had brought down a very large hog. We were as
unwilling to lose the hog, as the chief was to part with us, and it was
indeed worth the best axe we had in the ship; we therefore hit upon an
expedient, and told him, that if he would bring his hog to the fort at
_Matavai_, the Indian name for Port Royal Bay, he should have a large
axe, and a nail into the bargain, for his trouble. To this proposal,
after having consulted with his wife, he agreed, and gave us a large
piece of his country-cloth as a pledge that he would perform his
agreement, which, however, he never did.
At this place we saw a very singular curiosity: It was the figure of a
man, constructed of basket-work, rudely made, but not ill designed; it
was something more than seven feet high, and rather too bulky in
proportion to its height. The wicker skeleton was completely covered
with feathers, which were white where the skin was to appear, and black
in the parts which it is their custom to paint or stain, and upon the
head, where there was to be a representation of hair: Upon the head also
were four protuberances, three in front and one behind, which we should
have called horns, but which the Indians dignified with the name of
_Tate Ete_, little men. The image was called _Manioe_, and was said to
be the only one of the kind in Otaheite. They attempted to give us an
explanation of its use and design, but we had not then acquired enough
of their language to understand them. We learnt, however, afterwards,
that it was a representation of Mauwe, one of their Eatuas, or gods of
the second class.
After having settled our affairs with Omoe, we proceeded on our return,
and soon reached Opoureonu, the north-west peninsula. After rowing a few
miles, we went on shore again, but the only thing we saw worth notice,
was a repository for the dead, uncommonly decorated: The pavement was
extremely neat, and upon it was raised a pyramid, about five feet high,
which was entirely covered with the fruits of two plants, peculiar to
the country. Near the pyramid was a small image of stone, of very rude
workmanship, and the first instance of carving in stone that we had seen
among these people. They appeared to set a high value upon it, for it
was covered from the weather by a shed, that had been erected on
purpose.
We proceeded in the boat, and passed through the only harbour, on the
south side of Opoureonu, that is fit for shipping. It is situated about
five miles to the westward of the isthmus, between two small islands
that lie near the shore, and about a mile distant from each other, and
affords good anchorage in eleven and twelve fathom water. We were now
not far from the district called _Paparra_, which belonged to our
friends Oamo and Oberea, where we proposed to sleep. We went on shore
about an hour before night, and found that they were both absent, having
left their habitations to pay us a visit at Matavai: This, however, did
not alter our purpose; we took up our quarters at the house of Oberea,
which, though small, was very neat, and at this time had no inhabitant
but her father, who received us with looks that bid us welcome. Having
taken possession, we were willing to improve the little day-light that
was left us, and therefore walked out to a point, upon which we had
seen, at a distance, trees that are here called _Etoa_, which generally
distinguish the places where these people bury the bones of their dead:
Their name for such burying-grounds, which are also places of worship,
is _Morai_.[93] We were soon struck with the sight of an enormous pile,
which, we were told, was the Morai of Oamo and Oberea, and the principal
piece of Indian architecture in the island. It was a pile of stone-work,
raised pyramidically, upon an oblong base, or square, two hundred and
sixty-seven feet long, and eighty-seven wide. It was built like the
small pyramidal mounts upon which we sometimes fix the pillar of a
sun-dial, where each side is a flight of steps; the steps, however, at
the sides, were broader than those at the ends, so that it terminated
not in a square of the same figure with the base, but in a ridge, like
the roof of a house: There were eleven of these steps, each of which was
four feet high, so that the height of the pile was forty-four feet; each
step was formed of one course of white coral-stone, which was neatly
squared and polished; the rest of the mass, for there was no hollow
within, consisted of round pebbles, which, from the regularity of their
figure, seemed to have been wrought. Some of the coral-stones were very
large; we measured one of them, and found it three feet and a half by
two feet and a half. The foundation was of rock stones, which were also
squared; and one of them measured four feet seven inches by two feet
four. Such a structure, raised without the assistance of iron-tools to
shape the stones, or mortar to join them, struck us with astonishment:
It seemed to be as compact and firm as it could have been made by any
workman in Europe, except that the steps, which range along its greatest
length, are not perfectly straight, but sink in a kind of hollow in the
middle, so that the whole surface, from end to end, is not a right line,
but a curve. The quarry stones, as we saw no quarry in the
neighbourhood, must have been brought from a considerable distance; and
there is no method of conveyance here but by hand: The coral must also
have been fished from under the water, where, though it may be found in
plenty, it lies at a considerable depth, never less than three feet.
