TRANSACTIONS AT OTAHEITE, AND THE SOCIETY ISLANDS; AND PROSECUTION OF
THE VOYAGE TO THE COAST OF NORTH AMERICA.
CHAP. I.
AN ECLIPSE OF THE MOON OBSERVED.—THE ISLAND TOOBOUAI DISCOVERED.—ITS
SITUATION, EXTENT, AND APPEARANCE.—INTERCOURSE WITH ITS INHABITANTS.—
THEIR PERSONS, DRESSES, AND CANOES DESCRIBED.—ARRIVAL IN OHEITEPEHA
BAY AT OTAHEITE.—OMAI’S RECEPTION, AND IMPRUDENT CONDUCT.—ACCOUNT OF
SPANISH SHIPS TWICE VISITING THE ISLAND.—INTERVIEW WITH THE CHIEF OF
THIS DISTRICT.—THE OLLA, OR GOD, OF BOLABOLA.—A MAD PROPHET.—ARRIVAL
IN MATAVAI BAY.
Having, as before related[1], taken our final leave of the Friendly
Islands, I now resume my narrative of the voyage. In the evening of the
17th of July, at eight o’clock, the body of Eaoo bore north-east by
north, distant three or four leagues. The wind was now at east, and blew
a fresh gale. With it I stood to the south, till half an hour past six
o’clock the next morning, when a sudden squall from the same direction
took our ship aback; and before the ships could be trimmed, on the other
tack, the main-sail and the top-gallant sails were much torn.
The wind kept between the south-west, and south-east, on the 19th and
20th; afterward it veered to the east, north-east, and north. The night
between the 20th and 21st, an eclipse of the moon was observed as
follows; being then in the latitude of 22° 57-1/2ʹ south:
Apparent time, A. M.
H. M. S.
Beginning, by Mr. King, at 0 32 50} Mean long.
Mr. Bligh, at 0 33 25} 186° 57-1/2ʹ.
Myself, at 0 33 35}
End, by Mr. King, at 1 44 56} Mean long.
Mr. Bligh, at 1 44 6} 186° 28-1/2ʹ.
Myself, at 1 44 56} Time keep.
186° 58-1/2ʹ.
The latitude and longitude are those of the ship, at 8^h 56^m A. M.,
being the time when the sun’s altitude was taken for finding the
apparent time. At the beginning of the eclipse, the moon was in the
zenith; so that it was found most convenient to make use of the
sextants; and to make the observations by the reflected image, which was
brought down to a convenient altitude. The same was done at the end;
except by Mr. King, who observed with a night telescope. Although the
greatest difference between our several observations is more than fifty
seconds, it, nevertheless, appeared to me, that two observers might
differ more than double that time, in both the beginning and end. And
though the times are noted to seconds, no such accuracy was pretended
to. The odd seconds, set down above, arose by reducing the time, as
given by the watch, to apparent time.
I continued to stretch to the east south-east, with the wind at
north-east and north, without meeting with any thing worthy of note,
till seven o’clock in the evening of the 29th; when we had a sudden and
very heavy squall of wind from the north. At this time, we were under
single-reefed top-sails, courses, and stay-sails. Two of the latter were
blown to pieces; and it was with difficulty that we saved the other
sails. After this squall, we observed several lights moving about on
board the Discovery; by which we concluded that something had given way;
and, the next morning, we saw that her main-top-mast had been lost. Both
wind and weather continued very unsettled till noon, this day, when the
latter cleared up, and the former settled in the north-west quarter. At
this time, we were in the latitude of 28° 6ʹ south, and our longitude
was 198° 23ʹ east. Here we saw some pintado birds, being the first since
we left the land.
On the 31st, at noon, Captain Clerke made a signal to speak with me. By
the return of the boat, which I sent on board his ship, he informed me,
that the head of the main-mast had been discovered to be sprung, in such
a manner, as to render the rigging of another top-mast very dangerous;
and that, therefore, he must rig something lighter in its place. He also
informed me, that he had lost his main-top-gallantyard; and that he
neither had another, nor a spar to make one, on board. The Resolution’s
sprit-sail top-sail-yard, which I sent him, supplied this want. The next
day, we got up a jury top-mast, on which he set a mizen-top-sail; and
this enabled him to keep way with the Resolution.
The wind was fixed in the western board; that is, from the north, round
by the west to south, and I steered east, and north-east, without
meeting with any thing remarkable, till eleven o’clock in the morning of
the 8th of August, when the land was seen, bearing north north-east,
nine or ten leagues distant. At first, it appeared in detached hills,
like so many separate islands; but as we drew nearer, we found that they
were all connected, and belonged to one and the same island. I steered
directly for it, with a fine gale at south-east by south; and at
half-past six o’clock in the afternoon, it extended from north by east,
to north north-east 3/4 east, distant three or four leagues.
The night was spent standing off and on; and, at day-break, the next
morning, I steered for the north-west, or lee-side of the island; and,
as we stood round its south, or south-west part, we saw it every where
guarded by a reef of coral rock, extending, in some places, a full mile
from the land, and a high surf breaking upon it. Some thought that they
saw land to the southward of this island; but, as that was to the
windward, it was left undetermined. As we drew near, we saw people on
several parts of the coast, walking, or running along shore; and, in a
little time, after we had reached the lee-side of the island, we saw
them launch two canoes, into which above a dozen men got, and paddled
toward us.
I now shortened sail, as well to give these canoes time to come up with
us, as to sound for anchorage. At the distance of about half a mile from
the reef, we found from forty to thirty-five fathoms’ water, over a
bottom of fine sand. Nearer in, the bottom was strewed with coral rocks.
The canoes having advanced to about the distance of a pistol-shot from
the ship, there stopped. Omai was employed, as he usually had been on
such occasions, to use all his eloquence to prevail upon the men in them
to come nearer; but no intreaties could induce them to trust themselves
within our reach. They kept eagerly pointing to the shore with their
paddles, and calling to us to go thither; and several of their
countrymen, who stood upon the beach, held up something white, which we
considered also as an invitation to land. We could very well have done
this, as there was good anchorage without the reef, and a break or
opening in it, from whence the canoes had come out, which had no surf
upon it, and where, if there was not water for the ships, there was more
than sufficient for the boats. But I did not think proper to risk losing
the advantage of a fair wind, for the sake of examining an island that
appeared to be of little consequence. We stood in no need of
refreshments, if I had been sure of meeting with them there; and having
already been so unexpectedly delayed in my progress to the Society
Islands, I was desirous of avoiding every possibility of farther
retardment. For this reason, after making several unsuccessful attempts
to induce these people to come alongside, I made sail to the north, and
left them; but not without getting from them, during their vicinity to
our ship, the name of their island, which they called Toobouai.
It is situated in the latitude of 22° 15ʹ south; and in 210° 37ʹ east
longitude. Its greatest extent, in any direction, exclusive of the reef,
is not above five or six miles. On the north-west side, the reef appears
in detached pieces, between which, the sea seems to break in upon the
shore. Small as the island is, there are hills in it of a considerable
elevation. At the foot of the hills, is a narrow border of flat land,
running quite round it, edged with a white sand beach. The hills are
covered with grass, or some other herbage, except a few steep, rocky
cliffs at one part, with patches of trees interspersed to their summits.
But the plantations are more numerous in some of the valleys; and the
flat border is quite covered with high, strong trees, whose different
kinds we could not discern, except some cocoa-palms, and a few of the
_etoa_. According to the information of the men in the canoes, their
island is stocked with hogs and fowls; and produces the several fruits
and roots that are found at the other islands in this part of the
Pacific Ocean.
We had an opportunity, from the conversation we had with those who came
off to us, of satisfying ourselves, that the inhabitants of Toobouai
speak the Otaheite language; a circumstance that indubitably proves them
to be of the same nation. Those of them whom we saw in the canoes, were
a stout copper-coloured people, with straight black hair, which some of
them wore tied in a bunch on the crown of the head, and others, flowing
about the shoulders. Their faces were somewhat round and full, but the
features, upon the whole, rather flat; and their countenances seemed to
express some degree of natural ferocity. They had no covering but a
piece of narrow stuff wrapped about the waist, and made to pass between
the thighs, to cover the adjoining parts; but some of those whom we saw
upon the beach, where about a hundred persons had assembled, were
entirely clothed with a kind of white garment. We could observe, that
some of our visitors, in the canoes, wore pearl shells, hung about the
neck, as an ornament. One of them kept blowing a large conch-shell, to
which a reed, near two feet long, was fixed; at first, with a continued
tone of the same kind; but he, afterward, converted it into a kind of
musical instrument, perpetually repeating two or three notes, with the
same strength. What the blowing the conch portended, I cannot say; but I
never found it the messenger of peace.
Their canoes appeared to be about thirty feet long, and two feet above
the surface of the water as they floated. The forepart projected a
little, and had a notch cut across, as if intended to represent the
mouth of some animal. The afterpart rose with a gentle curve to the
height of two or three feet, turning gradually smaller, and, as well as
the upper part of the sides, was carved all over. The rest of the sides,
which were perpendicular, were curiously incrusted with flat, white
shells, disposed nearly in concentric semicircles, with the curve
upward. One of the canoes carried seven, and the other eight, men; and
they were managed with small paddles, whose blades were nearly round.