Both the rock-stone and the coral could be squared only by tools made of
the same substance, which must have been a work of incredible labour;
but the polishing was more easily effected by means of the sharp coral
sand, which is found every-where upon the seashore in great abundance.
In the middle of the top stood the image of a bird, carved in wood; and
near it lay the broken one of a fish, carved in stone. The whole of this
pyramid made part of one side of a spacious area or square, nearly of
equal sides, being three hundred and sixty feet by three hundred and
fifty-four, which was walled in with stone, and paved with flat stones
in its whole extent; though there were growing in it, notwithstanding
the pavement, several of the trees which they call _Etoa_, and
plantains. About a hundred yards to the west of this building, was
another paved area or court, in which were several small stages raised
on wooden pillars, about seven feet high, which are called by the
Indians _Ewattus_, and seem to be a kind of altars, as upon these are
placed provisions of all kinds as offerings to their gods; we have since
seen whole hogs placed upon them, and we found here the skulls of above
fifty, besides the skulls of a great number of dogs.[94]
[Footnote 93: "The sacred ground, around the Morais," says the
missionary account, "affords a sanctuary for criminals. Thither, on any
apprehension of danger, they flee, especially when numerous (human)
sacrifices are expected, and cannot therein be taken by force, though
they are sometimes seduced to quit their asylum." The reader will often
have to notice with surprise the remarkable resemblance in certain
customs of a religious nature, betwixt these people and others more
known in history.--E.]
[Footnote 94: The liberality of these people to their gods is
particularly noticed in the missionary account. "They offer to them all
the products of their island, hogs, fowls, fish, and vegetables; and at
every feast a portion is presented to the Eatooa, before they presume to
take their own repast."--E.]
The principal object of ambition among these people is to have a
magnificent Morai, and this was a striking memorial of the rank and
power of Oberea. It has been remarked, that we did not find her invested
with the same authority that she exercised when the Dolphin was at this
place, and we now learnt the reason of it. Our way from her house to
the Morai lay along the sea-side, and we observed every-where under our
feet a great number of human bones, chiefly ribs and vertebrae. Upon
enquiring into the cause of so singular an appearance, we were told,
that in the then last month of _Owarahew_, which answered to our
December, 1768, about four or five months before our arrival, the people
of Tiarrabou, the S.E. peninsula which we had just visited, made a
descent at this place, and killed a great number of people, whose bones
were those that we saw upon the shore: That, upon this occasion, Oberea,
and Oamo, who then administered the government for his son, had fled to
the mountains; and that the conquerors burnt all the houses, which were
very large, and carried away the hogs, and what other animals they
found. We learnt also, that the turkey and goose, which we had seen when
we were with Mathiabo, the stealer of cloaks, were among the spoils;
this accounted for their being found among people with whom the Dolphin
had little or no communication; and upon mentioning the jawbones, which
we had seen hanging from a board in a long house, we were told, that
they also had been carried away as trophies, the people here carrying
away the jaw-bones of their enemies, as the Indians of North America do
the scalps.
After having thus gratified oar curiosity, we returned to our quarters,
where we passed the night in perfect security and quiet. By the next
evening we arrived at Atahourou, the residence of our friend Tootahah,
where, the last time we passed the night under his protection, we had
been obliged to leave the best part of our clothes behind us. This
adventure, however, seemed now to be forgotten on both sides. Our
friends received us with great pleasure, and gave us a good supper and a
good lodging, where we suffered neither loss nor disturbance.
The next day, Saturday, July the 1st, we got back to our fort at
Matavai, having found the circuit of the island, including both
peninsulas, to be about thirty leagues. Upon our complaining of the want
of bread-fruit, we were told, that the produce of the last season was
nearly exhausted; and that what was seen sprouting upon the trees, would
not be fit to use in less than three months: This accounted for our
having been able to procure so little of it in our route.
While the bread-fruit is ripening upon the flats, the inhabitants are
supplied in some measure from the trees which they have planted upon the
hills to preserve a succession; but the quantity is not sufficient to
prevent scarcity: They live therefore upon the sour paste, which they
call _Mahie_, upon wild plantains, and ahee-nuts, which at this time are
in perfection. How it happened that the Dolphin, which was here at this
season, found such plenty of bread-fruit upon the trees, I cannot tell,
except the season in which they ripen varies.