Each of them had a pretty long outrigger; and they sometimes paddled
with the two opposite sides together so close, that they seemed to be
one boat with two outriggers; the rowers turning their faces
occasionally to the stern, and pulling that way, without paddling the
canoes round. When they saw us determined to leave them, they stood up
in their canoes, and repeated something very loudly in concert; but we
could not tell whether this was meant as a mark of their friendship or
enmity. It is certain, however, that they had no weapons with them; nor
could we perceive, with our glasses, that those on shore had any.
After leaving this island, from the discovery of which future navigators
may possibly derive some advantage, I steered to the north, with a fresh
gale at E. by S., and at day-break in the morning of the 12th, we saw
the island of Maitea. Soon after, Otaheite made its appearance; and at
noon it extended from S. W. by W. to W. N. W.; the point of Oheitepeha
Bay bearing W., about four leagues distant. I steered for this bay,
intending to anchor there, in order to draw what refreshments I could
from the south-east part of the island, before I went down to Matavai;
from the neighbourhood of which station I expected my principal supply.
We had a fresh gale easterly, till two o’clock in the afternoon; when,
being about a league from the bay, the wind suddenly died away, and was
succeeded by baffling, light airs from every direction, and calms by
turns. This lasted about two hours. Then we had sudden squalls, with
rain, from the east. These carried us before the bay, where we got a
breeze from the land, and attempted in vain to work in to gain the
anchoring place. So that, at last, about nine o’clock, we were obliged
to stand out, and to spend the night at sea.
When we first drew near the island, several canoes came off to the ship,
each conducted by two or three men; but as they were common fellows,
Omai took no particular notice of them, nor they of him. They did not
even seem to perceive that he was one of their countrymen, although they
conversed with him for some time. At length, a chief whom I had known
before, named Ootee, and Omai’s brother-in-law, who chanced to be now at
this corner of the island, and three or four more persons, all of whom
knew Omai before he embarked with Captain Furneaux, came on board. Yet
there was nothing either tender or striking in their meeting. On the
contrary, there seemed to be a perfect indifference on both sides, till
Omai, having taken his brother down into the cabin, opened the drawer
where he kept his red feathers, and gave him a few. This being presently
known amongst the rest of the natives upon deck, the face of affairs was
entirely turned, and Ootee, who would hardly speak to Omai before, now
begged that they might be _tayos_[2], and exchange names. Omai accepted
of the honour, and confirmed it with a present of red feathers; and
Ootee, by way of return, sent ashore for a hog. But it was evident to
every one of us, that it was not the man, but his property they were in
love with. Had he not shown them his treasure of red feathers, which is
the commodity in greatest estimation at the island, I question much
whether they would have bestowed even a cocoa-nut upon him. Such was
Omai’s first reception among his countrymen. I own, I never expected it
would be otherwise; but still, I was in hopes that the valuable cargo of
presents with which the liberality of his friends in England had loaded
him, would be the means of raising him into consequence, and of making
him respected, and even courted by the first persons throughout the
extent of the Society Islands. This could not but have happened, had he
conducted himself with any degree of prudence; but instead of it, I am
sorry to say, that he paid too little regard to the repeated advice of
those who wished him well, and suffered himself to be duped by every
designing knave.
From the natives who came off to us in the course of this day, we learnt
that two ships had twice been in Oheitepeha Bay since my last visit to
this island in 1774, and that they had left animals there, such as we
had on board. But, on farther inquiry, we found they were only hogs,
dogs, goats, one bull, and the male of some other animal, which, from
the imperfect description now given us, we could not find out. They told
us that these ships had come from a place called Reema; by which we
guessed that Lima, the capital of Peru, was meant, and that these late
visitors were Spaniards. We were informed, that the first time they
came, they built a house and left four men behind them, _viz._ two
priests, a boy or servant, and a fourth person called Mateema, who was
much spoken of at this time; carrying away with them, when they sailed,
four of the natives; that in about ten months, the same two ships
returned, bringing back two of the islanders, the other two having died
at Lima; and that, after a short stay, they took away their own people;
but that the house which they had built was left standing.
The important news of red feathers being on board our ships, having been
conveyed on shore by Omai’s friends, day had no sooner begun to break
next morning, than we were surrounded by a multitude of canoes crowded
with people, bringing hogs and fruit to market. At first, a quantity of
feathers, not greater than what might be got from a tomtit, would
purchase a hog of forty or fifty pounds’ weight. But as almost every
body in the ships was possessed of some of this precious article in
trade, it fell in its value above five hundred _per cent._ before night.
However, even then, the balance was much in our favour; and red feathers
continued to preserve their superiority over every other commodity. Some
of the natives would not part with a hog, unless they received an axe in
exchange; but nails, and beads, and other trinkets, which, during our
former voyages had so great a run at this island, were now so much
despised, that few would deign so much as to look at them.
There being but little wind all the morning, it was nine o’clock before
we could get to an anchor in the bay; where we moored with two bowers.
Soon after we had anchored, Omai’s sister came on board to see him. I
was happy to observe, that, much to the honour of them both, their
meeting was marked with expressions of the tenderest affection, easier
to be conceived than to be described.
This moving scene having closed, and the ship being properly moored,
Omai and I went ashore. My first object was to pay a visit to a man whom
my friend represented as a very extraordinary personage indeed, for he
said that he was the god of Bolabola. We found him seated under one of
those small awnings which they usually carry in their larger canoes. He
was an elderly man, and lost the use of his limbs, so that he was
carried from place to place upon a hand-barrow. Some called him _Olla_
or _Orra_, which is the name of the god of Bolabola; but his own proper
name was Etary. From Omai’s account of this person, I expected to have
seen some religious adoration paid to him. But, excepting some plantain
trees that lay before him, and upon the awning under which he sat, I
could observe nothing by which he might be distinguished from their
other chiefs. Omai presented to him a tuft of red feathers, tied to the
end of a small stick; but, after a little conversation on indifferent
matters with this Bolabola man, his attention was drawn to an old woman,
the sister of his mother. She was already at his feet, and had bedewed
them plentifully with tears of joy.
I left him with the old lady in the midst of a number of people who had
gathered round him, and went to take a view of the house said to be
built by the strangers who had lately been here. I found it standing at
a small distance from the beach. The wooden materials of which it was
composed seemed to have been brought hither ready prepared, to be set up
occasionally, for all the planks were numbered. It was divided into two
small rooms; and in the inner one were, a bedstead, a table, a bench,
some old hats, and other trifles, of which the natives seemed to be very
careful, as also of the house itself, which had suffered no hurt from
the weather, a shed having been built over it. There were scuttles all
around which served as air-holes; and, perhaps, they were also meant to
fire from, with muskets, if ever this should be found necessary. At a
little distance from the front stood a wooden cross, on the transverse
part of which was cut the following inscription:
_Christus vincit._
And, on the perpendicular part (which confirmed our conjecture, that the
two ships were Spanish,)
_Carolus_ III. _imperat. 1774_.
On the other side of the post, I preserved the memory of the prior
visits of the English, by inscribing,
_Georgius tertius Rex,
Annis 1767,
1769, 1773, 1774, & 1777._
The natives pointed out to us, near the foot of the cross, the grave of
the commodore of the two ships, who had died here, while they lay in the
bay the first time. His name, as they pronounced it, was Oreede.
Whatever the intentions of the Spaniards in visiting this island might
be, they seemed to have taken great pains to ingratiate themselves with
the inhabitants, who, upon every occasion, mentioned them with the
strongest expressions of esteem and veneration.
I met with no chief of any considerable note on this occasion, excepting
the extraordinary personage above described. Waheiadooa, the sovereign
of Tiaraboo (as this part of the island is called,) was now absent; and
I afterwards found, that he was not the same person, though of the same
name with the chief whom I had seen here during my last voyage; but his
brother, a boy of about ten years of age, who had succeeded upon the
death of the elder Waheiadooa, about twenty months before our arrival.
We also learned, that the celebrated Oberea was dead; but that Otoo, and
all our other friends, were living.
When I returned from viewing the house and cross erected by the
Spaniards, I found Omai holding forth to a large company; and it was
with some difficulty that he could be got away, to accompany me on
board; where I had an important affair to settle.