At our return, our Indian friends crowded about us and none of them came
empty-handed. Though I had determined to restore the canoes which had
been detained to their owners, it had not yet been done; but I now
released them as they were applied for. Upon this occasion I could not
but remark with concern, that these people were capable of practising
petty frauds against each other, with a deliberate dishonesty, which
gave me a much worse opinion of them than I had ever entertained from
the robberies they committed, under the strong temptation to which a
sudden opportunity of enriching themselves with the inestimable metal
and manufactures of Europe exposed them.
Among others who applied to me for the release of a canoe, was one
_Potattow_, a man of some consequence, well known to us all. I
consented, supposing the vessel to be his own, or that he applied on the
behalf of a friend: He went immediately to the beach, and took
possession of one of the boats, which, with the assistance of his
people, he began to carry off. Upon this, however, it was eagerly
claimed by the right owners, who, supported by the other Indians,
clamorously reproached him for invading their property, and prepared to
take the canoe from him by force. Upon this, he desired to be heard, and
told them, that the canoe did, indeed, once belong to those who claimed
it; but that I, having seized it as a forfeit, had sold it to him for a
pig. This silenced the clamour, the owners, knowing that from my power
there was no appeal, acquiesced; and Potattow would have carried off his
prize, if the dispute had not fortunately been overheard by some of our
people, who reported it to me. I gave orders immediately that the
Indians should be undeceived; upon which the right owners took
possession of their canoe, and Potattow was so conscious of his guilt,
that neither he nor his wife, who was privy to his knavery, could look
us in the face for some time afterwards.
SECTION XV.
_An Expedition of Mr Banks to trace the River: Marks of Subterraneous
Fire: Preparations for leaving the Island: An Account of Tupia._
On the 3d, Mr Banks set out early in the morning with some Indian
guides, to trace our river up the valley from which it issues, and
examine how far its banks were inhabited. For about six miles they met
with houses, not far distant from each other, on each side of the river,
and the valley was every where about four hundred yards wide from the
foot of the hill on one side, to the foot of that on the other; but they
were now shewn a house which they were told was the last that they would
see. When they came up to it, the master of it offered them refreshments
of cocoa-nuts and other fruits, of which they accepted; after a short
stay, they walked forward for a considerable time; in bad way it is not
easy to compute distances, but they imagined that they had walked about
six miles farther, following the course of the river, when they
frequently passed under vaults, formed by fragments of the rock, in
which they were told people who were benighted frequently passed the
night. Soon after they found the river banked by steep rocks, from which
a cascade, falling with great violence, formed a pool, so steep, that
the Indians said they could not pass it. They seemed, indeed, not much
to be acquainted with the valley beyond this place, their business lying
chiefly upon the declivity of the rocks on each side, and the plains
which extended on their summits, where they found plenty of wild
plantain, which they called _Vae_. The way up these rocks from the banks
of the river, was in every respect dreadful; the sides were nearly
perpendicular, and in some places one hundred feet high; they were also
rendered exceeding slippery by the water of innumerable springs which
issued from the fissures on the surface: Yet up these precipices a way
was to be traced by a succession of long pieces of the bark of the
_hibiscus tiliaceus_, which served as a rope for the climber to take
hold of, and assisted him in scrambling from one ledge to another,
though upon these ledges there was footing only for an Indian or a goat.
One of these ropes was nearly thirty feet in length, and their guides
offered to assist them in mounting this pass, but recommended another at
a little distance lower down, as less difficult and dangerous. They took
a view of this "better way," but found it so bad that they did not chuse
to attempt it, as there was nothing at the top to reward their toil and
hazard, but a grove of the wild plantain or vae tree, which they had
often seen before.
During this excursion, Mr Banks had an excellent opportunity to examine
the rocks, which were almost every where naked, for minerals; but he
found not the least appearance of any. The stones every where, like
those of Madeira, shewed manifest tokens of having been burnt; nor is
there a single specimen of any stone, among all those that were
collected in the island, upon which there are not manifest and
indubitable marks of fire; except perhaps some small pieces of the
hatchet-stone, and even of that, other fragments were collected which
were burned almost to a pumice. Traces of fire are also manifest in the
very clay upon the hills; and it may, therefore, not unreasonably be
supposed, that this, and the neighbouring islands, are either shattered
remains of a continent, which some have supposed to be necessary in this
part of the globe, to preserve an equilibrium of its parts, which were
left behind when the rest sunk by the mining of a subterraneous fire, so
as to give a passage to the sea over it; or were torn from rocks, which,
from the creation of the world, had been the bed of the sea, and thrown
up in heaps, to a height which the waters never reach. One or other of
these suppositions will perhaps be thought the more probable, as the
water does not gradually grow shallow as the shore is approached, and
the islands are almost every where surrounded by reefs, which appear to
be rude and broken, as some violent concussion would naturally leave the
solid substance of the earth.
On the 4th, Mr Banks employed himself in planting a great quantity of
the seeds of water-melons, oranges, lemons, limes, and other plants and
trees which he had collected at Rio de Janeiro. For these he prepared
ground on each side of the fort, with as many varieties of soil as he
could chuse; and there is little doubt but that they will succeed. He
also gave liberally of these seeds to the Indians, and planted many of
them in the woods: Some of the melon seeds having been planted soon
after our arrival, the natives shewed him several of the plants, which
appeared to be in the most flourishing condition, and were continually
asking him for more.
We now began to prepare for our departure by bending the sails, and
performing other necessary operations on board the ship, our water being
already on board, and the provisions examined. In the mean time we had
another visit from Oamo, Oberea, and their son and daughter; the Indians
expressing their respect by uncovering the upper parts of their body as
they had done before. The daughter, whose name we understand to be
Toimata, was very desirous to see the fort, but her father would by no
means suffer her to come in. Tearee, the son of Waheatua, the sovereign
of Tiarrabou, the south-east peninsula, was also with us at this time;
and we received intelligence of the landing of another guest, whose
company was neither expected nor desired: This was no other than the
ingenious gentleman who contrived to steal our quadrant. We were told,
that he intended to try his fortune again in the night; but the Indians
all offered zealously to assist us against him, desiring that; for this
purpose, they might be permitted to lie in the fort. This had so good on
effect, that the thief relinquished his enterprise in despair.
On the 7th, the carpenters were employed in taking down the gates and
pallisadoes of our little fortification, for firewood on board the ship;
and one of the Indians had dexterity enough to steal the staple and hook
upon which the gate turned: He was immediately pursued, and after a
chace of six miles, he appeared to have been passed, having concealed
himself among some rushes in the brook; the rushes were searched, and
though the thief had escaped, a scraper was found which had been stolen
from the ship some time before; and soon after our old friend Tubourai
Tamaide brought us the staple.
On the 8th and 9th, we continued to dismantle our fort, and our friends
still flocked about us; some, I believe, sorry at the approach of our
departure, and others desirous to make as much as they could of us while
we staid.
We were in hopes that we should now leave the island without giving or
receiving any other offence; but it unfortunately happened otherwise.
Two foreign seamen having been out with my permission, one of them was
robbed of his knife, and endeavouring to recover it, probably with
circumstances of great provocation, the Indians attacked him, and
dangerously wounded him with a stone; they wounded his companion also
slightly in the head, and then fled into the mountains. As I should have
been sorry to take any farther notice of the affair, I was not
displeased that the offenders had escaped; but I was immediately
involved in a quarrel which I very much regretted, and which yet it was
not possible to avoid.
In the middle of the night between the 8th and 9th, Clement Webb and
Samuel Gibson, two of the marines, both young men, went privately from
the fort, and in the morning were not to be found. As public notice had
been given, that all hands were to go on board on the next day, and that
the ship would sail on the morrow of that day or the day following, I
began to fear that the absentees intended to stay behind. I knew that I
could take no effectual steps to recover them, without endangering the
harmony and good-will which at present subsisted among us; and therefore
determined to wait a day for the chance of their return.