As I knew that Otaheite and the neighbouring islands could furnish us
with a plentiful supply of cocoa-nuts, the liquor of which is an
excellent _succedaneum_ for any artificial beverage, I was desirous of
prevailing upon my people to consent to be abridged, during our stay
here, of their stated allowance of spirits to mix with water. But as
this stoppage of a favourite article, without assigning some reason,
might have occasioned a general murmur, I thought it most prudent to
assemble the ship’s company, and to make known to them the intent of the
voyage, and the extent of our future operations. To induce them to
undertake which with cheerfulness and perseverance, I took notice of the
rewards offered by Parliament to such of his Majesty’s subjects, as
shall first discover a communication between the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans, in any direction whatever, in the northern hemisphere: and also
to such as shall first penetrate beyond the 89th degree of northern
latitude. I made no doubt, I told them, that I should find them willing
to co-operate with me in attempting, as far as might be possible, to
become entitled to one or both these rewards; but that, to give us the
best chance of succeeding, it would be necessary to observe the utmost
economy in the expenditure of our stores and provisions, particularly
the latter, as there was no probability of getting a supply any where
after leaving these islands. I strengthened my argument, by reminding
them, that our voyage must last at least a year longer than had been
originally supposed, by our having already lost the opportunity of
getting to the North this summer. I begged them to consider the various
obstructions and difficulties we might still meet with, and the
aggravated hardships they would labour under, if it should be found
necessary to put them to short allowance of any species of provisions in
a cold climate. For these very substantial reasons, I submitted to them,
whether it would not be better to be prudent in time, and rather than to
run the risk of having no spirits left, when such a cordial would be
most wanted, to consent to be without their grog now, when we had so
excellent a liquor as that of cocoa-nuts to substitute in its place; but
that, after all, I left the determination entirely to their own choice.
I had the satisfaction to find, that this proposal did not remain a
single moment under consideration; being unanimously approved of,
immediately, without any objection. I ordered Captain Clerke to make the
same proposal to his people; which they also agreed to. Accordingly, we
stopped serving grog, except on Saturday nights, when the companies of
both ships had full allowance of it, that they might drink the healths
of their female friends in England; lest these, amongst the pretty girls
of Otaheite, should be wholly forgotten.
The next day we began some necessary operations; to inspect the
provisions that were in the main and forehold; to get the casks of beef
and pork, and the coals out of the ground tier; and to put some ballast
in their place. The caulkers were set to work to caulk the ship, which
she stood in great need of; having, at times, made much water on our
passage from the Friendly Islands. I also put on shore the bull, cows,
horses, and sheep, and appointed two men to look after them while
grazing; for I did not intend to leave any of them at this part of the
island.
During the two following days, it hardly ever ceased raining. The
natives, nevertheless, came to us from every quarter, the news of our
arrival having rapidly spread. Waheiadooa, though at a distance, had
been informed of it; and, in the afternoon of the 16th, a chief, named
Etorea, under whose tutorage he was, brought me two hogs as a present
from him; and acquainted me, that he himself would be with us the day
after. And so it proved; for I received a message from him the next
morning, notifying his arrival, and desiring I would go ashore to meet
him. Accordingly, Omai and I prepared to pay him a formal visit. On this
occasion, Omai, assisted by some of his friends, dressed himself, not
after the English fashion, nor that of Otaheite, nor that of Tongataboo,
nor in the dress of any country upon earth, but in a strange medley of
all that he was possessed of.
Thus equipped, on our landing, we first visited Etary; who, carried on a
hand barrow, attended us to a large house, where he was set down; and we
seated ourselves on each side of him. I caused a piece of
Tongataboo-cloth to be spread out before us, on which I laid the
presents I intended to make. Presently the young chief came, attended by
his mother, and several principal men, who all seated themselves, at the
other end of the cloth, facing us. Then a man who sat by me, made a
speech, consisting of short and separate sentences; part of which was
dictated by those about him. He was answered by one from the opposite
side, near the chief. Etary spoke next; then Omai; and both of them were
answered from the same quarter. These orations were entirely about my
arrival, and connections with them. The person who spoke last, told me,
amongst other things, that the men of _Reema_, that is, the Spaniards,
had desired them not to suffer me to come into Oheitepeha Bay, if I
should return any more to the island, for that it belonged to them; but
that they were so far from paying any regard to this request, that he
was authorised now to make a formal surrender of the province of
Tiaraboo to me, and of every thing in it; which marks very plainly, that
these people are no strangers to the policy of accommodating themselves
to present circumstances. At length, the young chief was directed, by
his attendants, to come and embrace me; and, by way of confirming this
treaty of friendship, we exchanged names. The ceremony being closed, he
and his friends accompanied me on board to dinner.
Omai had prepared a _maro_, composed of red and yellow feathers, which
he intended for Otoo, the king of the whole island; and, considering
where we were, it was a present of very great value. I said all that I
could to persuade him not to produce it now, wishing him to keep it on
board till an opportunity should offer of presenting it to Otoo, with
his own hands. But he had too good an opinion of the honesty and
fidelity of his countrymen to take my advice. Nothing would serve him,
but to carry it ashore, on this occasion, and to give it to Waheiadooa,
to be by him forwarded to Otoo, in order to its being added to the royal
_maro_. He thought, by this management, that he should oblige both
chiefs; whereas he highly disobliged the one, whose favour was of the
most consequence to him, without gaining any reward from the other. What
I had foreseen happened. For Waheiadooa kept the _maro_ for himself, and
only sent to Otoo a very small piece of feathers; not the twentieth part
of what belonged to the magnificent present.
On the 19th, this young chief made me a present of ten or a dozen hogs,
a quantity of fruit, and some cloth. In the evening we played off some
fireworks, which both astonished and entertained the numerous
spectators.
This day, some of our gentlemen, in their walks, found, what they were
pleased to call, a Roman Catholic chapel. Indeed, from their account,
this was not to be doubted; for they described the altar and every other
constituent part of such a place of worship. However, as they mentioned,
at the same time, that two men, who had the care of it, would not suffer
them to go in, I thought that they might be mistaken, and had the
curiosity to pay a visit to it myself. The supposed chapel proved to be
a _toopapaoo_, in which the remains of the late Waheiadooa lay, as it
were, in state. It was in a pretty large house, which was inclosed with
a low pallisade. The _toopapaoo_ was uncommonly neat, and resembled one
of those little houses, or awnings, belonging to their large canoes.
Perhaps it had originally been employed for that purpose. It was
covered, and hung round, with cloth and mats of different colours, so as
to have a pretty effect. There was one piece of scarlet broad-cloth,
four or five yards in length, conspicuous among the other ornaments;
which, no doubt, had been a present from the Spaniards. This cloth, and
a few tassels of feathers, which our gentlemen supposed to be silk,
suggested to them the idea of a chapel; for whatever else was wanting to
create a resemblance, their imagination supplied; and if they had not
previously known, that there had been Spaniards lately here, they could
not possibly have made the mistake. Small offerings of fruit and roots
seemed to be daily made at this shrine, as some pieces were quite fresh.
These were deposited upon a _whatta_, or altar, which stood without the
pallisades; and within these we were not permitted to enter. Two men
constantly attended, night and day, not only to watch over the place,
but also to dress and undress the _toopapaoo_. For when I first went to
survey it, the cloth and its appendages were all rolled up; but, at my
request, the two attendants hung it out in order, first dressing
themselves in clean white robes. They told me, that the chief had been
dead twenty months.
Having taken in a fresh supply of water, and finished all our other
necessary operations, on the 22d, I brought off the cattle and sheep,
which had been put on shore here to graze; and made ready for sea.
In the morning of the 23d, while the ships were unmooring, Omai and I
landed, to take leave of the young chief. While we were with him, one of
those enthusiastic persons, whom they call _Eatooas_, from a persuasion
that they are possessed with the spirit of the Divinity, came and stood
before us. He had all the appearance of a man not in his right senses;
and his only dress was a large quantity of plantain leaves, wrapped
round his waist. He spoke in a low, squeaking voice, so as hardly to be
understood; at least, not by me. But Omai said, that he comprehended him
perfectly, and that he was advising Waheiadooa not to go with me to
Matavai; an expedition which I had never heard he intended, nor had I
ever made such a proposal to him. The _Eatooa_ also foretold, that the
ships would not get to Matavai that day. But in this he was mistaken;
though appearances now rather favoured his prediction, there not being a
breath of wind in any direction. While he was prophesying, there fell a
very heavy shower of rain, which made every one run for shelter but
himself, who seemed not to regard it. He remained squeaking by us about
half an hour, and then retired. No one paid any attention to what he
uttered; though some laughed at him. I asked the Chief, what he was,
whether an _Earee_, or _Towtow_? and the answer I received was, that he
was _taato eno_; that is, a bad man. And yet, notwithstanding this, and
the little notice any of the natives seemed to take of the mad prophet,
superstition has so far got the better of their reason, that they firmly
believe such persons to be possessed with the spirit of the _Eatooa_.
Omai seemed to be very well instructed about them. He said, that, during
the fits that came upon them, they knew nobody, not even their most
intimate acquaintances; and that, if any one of them happens to be a man
of property, he will very often give away every moveable he is possessed
of, if his friends do not put them out of his reach; and, when he
recovers, will inquire what had become of those very things, which he
had, but just before, distributed; not seeming to have the least
remembrance of what he had done while the fit was upon him.
As soon as I got on board, a light breeze springing up at east, we got
under sail, and steered for Matavai Bay[3]; where the Resolution
anchored the same evening. But the Discovery did not get in till the
next morning; so that half of the man’s prophecy was fulfilled.
CHAP. II.
INTERVIEW WITH OTOO, KING OF THE ISLAND.—IMPRUDENT CONDUCT OF OMAI.—
EMPLOYMENTS ON SHORE.—EUROPEAN ANIMALS LANDED.—PARTICULARS ABOUT A
NATIVE WHO HAD VISITED LIMA—ABOUT OEDIDEE.—A REVOLT IN EIMEO.—WAR WITH
THAT ISLAND DETERMINED UPON, IN A COUNCIL OF CHIEFS.—A HUMAN SACRIFICE
ON THAT ACCOUNT.—A PARTICULAR RELATION OF THE CEREMONIES AT THE GREAT
MORAI, WHERE THE SACRIFICE WAS OFFERED.—OTHER BARBAROUS CUSTOMS OF
THIS PEOPLE.
About nine o’clock in the morning, Otoo, the king of the whole island,
attended by a great number of canoes full of people, came from Oparre,
his place of residence, and having landed on Matavai Point, sent a
message on board, expressing his desire to see me there. Accordingly I
landed, accompanied by Omai, and some of the officers. We found a
prodigious number of people assembled on this occasion, and in the midst
of them was the king, attended by his father, his two brothers, and
three sisters. I went up first and saluted him, being followed by Omai,
who kneeled and embraced his legs. He had prepared himself for this
ceremony, by dressing himself in his very best suit of clothes, and
behaved with a great deal of respect and modesty. Nevertheless, very
little notice was taken of him. Perhaps envy had some share in producing
this cold reception. He made the chief a present of a large piece of red
feathers, and about two or three yards of gold cloth; and I gave him a
suit of fine linen, a gold-laced hat, some tools, and, what was of more
value than all the other articles, a quantity of red feathers, and one
of the bonnets in use at the Friendly Islands.
After the hurry of this visit was over, the king and the whole royal
family accompanied me on board, followed by several canoes, laden with
all kind of provisions, in quantity sufficient to have served the
companies of both ships for a week. Each of the family owned, or
pretended to own, a part; so that I had a present from every one of
them; and every one of them had a separate present in return from me;
which was the great object in view. Soon after, the king’s mother, who
had not been present at the first interview, came on board, bringing
with her a quantity of provisions and cloth, which she divided between
me and Omai; for, although he was but little noticed at first by his
countrymen, they no sooner gained the knowledge of his riches, than they
began to court his friendship. I encouraged this as much as I could: for
it was my wish to fix him with Otoo. As I intended to leave all my
European animals at this island, I thought he would be able to give some
instruction about the management of them, and about their use. Besides,
I knew and saw, that the farther he was from his native island, he would
be the better respected. But, unfortunately, poor Omai rejected my
advice, and conducted himself in so imprudent a manner, that he soon
lost the friendship of Otoo, and of every other person of note in
Otaheite. He associated with none but vagabonds and strangers, whose
sole views were to plunder him; and, if I had not interfered, they would
not have left him a single article worth the carrying from the island.
This necessarily drew upon him the ill-will of the principal chiefs; who
found that they could not procure, from any one in the ships, such
valuable presents as Omai bestowed on the lowest of the people, his
companions.
As soon as we had dined, a party of us accompanied Otoo to Oparre,
taking with us the poultry, with which we were to stock the island. They
consisted of a peacock and hen (which Lord Besborough was so kind as to
send me for this purpose a few days before I left London); a turkey-cock
and hen; one gander, and three geese; a drake, and four ducks. All these
I left at Oparre, in the possession of Otoo; and the geese and ducks
began to breed, before we sailed. We found there, a gander, which the
natives told us, was the same that Captain Wallis had given to Oberea
ten years before; several goats; and the Spanish bull, whom they kept
tied to a tree, near Otoo’s house. I never saw a finer animal of his
kind. He was now the property of Etary, and had been brought from
Oheitepeha to this place, in order to be shipped for Bolabola. But it
passes my comprehension, how they can contrive to carry him in one of
their canoes. If we had not arrived, it would have been of little
consequence who had the property of him, as, without a cow, he could be
of no use; and none had been left with him. Though the natives told us
that there were cows on board the Spanish ships, and that they took them
away with them, I cannot believe this; and should rather suppose, that
they had died in the passage from Lima. The next day, I sent the three
cows, that I had on board, to this bull; and the bull, which I had
brought, the horse and mare, and sheep, I put ashore at Matavai.
Having thus disposed of these passengers, I found myself lightened of a
very heavy burthen. The trouble and vexation that attended the bringing
of this living cargo thus far, is hardly to be conceived. But the
satisfaction that I felt, in having been so fortunate as to fulfil his
Majesty’s humane design, in sending such valuable animals, to supply the
wants of two worthy nations, sufficiently recompensed me for the many
anxious hours I had passed, before this subordinate object of my voyage
could be carried into execution.
As I intended to make some stay here, we set up the two observatories on
Matavai Point. Adjoining to them, two tents were pitched for the
reception of a guard, and of such people as it might be necessary to
leave on shore, in different departments. At this station, I intrusted
the command to Mr. King; who, at the same time, attended the
observations for ascertaining the going of the time-keeper, and other
purposes. During our stay, various necessary operations employed the
crews of both ships. The Discovery’s main-mast was carried ashore, and
made as good as ever. Our sails and water-casks were repaired; the ships
were caulked; and the rigging all overhauled. We also inspected all the
bread that we had on board in casks; and had the satisfaction to find,
that but little of it was damaged.
On the 26th, I had a piece of ground cleared for a garden, and planted
it with several articles; very few of which, I believe, the natives will
ever look after. Some melons, potatoes, and two pine-apple plants, were
in a fair way of succeeding, before we left the place. I had brought
from the Friendly Islands several shaddock-trees. These I also planted
here; and they can hardly fail of success, unless their growth should be
checked by the same premature curiosity, which destroyed a vine planted
by the Spaniards at Oheitepeha. A number of the natives got together, to
taste the first fruit it bore; but, as the grapes were still sour, they
considered it as little better than poison, and it was unanimously
determined, to tread it under foot. In that state, Omai found it by
chance, and was overjoyed at the discovery. For he had a full
confidence, that, if he had but grapes, he could easily make wine.
Accordingly, he had several slips cut from off the tree, to carry away
with him; and we pruned and put in order the remains of it. Probably,
grown wise by Omai’s instructions, they may now suffer the fruit to grow
to perfection, and not pass so hasty a sentence upon it again.
We had not been eight-and-forty hours at anchor in Matavai Bay, before
we were visited by our old friends, whose names are recorded in the
account of my last voyage. Not one of them came empty-handed; so that we
had more provisions than we knew what to do with. What was still more,
we were under no apprehensions of exhausting the island, which presented
to our eyes every mark of the most exuberant plenty, in every article of
refreshment.
Soon after our arrival here, one of the natives, whom the Spaniards had
carried with them to Lima, paid us a visit; but, in his external
appearance, he was not distinguishable from the rest of his countrymen.
However, he had not forgot some Spanish words which he had acquired,
though he pronounced them badly. Amongst them, the most frequent were,
_si Sennor_; and, when a stranger was introduced to him, he did not fail
to rise up and accost him, as well as he could.
We also found here the young man whom we called Oedidee, but whose real
name is Heete-heete. I had carried him from Ulietea in 1773, and brought
him back in 1774; after he had visited the Friendly Islands, New
Zealand, Easter Island, and the Marqueses, and been on board my ship, in
that extensive navigation, about seven months. He was, at least, as
tenacious of his good breeding, as the man who had been at Lima; and
_yes, Sir_, or _if you please, Sir_, were as frequently repeated by him,
as _si Sennor_, was by the other. Heete-heete, who is a native of
Bolabola, had arrived in Otaheite about three months before, with no
other intention, that we could learn, than to gratify his curiosity, or,
perhaps, some other favourite passion; which are, very often, the only
object of the pursuit of other travelling gentlemen. It was evident,
however, that he preferred the modes, and even garb, of his countrymen,
to ours. For, though I gave him some clothes, which our Admiralty Board
had been pleased to send for his use, (to which I added a chest of
tools, and a few other articles, as a present from myself,) he declined
wearing them, after a few days. This instance, and that of the person
who had been at Lima, may be urged as a proof of the strong propensity
natural to man, of returning to habits acquired at an early age, and
only interrupted by accident. And, perhaps, it may be concluded, that
even Omai, who had imbibed almost the whole English manners, will, in a
very short time after our leaving him, like Oedidee, and the visitor of
Lima, return to his own native garments.
In the morning of the 27th, a man came from Oheitepeha, and told us that
two Spanish ships had anchored in that bay the night before; and, in
confirmation of this intelligence, he produced a piece of coarse blue
cloth, which he said he got out of one of the ships; and which, indeed,
in appearance, was almost quite new. He added, that Mateema was in one
of the ships; and that they were to come down to Matavai in a day or
two. Some other circumstances which he mentioned, with the foregoing
ones, gave the story so much the air of truth, that I dispatched
Lieutenant Williamson in a boat, to look into Oheitepeha bay; and, in
the mean time, I put the ships into a proper posture of defence. For,
though England and Spain were in peace when I left Europe, for aught I
knew, a different scene might, by this time, have opened. However, on
farther inquiry, we had reason to think that the fellow who brought the
intelligence had imposed upon us; and this was put beyond all doubt,
when Mr. Williamson returned next day; who made his report to me, that
he had been at Oheitepeha, and found that no ships were there now, and
that none had been there since we left it. The people of this part of
the island, where we now were, indeed, told us, from the beginning, that
it was a fiction invented by those of Tiaraboo. But what view they could
have, we were at a loss to conceive, unless they supposed, that the
report would have some effect in making us quit the island, and, by that
means, deprive the people of Otaheite-nooe of the advantages they might
reap from our ships continuing there; the inhabitants of the two parts
of the island being inveterate enemies to each other.