On Monday morning the 10th, the marines, to my great concern, not being
returned, an enquiry was made after them of the Indians, who frankly
told us, that they did not intend to return, and had taken refuge in the
mountains, where it was impossible for our people to find them. They
were then requested to assist in the search, and after some
deliberation, two of them undertook to conduct such persons as I should
think proper to send after them to the place of their retreat. As they
were known to be without arms, I thought two would be sufficient, and
accordingly dispatched a petty officer, and a corporal of the marines,
with the Indian guides, to fetch them back. As the recovery of these men
was a matter of great importance, as I had no time to lose, and as the
Indians spoke doubtfully of their return, telling as, that they had each
of them taken a wife, and were become inhabitants of the country, it was
intimated to several of the chiefs who were in the fort with their
women, among whom were Tubourai Tamaide, Tomio, and Oberea, that they
would not be permitted to leave it till our deserters were brought
back. This precaution I thought the more necessary, as, by concealing
them a few days, they might compel me to go without them; and I had the
pleasure to observe, that they received the intimation with very little
signs either of fear or discontent; assuring me that my people should be
secured and sent back as soon as possible. While this was doing at the
fort, I sent Mr Hicks in the pinnace to fetch Tootahah on board the
ship, which he did, without alarming either him or his people. If the
Indian guides proved faithful and in earnest, I had reason to expect the
return of my people with the deserters before evening. Being
disappointed, my suspicions increased; and night coming on, I thought I
was not safe to let the people whom I had detained as hostages continue
at the fort, and I therefore ordered Tubourai Tamaide, Oberea, and some
others, to be taken on board the ship. This spread a general alarm, and
several of them, especially the women, expressed their apprehensions
with great emotion and many tears when they were put into the boat. I
went on board with them, and Mr Banks remained on shore, with some
others whom I thought it of less consequence to secure.
About nine o'clock, Webb was brought back by some of the natives, who
declared that Gibson, and the petty officer and corporal, would be
detained till Tootahah should be set at liberty. The tables were now
turned upon me, but I had proceeded too far to retreat. I immediately
dispatched Mr Hicks in the long-boat, with a strong party of men, to
rescue the prisoners, and told Tootahah that it behoved him to send some
of his people with them, with orders to afford them effectual
assistance, and to demand the release of my men in his name, for that I
should expect him to answer for the contrary. He readily complied; this
party recovered my men without the least opposition; and about seven
o'clock in the morning, returned with them to the ship, though they had
not been able to recover the arms which had been taken from them when
they were seized: These, however, were brought onboard in less than half
an hour, and the chiefs were immediately set at liberty.
When I questioned the petty officer concerning what had happened on
shore, he told me, that neither the natives who went with him, nor those
whom they met in their way, would give them any intelligence of the
deserters; but, on the contrary, became very troublesome: That, as he
was returning for further orders to the ship, he and his comrade were
suddenly seized by a number of armed men, who having learnt that
Tootahah was confined, had concealed themselves in a wood for that
purpose, and, who having taken them at a disadvantage, forced their
weapons out of their hands, and declared, that they would detain them
till their chief should be set at liberty. He said, however, that the
Indians were not unanimous in this measure; that some were for setting
them at liberty, and others for detaining them: That an eager dispute
ensued, and that from words they came to blows, but that the party for
detaining them at length prevailed: That soon after Webb and Gibson were
brought in by a party of the natives, as prisoners, that they also might
be secured as hostages for the chief; but that it was after some debate
resolved to send Webb to inform me of their resolution, to assure me
that his companions were safe, and direct me where I might send my
answer. Thus it appears that whatever were the disadvantages of seizing
the chiefs, I should never have recovered my men by any other method.
When the chiefs were set on shore from the ship, those at the fort were
also set at liberty, and, after staying with Mr Banks about an hour,
they all went away. Upon this occasion, as they had done upon another of
the same kind, they expressed their joy by an undeserved liberality,
strongly urging us to accept of four hogs. These we absolutely refused
as a present, and they as absolutely refusing to be paid for them, the
hogs did not change masters. Upon examining the deserters, we found that
the account which the Indians had given of them was true: They had
strongly attached themselves to two girls, and it was their intention to
conceal themselves till the ship had sailed, and take up their residence
upon the island. This night every thing was got off from the shore, and
every body slept on board.