From the time of our arrival at Matavai, the weather had been very
unsettled, with more or less rain every day, till the 29th; before which
we were not able to get equal altitudes of the sun for ascertaining the
going of the time-keeper. The same cause also retarded the caulking, and
other necessary repairs of the ships.
In the evening of this day, the natives made a precipitate retreat, both
from on board the ships, and from our station on shore. For what reason,
we could not, at first, learn; though, in general, we guessed it arose
from their knowing that some theft had been committed, and apprehending
punishment on that account. At length, I understood what had happened.
One of the surgeon’s mates had been in the country to purchase
curiosities, and had taken with him four hatchets for that purpose.
Having employed one of the natives to carry them for him, the fellow
took an opportunity to run off with so valuable a prize. This was the
cause of the sudden flight, in which Otoo himself, and his whole family,
had joined; and it was with difficulty that I stopped them, after
following them two or three miles. As I had resolved to take no measures
for the recovery of the hatchets, in order to put my people upon their
guard against such negligence for the future, I found no difficulty in
bringing the natives back, and in restoring every thing to its usual
tranquillity.
Hitherto, the attention of Otoo and his people had been confined to us;
but, next morning, a new scene of business opened, by the arrival of
some messengers from Eimeo, or (as it is much oftener called by the
natives) Morea[4], with intelligence that the people in that island were
in arms; and that Otoo’s partizans there had been worsted, and obliged
to retreat to the mountains. The quarrel between the two islands, which
commenced in 1774, as mentioned in the account of my last voyage, had,
it seems, partly subsisted ever since. The formidable armament which I
saw, at that time, and described[5], had sailed soon after I then left
Otaheite; but the malcontents of Eimeo had made so stout a resistance,
that the fleet had returned without effecting much; and now another
expedition was necessary.
On the arrival of these messengers, all the chiefs, who happened to be
at Matavai, assembled at Otoo’s house, where I actually was at the time,
and had the honour to be admitted into their council. One of the
messengers opened the business of the assembly, in a speech of
considerable length. But I understood little of it, besides its general
purport, which was to explain the situation of affairs in Eimeo; and to
excite the assembled chiefs of Otaheite to arm on the occasion. This
opinion was combated by others, who were against commencing hostilities;
and the debate was carried on with great order; no more than one man
speaking at a time. At last they became very noisy, and I expected that
our meeting would have ended like a Polish diet. But the contending
great men cooled as fast as they grew warm, and order was soon restored.
At length, the party for war prevailed; and it was determined that a
strong force should be sent to assist their friends in Eimeo. But this
resolution was far from being unanimous. Otoo, during the whole debate,
remained silent; except that, now and then, he addressed a word or two
to the speakers. Those of the council, who were for prosecuting the war,
applied to me for my assistance; and all of them wanted to know what
part I would take. Omai was sent for to be my interpreter; but, as he
could not be found, I was obliged to speak for myself, and told them, as
well as I could, that as I was not thoroughly acquainted with the
dispute, and as the people of Eimeo had never offended me, I could not
think myself at liberty to engage in hostilities against them. With this
declaration they either were, or seemed, satisfied. The assembly then
broke up; but, before I left them, Otoo desired me to come to him in the
afternoon, and to bring Omai with me.
Accordingly, a party of us waited upon him at the appointed time; and we
were conducted by him to his father, in whose presence the dispute with
Eimeo was again talked over. Being very desirous of devising some method
to bring about an accommodation, I sounded the old chief on that head,
but we found him deaf to any such proposal, and fully determined to
prosecute the war. He repeated the solicitations which I had already
resisted, about giving them my assistance. On our inquiring into the
cause of the war, we were told, that, some years ago, a brother of
Waheadooa, of Tieraboo, was sent to Eimeo, at the request of Maheine, a
popular chief of that island, to be their king; but that he had not been
there a week before Maheine, having caused him to be killed, set up for
himself, in opposition to Tierataboonooe, his sister’s son, who became
the lawful heir; or else had been pitched upon, by the people of
Otaheite, to succeed to the government on the death of the other.
Towha, who is a relation of Otoo, and chief of the district of Tettaha,
a man of much weight in the island, and who had been commander-in-chief
of the armament fitted out against Eimeo in 1774, happened not to be at
Matavai at this time; and, consequently, was not present at any of these
consultations. It, however, appeared that he was no stranger to what was
transacted; and that he entered with more spirit into the affair than
any other chief; for, early in the morning of the 1st of September, a
messenger arrived from him to acquaint Otoo, that he had killed a man to
be sacrificed to _Eatooa_, to implore the assistance of the god against
Eimeo. This act of worship was to be performed at the great _Morai_ at
Attahooroo; and Otoo’s presence, it seems, was absolutely necessary on
that solemn occasion.
That the offering of human sacrifices is part of the religious
institutions of this island, had been mentioned by Mons. Bougainville,
on the authority of the native whom he carried with him to France.
During my last visit to Otaheite, and while I had opportunities of
conversing with Omai on the subject, I had satisfied myself that there
was too much reason to admit, that such a practice, however inconsistent
with the general humanity of the people, was here adopted. But as this
was one of those extraordinary facts, about which many are apt to retain
doubts, unless the relater himself has had ocular proof to confirm what
he had heard from others, I thought this a good opportunity of obtaining
the highest evidence of its certainty, by being present myself at the
solemnity; and, accordingly, proposed to Otoo that I might be allowed to
accompany him. To this he readily consented; and we immediately set out
in my boat, with my old friend Potatou, Mr. Anderson, and Mr. Webber;
Omai following in a canoe.
In our way we landed upon a little island, which lies off Tettaha, where
we found Towha and his retinue. After some little conversation between
the two chiefs, on the subject of the war, Towha addressed himself to
me, asking my assistance. When I excused myself, he seemed angry;
thinking it strange that I, who had always declared myself to be the
friend of their island, would not now go and fight against its enemies.
Before we parted, he gave to Otoo two or three red feathers, tied up in
a tuft; and a lean, half-starved dog was put into a canoe that was to
accompany us. We then embarked again, taking on board a priest who was
to assist at the solemnity.
[Illustration: _A Morai, or Burying Place, at Otaheite._]
As soon as we landed at Attahooroo, which was about two o’clock in the
afternoon, Otoo expressed his desire that the seamen might be ordered to
remain in the boat; and that Mr. Anderson, Mr. Webber, and myself, might
take off our hats, as soon as we should come to the _morai_, to which we
immediately proceeded, attended by a great many men and some boys; but
not one woman. We found four priests, and their attendants or
assistants, waiting for us. The dead body, or sacrifice, was in a small
canoe that lay on the beach, and partly in the wash of the sea, fronting
the _morai_. Two of the priests, with some of their attendants, were
sitting by the canoe; the others at the _morai_. Our company stopped
about twenty or thirty paces from the priests. Here Otoo placed himself;
we, and a few others, standing by him; while the bulk of the people
remained at a greater distance.
The ceremonies now began. One of the priest’s attendants brought a young
plantain tree, and laid it down before Otoo. Another approached with a
small tuft of red feathers, twisted on some fibres of the
cocoa-nut-husk, with which he touched one of the king’s feet, and then
retired with it to his companions. One of the priests, seated at the
_morai_, facing those who were upon the beach, now began a long prayer;
and, at certain times, sent down young plantain-trees, which were laid
upon the sacrifice. During this prayer, a man, who stood by the
officiating priest, held in his hands two bundles, seemingly of cloth.
In one of them, as we afterwards found, was the royal _maro_; and the
other, if I may be allowed the expression, was the ark of the _Eatooa_.
As soon as the prayer was ended, the priests at the _morai_, with their
attendants, went and sat down by those upon the beach, carrying with
them the two bundles. Here they renewed their prayers; during which the
plantain-trees were taken, one by one, at different times, from off the
sacrifice; which was partly wrapped up in cocoa leaves and small
branches. It was now taken out of the canoe, and laid upon the beach,
with the feet to the sea. The priests placed themselves around it, some
sitting and others standing; and one or more of them, repeated sentences
for about ten minutes. The dead body was now uncovered, by removing the
leaves and branches, and laid in a parallel direction with the seashore.
One of the priests then, standing at the feet of it, pronounced a long
prayer, in which he was, at times, joined by the others; each holding in
his hand a tuft of red feathers. In the course of this prayer, some hair
was pulled off the head of the sacrifice, and the left eye taken out;
both of which were presented to Otoo, wrapped up in a green leaf. He did
not, however, touch it; but gave to the man who presented it the tuft of
feathers which he had received from Towha. This, with the hair and eye,
was carried back to the priests. Soon after, Otoo sent to them another
piece of feathers, which he had given me in the morning to keep in my
pocket. During some part of this last ceremony, a king-fisher making a
noise in the trees, Otoo turned to me, saying, “That is the _Eatooa_;”
and seemed to look upon it to be a good omen.
The body was then carried a little way with its head towards the
_morai_, and laid under a tree, near which were fixed three broad thin
pieces of wood, differently but rudely carved. The bundles of cloth were
laid on a part of the _morai_, and the tufts of red feathers were placed
at the feet of the sacrifice, round which the priests took their
stations; and we were now allowed to go as near as we pleased. He who
seemed to be the chief priest sat at a small distance and spoke for a
quarter of an hour, but with different tones and gestures, so that he
seemed often to expostulate with the dead person, to whom he constantly
addressed himself; and sometimes asked several questions, seemingly with
respect to the propriety of his having been killed. At other times he
made several demands, as if the deceased either now had power himself,
or interest with the divinity to engage him to comply with such
requests. Amongst which, we understood, he asked him to deliver Eimeo
Maheine, its chief, the hogs, women, and other things of the island,
into their hands; which was, indeed, the express intention of the
sacrifice. He then chanted a prayer, which lasted half an hour, in a
whining, melancholy tone, accompanied by two other priests; and in which
Potatou and some others joined. In the course of this prayer, some more
hair was plucked by a priest from the head of the corpse, and put upon
one of the bundles. After this, the chief priest prayed alone, holding
in his hand the feathers which came from Towha. When he had finished, he
gave them to another, who prayed in like manner. Then all the tufts of
feathers were laid upon the bundles of cloth; which closed the ceremony
at this place.
The corpse was then carried up to the most conspicuous part of the
_morai_, with the feathers, the two bundles of cloth, and the drums; the
last of which beat slowly. The feathers and bundles were laid against
the pile of stones, and the corpse at the foot of them. The priests
having again seated themselves round it, renewed their prayers; while
some of the attendants dug a hole about two feet deep, into which they
threw the unhappy victim, and covered it with earth and stones. While
they were putting him into the grave, a boy squeaked aloud, and Omai
said to me, that it was the _Eatooa_. During this time, a fire having
been made, the dog before mentioned was produced and killed, by twisting
his neck and suffocating him. The hair was singed off and the entrails
taken out and thrown into the fire, where they were left to consume. But
the heart, liver, and kidneys were only roasted, by being laid on the
stones for a few minutes; and the body of the dog, after being besmeared
with the blood which had been collected in a cocoa-nut shell, and dried
over the fire, was, with the liver, &c. carried and laid down before the
priests, who sat praying round the grave. They continued their
ejaculations over the dog for some time, while two men, at intervals,
beat on two drums very loud; and a boy screamed as before, in a loud
shrill voice, three different times. This, as we were told, was to
invite the _Eatooa_ to feast on the banquet that they had prepared for
him. As soon as the priests had ended their prayers, the carcase of the
dog, with what belonged to it, were laid on a _whatta_, or scaffold,
about six feet high, that stood close by, on which lay the remains of
two other dogs, and of two pigs which had lately been sacrificed, and at
this time emitted an intolerable stench. This kept us at a greater
distance than would otherwise have been required of us. For after the
victim was removed from the seaside toward the _morai_, we were allowed
to approach as near as we pleased. Indeed, after that, neither
seriousness nor attention were much observed by the spectators. When the
dog was put upon the _whatta_, the priests and attendants gave a kind of
shout, which closed the ceremonies for the present. The day being now
also closed, we were conducted to a house belonging to Potatou, where we
were entertained and lodged for the night. We had been told that the
religious rites were to be renewed in the morning; and I would not leave
the place, while any thing remained to be seen.
Being unwilling to lose any part of the solemnity, some of us repaired
to the scene of action pretty early, but found nothing going forward.
However, soon after, a pig was sacrificed, and laid upon the same
_whatta_ with the others. About eight o’clock, Otoo took us again to the
_morai_, where the priests and a great number of men were by this time
assembled. The two bundles occupied the place in which we had seen them
deposited the preceding evening; the two drums stood in the front of the
_morai_, but somewhat nearer it than before; and the priests were beyond
them. Otoo placed himself between the two drums, and desired me to stand
by him.
The ceremony began as usual, with bringing a young plantain-tree, and
laying it down at the king’s feet. After this a prayer was repeated by
the priests, who held in their hands several tufts of red feathers, and
also a plume of ostrich feathers, which I had given to Otoo on my first
arrival, and had been consecrated to this use. When the priests had made
an end of the prayer, they changed their station, placing themselves
between us and the _morai_, and one of them, the same person who had
acted the principal part the day before, began another prayer, which
lasted about half an hour. During the continuance of this, the tufts of
feathers were, one by one, carried and laid upon the ark of the
_Eatooa_.
Some little time after, four pigs were produced; one of which was
immediately killed, and the others were taken to a stye hard by,
probably reserved for some future occasion of sacrifice. One of the
bundles was now untied, and it was found, as I have before observed, to
contain the _maro_, with which these people invest their kings, and
which seems to answer, in some degree, to the European ensigns of
royalty. It was carefully taken out of the cloth in which it had been
wrapped up, and spread at full length upon the ground before the
priests. It is a girdle about five yards long and fifteen inches broad,
and, from its name, seems to be put on in the same manner as is the
common _maro_, or piece of cloth used by these people to wrap round the
waist. It was ornamented with red and yellow feathers, but mostly with
the latter, taken from a dove found upon the island. The one end was
bordered with eight pieces, each about the size and shape of a
horse-shoe having their edges fringed with black feathers. The other end
was forked, and the points were of different lengths. The feathers were
in square compartments, ranged in two rows, and otherwise so disposed as
to produce a pleasing effect. They had been first pasted or fixed upon
some of their own country cloth, and then sewed to the upper end of the
pendant which Captain Wallis had displayed, and left flying ashore, the
first time that he landed at Matavai. This was what they told us; and we
had no reason to doubt it, as we could easily trace the remains of an
English pendant. About six or eight inches square of the _maro_ was
unornamented, there being no feathers upon that space, except a few that
had been sent by Waheadooa, as already mentioned. The priests made a
long prayer relative to this part of the ceremony; and, if I mistook
not, they called it the prayer of the _maro_. When it was finished, the
badge of royalty was carefully folded up, put into the cloth, and
deposited again upon the _morai_.
The other bundle, which I have distinguished by the name of the ark, was
next opened at one end. But we were not allowed to go near enough to
examine its mysterious contents. The information we received was, that
the _Eatooa_, to whom they had been sacrificing, and whose name is
_Ooro_, was concealed in it; or rather, what is supposed to represent
him. This sacred repository is made of the twisted fibres of the husk of
the cocoa-nut, shaped somewhat like a large fid or sugar-loaf, that is,
roundish, with one end much thicker than the other. We had very often
got small ones from different people, but never knew their use before.
By this time the pig that had been killed, was cleaned, and the entrails
taken out. These happened to have a considerable share of those
convulsive motions, which often appear in different parts after an
animal is killed, and this was considered by the spectators as a very
favourable omen to the expedition, on account of which the sacrifices
had been offered. After being exposed for some time, that those who
chose might examine their appearances, the entrails were carried to the
priests and laid down before them. While one of their number prayed,
another inspected the entrails more narrowly and kept turning them
gently with a stick. When they had been sufficiently examined, they were
thrown into the fire and left to consume. The sacrificed pig, and its
liver, &c. were now put upon the _whatta_, where the dog had been
deposited the day before; and then all the feathers, except the
ostrich-plume, were inclosed with the _Eatooa_ in the ark; and the
solemnity finally closed.
Four double canoes lay upon the beach, before the place of sacrifice,
all the morning. On the fore-part of each of these was fixed a small
platform covered with palm-leaves tied in mysterious knots; and this
also is called a _morai_. Some cocoa-nuts, plantains, pieces of
bread-fruit, fish, and other things, lay upon each of these naval
_morais_. We were told that they belonged to the _Eatooa_, and that they
were to attend the fleet designed to go against Eimeo.
The unhappy victim offered to the object of their worship upon this
occasion, seemed to be a middle-aged man, and, as we were told, was a
_towtow_, that is, one of the lowest class of the people. But, after all
my inquiries, I could not learn that he had been pitched upon on account
of any particular crime committed by him meriting death. It is certain,
however, that they generally make choice of such guilty persons for
their sacrifice, or else of common low fellows, who stroll about from
place to place and from island to island, without having any fixed
abode, or any visible way of getting an honest livelihood, of which
description of men enough are to be met with at these islands. Having
had an opportunity of examining the appearance of the body of the poor
sufferer now offered up, I could observe that it was bloody about the
head and face, and a good deal bruised upon the right temple; which
marked the manner of his being killed. And we were told, that he had
been privately knocked on the head with a stone.