Among the natives who were almost constantly with us, was Tupia, whose
name has been often mentioned in this narrative. He had been, as I have
before observed, the first minister of Oberea, when she was in the
height of her power: He was also the chief tahowa or priest of the
island, consequently well acquainted with the religion of the country,
as well with respect to its ceremonies as principles. He had also great
experience and knowledge in navigation, and was particularly acquainted
with the number and situation of the neighbouring islands. This man had
often expressed a desire to go with us, and on the 12th in the morning,
having with the other natives left us the day before, he came on board
with a boy about thirteen years of age, his servant, and urged us to let
him proceed with us on our voyage. To have such a person on board, was
certainly desirable for many reasons; by learning his language, and
teaching him ours, we should be able to acquire a much better knowledge
of the customs, policy, and religion of the people, than our short stay
among them could give us, I therefore gladly agreed to receive them on
board. As we were prevented from sailing to-day, by having found it
necessary to make new stocks to our small and best bower anchors, the
old ones having been totally destroyed by the worms, Tupia said, he
would go once more on shore, and make a signal for the boat to fetch him
off in the evening. He went accordingly, and took with him a miniature
picture of Mr Banks's, to shew his friends, and several little things to
give them as parting presents.
After dinner, Mr Banks, being desirous to procure a drawing of the Morai
belonging to Tootahah at Eparré, I attended him thither, accompanied by
Dr Solander, in the pinnace. As soon as we landed, many of our friends
came to meet us; though some absented themselves in resentment of what
had happened the day before. We immediately proceeded to Toolahah's
house, where we were joined by Oberea, with several others who had not
come out to meet us, and a perfect reconciliation was soon brought
about; in consequence of which they promised to visit us early the next
day, to take a last farewell of us, as we told them we should certainly
set sail in the afternoon. At this place also we found Tupia, who
returned with us, and slept this night on board the ship for the first
time.
On the next morning, Thursday the 13th of July, the ship was very early
crowded with our friends, and surrounded by a multitude of canoes, which
were filled with the natives of an inferior class. Between eleven and
twelve we weighed anchor, and as soon as the ship was under sail, the
Indians on board took their leaves, and wept, with a decent and silent
sorrow, in which there was something very striking and tender: The
people in the canoes, on the contrary, seemed to vie with each other in
the loudness of their lamentations, which we considered rather as
affectation than grief. Tupia sustained himself in this scene with a
firmness and resolution truly admirable: He wept indeed, but the effort
that he made to conceal his tears, concurred, with them, to do him
honour. He sent his last present, a shirt, by Otheothea, to Potomia,
Tootahah's favourite mistress, and then went with Mr Banks to the
mast-head, waving to the canoes as long as they continued in sight.
Thus we took leave of Otaheite, and its inhabitants, after a stay of
just three months; for much the greater part of the time we lived
together in the most cordial friendship, and a perpetual reciprocation
of good offices. The accidental differences which now and then happened
could not be more sincerely regretted on their part than they were on
ours: The principal causes were such as necessarily resulted from our
situation and circumstances, in conjunction with the infirmities of
human nature, from our not being able perfectly to understand each
other, and from the disposition of the inhabitants to theft, which we
could not at all times bear with or prevent. They had not, however,
except in one instance, been attended with any fatal consequence; and to
that accident were owing the measures that I took to prevent others of
the same kind. I hoped indeed to have availed myself of the impression
which had been made upon them by the lives that had been sacrificed in
their contest with the Dolphin, so as that the intercourse between us
should have been carried on wholly without bloodshed; and by this hope
all my measures were directed during the whole of my continuance at the
island, and I sincerely wish, that whoever shall next visit it, may be
still more fortunate. Our traffic here was carried on with as much order
as in the best regulated market in Europe. It was managed principally by
Mr Banks, who was indefatigable in procuring provision and refreshments
while they were to be had; but during the latter part of our time they
became scarce, partly by the increased consumption at the fort and ship,
and partly by the coming on of the season in which cocoa-nuts and
bread-fruit fail. All kinds of fruit we purchased for beads and nails,
but no nails less than forty-penny were current: After a very short time
we could never get a pig of more than ten or twelve pounds, for less
than a hatchet; because, though these people set a high value upon spike
nails, yet these being an article with which many people in the ship
were provided, the women found a much more easy way of procuring them
than by bringing down provisions.
The best articles for traffic here are axes, hatchets, spikes, large
nails, looking-glasses, knives, and beads, for some of which, every
thing that the natives have may be procured. They are indeed fond of
fine linen cloth, both white and printed; but an axe worth half-a-crown
will fetch more than a piece of cloth worth twenty shillings.
END OF TWELFTH VOLUME.