Those who are devoted to suffer, in order to perform this bloody act of
worship, are never apprized of their fate till the blow is given that
puts an end to their existence. Whenever any one of the great chiefs
thinks a human sacrifice necessary on any particular emergency, he
pitches upon the victim. Some of his trusty servants are then sent, who
fall upon him suddenly, and put him to death with a club or by stoning
him. The king is next acquainted with it, whose presence at the solemn
rites that follow is, as I was told, absolutely necessary; and, indeed,
on the present occasion, we could observe that Otoo bore a principal
part. The solemnity itself is called _Poore Eree_, or chief’s prayer;
and the victim who is offered up _Taata-taboo_, or consecrated man. This
is the only instance where we have heard the word _taboo_ used at this
island, where it seems to have the same mysterious signification as at
Tonga, though it is there applied to all cases where things are not to
be touched. But at Otaheite, the word _raa_ serves the same purpose, and
is full as extensive in its meaning.
The _morai_ (which, undoubtedly, is a place of worship, sacrifice, and
burial, at the same time), where the sacrifice was now offered, is that
where the supreme chief of the whole island is always buried, and is
appropriated to his family and some of the principal people. It differs
little from the common ones, except in extent. Its principal part is a
large oblong, pile of stones, lying loosely upon each other, about
twelve or fourteen feet high, contracted towards the top, with a square
area on each side loosely paved with pebble stones, under which the
bones of the chiefs are buried. At a little distance from the end
nearest the sea, is the place where the sacrifices are offered; which,
for a considerable extent is also loosely paved. There is here a very
large scaffold or _whatta_, on which the offerings of fruits and other
vegetables are laid. But the animals are deposited on a smaller one
already mentioned, and the human sacrifices are buried under different
parts of the pavement. There are several other relics which ignorant
superstition had scattered about this place, such as small stones raised
in different parts of the pavement, some with bits of cloth tied round
them, others covered with it; and, upon the side of the large pile which
fronts the area, are placed a great many pieces of carved wood, which
are supposed to be sometimes the residence of their divinities, and,
consequently, held sacred. But one place, more particular than the rest,
is a heap of stones at one end of the large _whatta_, before which the
sacrifice was offered, with a kind of platform at one side. On this are
laid the skulls of all the human sacrifices, which are taken up after
they have been several months under ground. Just above them are placed a
great number of the pieces of wood; and it was also here where the
_maro_, and the other bundle supposed to contain the god _Ooro_ (and
which I call the ark), were laid during the ceremony; a circumstance
which denotes its agreement with the altar of other nations.
It is much to be regretted, that a practice so horrid in its own nature
and so destructive of that inviolable right of self-preservation, which
every one is born with, should be found still existing; and (such is the
power of superstition to counteract the first principles of humanity!)
existing amongst a people in many other respects emerged from the brutal
manners of savage life. What is still worse, it is probable that these
bloody rites of worship are prevalent throughout all the wide extended
islands of the Pacific Ocean. The similarity of customs and language,
which our late voyages have enabled us to trace between the most distant
of these islands, makes it not unlikely that some of the most important
articles of their religious institutions should agree. And, indeed, we
have the most authentic information that human sacrifices continue to be
offered at the Friendly Islands. When I described the _Natche_ at
_Tonge-taboo_, I mentioned that, on the approaching sequel of that
festival, we had been told that ten men were to be sacrificed. This may
give us an idea of the extent of this religious massacre in that island.
And though we should suppose that never more than one person is
sacrificed, on any single occasion at Otaheite, it is more than probable
that these occasions happen so frequently, as to make a shocking waste
of the human race; for I counted no less than forty-nine skulls of
former victims lying before the _morai_, where we saw one more added to
the number. And as none of those skulls had as yet suffered any
considerable change from the weather, it may hence be inferred, that no
great length of time had elapsed, since, at least, this considerable
number of unhappy wretches had been offered upon this altar of blood.
The custom, though no consideration can make it cease to be abominable,
might be thought less detrimental, in some respects, if it served to
impress any awe for the divinity or reverence for religion, upon the
minds of the multitude. But this is so far from being the case, that
though a great number of people had assembled at the _morai_ on this
occasion, they did not seem to show any proper reverence for what was
doing or saying during the celebration of the rites. And Omai happening
to arrive after they had begun, many of the spectators flocked round
him, and were engaged the remainder of the time in making him relate
some of his adventures, which they listened to with great attention,
regardless of the solemn offices performing by their priests. Indeed,
the priests themselves, except the one who chiefly repeated the prayers,
either from their being familiarized to such objects, or from want of
confidence in the efficacy of their institutions, observed very little
of that solemnity, which is necessary to give to religious performances
their due weight. Their dress was only an ordinary one; they conversed
together without scruple; and the only attempt made by them to preserve
any appearance of decency, was by exerting their authority to prevent
the people from coming upon the very spot where the ceremonies were
performed, and to suffer us, as strangers, to advance a little forward.
They were, however, very candid in their answers to any questions that
were put to them concerning the institution. And particularly, on being
asked what the intention of it was? they said that it was an old custom,
and was agreeable to their god, who delighted in, or, in other words,
came and fed upon the sacrifices; in consequence of which, he complied
with their petitions. Upon its being objected that he could not feed on
these, as he was neither seen to do it, nor were the bodies of the
animals quickly consumed; and that, as to the human victim, they
prevented his feeding on him, by burying him. But to all this they
answered, that he came in the night, but invisibly, and fed only on the
soul or immaterial part, which, according to their doctrine, remains
about the place of sacrifice, until the body of the victim be entirely
wasted by putrefaction.
It were much to be wished that this deluded people may learn to
entertain the same horror of murdering their fellow-creatures, in order
to furnish such an invisible banquet to their god, as they now have of
feeding, corporeally, on human flesh themselves. And, yet, we have great
reason to believe, that there was a time when they were cannibals. We
were told (and, indeed, partly saw it), that it is a necessary ceremony,
when a poor wretch is sacrificed, for the priest to take out the left
eye. This he presents to the king, holding it to his mouth, which he
desires him to open; but, instead of putting it in, immediately
withdraws it. This they call “eating the man,” or, “food for the chief;”
and, perhaps, we may observe here some traces of former times, when the
dead body was really feasted upon.
But not to insist upon this; it is certain, that human sacrifices are
not the only barbarous custom we find still prevailing amongst this
benevolent, humane people. For, besides cutting out the jaw-bones of
their enemies slain in battle, which they carry about as trophies, they,
in some measure, offer their dead bodies as a sacrifice to the _Eatooa_.
Soon after a battle, in which they have been victors, they collect all
the dead that have fallen into their hands, and bring them to the
_morai_, where, with a great deal of ceremony, they dig a hole, and bury
them all in it, as so many offerings to the gods; but their skulls are
never after taken up.
Their own great chiefs, that fall in battle, are treated in a different
manner. We were informed, that their late king Tootaha,
Tubourai-tamaide, and another chief, who fell with them in the battle,
fought with those of Tiaraboo, and were brought to this _morai_, at
Attahooroo. There their bowels were cut out by the priests, before the
great altar, and the bodies afterwards buried in three different places,
which were pointed out to us, in the great pile of stones, that compose
the most conspicuous part of this _morai_. And their common men, who
also fell in this battle, were all buried in one hole, at the foot of
the pile. This, Omai, who was present, told me was done the day after
the battle, with much pomp and ceremony, and in the midst of a great
concourse of people, as a thanksgiving-offering to the _Eatooa_, for the
victory they had obtained; while the vanquished had taken refuge in the
mountains. There they remained a week, or ten days, till the fury of the
victors was over, and a treaty set on foot, by which it was agreed, that
Otoo should be declared king of the whole island; and the solemnity of
investing him with the _maro_, was performed at the same _morai_, with
great pomp, in the presence of all the principal men of the country.
CHAP. III.
CONFERENCE WITH TOWHA.—HEEVAS DESCRIBED.—OMAI AND OEDIDEE GIVE DINNERS.—
FIREWORKS EXHIBITED.—A REMARKABLE PRESENT OF CLOTH.—MANNER OF
PRESERVING THE BODY OF A DEAD CHIEF.—ANOTHER HUMAN SACRIFICE.—RIDING
ON HORSEBACK.—OTOO’S ATTENTION TO SUPPLY PROVISIONS AND PREVENT
THEFTS.—ANIMALS GIVEN TO HIM.—ETARY, AND THE DEPUTIES OF A CHIEF HAVE
AUDIENCES.—A MOCK-FIGHT OF TWO WAR CANOES.—NAVAL STRENGTH OF THESE
ISLANDS.—MANNER OF CONDUCTING A WAR.
The close of the very singular scene exhibited at the _morai_, which I
have faithfully described in the last chapter, leaving us no other
business in Attahooroo, we embarked about noon, in order to return to
Matavai; and, in our way, visited Towha, who had remained on the little
island, where we met him the day before. Some conversation passed
between Otoo and him, on the present posture of public affairs; and then
the latter solicited me, once more, to join them in their war against
Eimeo. By my positive refusal I entirely lost the good graces of this
chief.
Before we parted, he asked us, if the solemnity, at which we had been
present, answered our expectations; what opinion we had of its efficacy;
and whether we performed such acts of worship in our own country? During
the celebration of the horrid ceremony, we had preserved a profound
silence; but, as soon as it was closed, had made no scruple in
expressing our sentiments very freely about it, to Otoo, and those who
attended him; of course, therefore, I did not conceal my detestation of
it, in this conversation with Towha. Besides the cruelty of the bloody
custom, I strongly urged the unreasonableness of it; telling the chief,
that such a sacrifice, far from making the _Eatooa_ propitious to their
nation, as they ignorantly believed, would be the means of drawing down
his vengeance; and that, from this very circumstance, I took upon me to
judge, that their intended expedition against Maheine would be
unsuccessful. This was venturing pretty far upon conjecture; but still,
I thought, that there was little danger of being mistaken. For I found,
that there were three parties in the island, with regard to this war;
one extremely violent for it, another perfectly indifferent about the
matter; and the third openly declaring themselves friends to Maheine,
and his cause. Under these circumstances of disunion distracting their
councils, it was not likely that such a plan of military operations
would be settled, as could insure even a probability of success. In
conveying our sentiments to Towha, on the subject of the late sacrifice,
Omai was made use of as our interpreter; and he entered into our
arguments with so much spirit, that the chief seemed to be in great
wrath; especially when he was told, that if he had put a man to death in
England, as he had done here, his rank would not have protected him from
being hanged for it. Upon this, he exclaimed, _Maeno! maeno!_ [vile!
vile!] and would not hear another word. During this debate, many of the
natives were present, chiefly the attendants and servants of Towha
himself; and when Omai began to explain the punishment that would be
inflicted in England upon the greatest man, if he killed the meanest
servant, they seemed to listen with great attention; and were, probably,
of a different opinion from that of their master, on this subject.
After leaving Towha, we proceeded to Oparre, where Otoo pressed us to
spend the night. We landed in the evening; and, on our road to his
house, had an opportunity of observing in what manner these people amuse
themselves, in their private _heevas_. About a hundred of them were
found sitting in a house; and in the midst of them were two women, with
an old man behind each of them, beating very gently upon a drum; and the
women, at intervals, singing in a softer manner, than I ever heard at
their other diversions. The assembly listened with great attention; and
were, seemingly, almost absorbed in the pleasure the music gave them;
for few took any notice of us, and the performers never once stopped. It
was almost dark before we reached Otoo’s house, where we were
entertained with one of their public _heevas_, or plays, in which his
three sisters appeared as the principal characters. This was what they
call a _heeva raä_, which is of such a nature, that nobody is to enter
the house or area, where it is exhibited. When the royal sisters are the
performers, this is always the case. Their dress, on this occasion, was
truly picturesque and elegant; and they acquitted themselves, in their
parts, in a very distinguished manner; though some comic interludes,
performed by four men, seemed to yield greater pleasure to the audience,
which was numerous. The next morning we proceeded to Matavai, leaving
Otoo at Oparre; but his mother, sisters, and several other women,
attended me on board, and Otoo himself followed me soon after.
While Otoo and I were absent from the ships, they had been sparingly
supplied with fruit, and had few visitors. After our return, we again
overflowed with provisions, and with company.
On the 14th, a party of us dined ashore with Omai, who gave excellent
fare, consisting of fish, fowls, pork, and puddings. After dinner, I
attended Otoo, who had been one of the party, back to his house, where I
found all his servants very busy, getting a quantity of provisions ready
for me. Amongst other articles, there was a large hog, which they killed
in my presence. The entrails were divided into eleven portions, in such
a manner that each of them contained a bit of every thing. These
portions were distributed to the servants, and some dressed theirs in
the same oven with the hog, while others carried off, undressed, what
had come to their share. There was also a large pudding, the whole
process in making which I saw. It was composed of bread-fruit, ripe
plantains, taro, and palm or pandanus nuts, each rasped, scraped, or
beat up fine, and baked by itself. A quantity of juice, expressed from
cocoa-nut kernels, was put into a large tray, or wooden vessel. The
other articles, hot from the oven, were deposited in this vessel; and a
few hot stones were also put in, to make the contents simmer. Three or
four men made use of sticks to stir the several ingredients, till they
were incorporated one with another, and the juice of the cocoa-nut was
turned to oil; so that the whole mass, at last, became of the
consistency of a hasty-pudding. Some of these puddings are excellent;
and few that we make in England equal them. I seldom, or never dined
without one, when I could get it; which was not always the case. Otoo’s
hog being baked, and the pudding, which I have described, being made,
they, together with two living hogs, and a quantity of bread-fruit and
cocoa-nuts were put into a canoe, and sent on board my ship, followed by
myself, and all the royal family.
The following evening, a young ram of the Cape breed, that had been
lambed, and, with great care, brought up on board the ship, was killed
by a dog. Incidents are of more or less consequence, as connected with
situation. In our present situation, desirous as I was to propagate this
useful race amongst these islands, the loss of the ram was a serious
misfortune; as it was the only one I had of that breed; and I had only
one of the English breed left.
In the evening of the 7th, we played off some fireworks before a great
concourse of people. Some were highly entertained with the exhibition;
but by far the greater number of spectators were terribly frightened;
insomuch that it was with difficulty we could prevail upon them to keep
together to see the end of the show. A table-rocket was the last. It
flew off the table, and dispersed the whole crowd in a moment; even the
most resolute among them fled with precipitation.
The next day a party of us dined with our former ship-mate, Oedidee, on
fish and pork. The hog weighed about thirty pounds; and it may be worth
mentioning, that it was alive, dressed, and brought upon the table,
within the hour. We had but just dined, when Otoo came, and asked me if
my belly was full? On my answering in the affirmative, he said, “Then
come along with me.” I accordingly went with him to his father’s, where
I found some people employed in dressing two girls with a prodigious
quantity of fine cloth, after a very singular fashion. The one end of
each piece of cloth, of which there was a good many, was held up over
the heads of the girls, while the remainder was wrapped round their
bodies, under the arm-pits. Then the upper ends were let fall, and hung
down in folds to the ground, over the other, so as to bear some
resemblance to a circular hoop-petticoat. Afterward, round the outside
of all, were wrapped several pieces of differently coloured cloth, which
considerably increased the size; so that it was not less than five or
six yards in circuit, and the weight of this singular attire was as much
as the poor girls could support. To each were hung two _taames_, or
breast-plates, by way of enriching the whole, and giving it a
picturesque appearance. Thus equipped, they were conducted on board the
ship, together with several hogs, and a quantity of fruit, which, with
the cloth, was a present to me from Otoo’s father. Persons, of either
sex, dressed in this manner, are called _atee_; but, I believe, it is
never practised, except when large presents of cloth are to be made. At
least, I never saw it practised upon any other occasion; nor, indeed,
had I ever such a present before; but both Captain Clerke and I had
cloth given to us afterward, thus wrapped round the bearers. The next
day, I had a present of five hogs, and some fruit, from Otoo; and one
hog, and some fruit, from each of his sisters. Nor were other provisions
wanting. For two or three days, great quantities of mackerel had been
caught by the natives, within the reef, in seines; some of which they
brought to the ships and tents, and sold.
Otoo was not more attentive to supply our wants, by a succession of
presents, than he was to contribute to our amusement, by a succession of
diversions. A party of us having gone down to Oparre, on the 10th, he
treated us with what may be called a play. His three sisters were the
actresses; and the dresses they appeared in were new and elegant; that
is, more so than we had usually met with at any of these islands. But
the principal object I had in view, this day, in going to Oparre, was to
take a view of an embalmed corpse, which some of our gentlemen had
happened to meet with at that place, near the residence of Otoo. On
enquiry, I found it to be the remains of Tee, a chief well known to me,
when I was at this island, during my last voyage. It was lying in a
_toopapaoo_, more elegantly constructed than their common ones, and in
all respects similar to that lately seen by us at Oheitepeha, in which
the remains of Waheadooa are deposited, embalmed in the same manner.
When we arrived at the place, the body was under cover, and wrapped up
in cloth, within the _toopapaoo_; but, at my desire, the man who had the
care of it brought it out, and laid it upon a kind of bier, in such a
manner, that we had as full a view of it as we could wish; but we were
not allowed to go within the pales that inclosed the _toopapaoo_. After
he had thus exhibited the corpse, he hung the place with mats and cloth,
so disposed as to produce a very pretty effect. We found the body not
only entire in every part; but, what surprized us much more, was, that
putrefaction seemed scarcely to be begun, as there was not the least
disagreeable smell proceeding from it, though the climate is one of the
hottest, and Tee had been dead above four months. The only remarkable
alteration that had happened, was a shrinking of the muscular parts of
the eyes; but the hair and nails were in their original state, and still
adhered firmly; and the several joints were quite pliable, or in that
kind of relaxed state which happens to persons who faint suddenly. Such
were Mr. Anderson’s remarks to me, who also told me, that, on his
enquiring into the method of effecting this preservation of their dead
bodies, he had been informed that soon after their death, they are
disembowelled, by drawing the intestines, and other _viscera_, out at
the _anus_; and the whole cavity is then filled or stuffed with cloth,
introduced through the same part; that when any moisture appeared on the
skin, it was carefully dried up, and the bodies afterward rubbed all
over with a large quantity of perfumed cocoa-nut oil; which, being
frequently repeated, preserved them a great many months; but that, at
last, they gradually moulder away. This was the information Mr. Anderson
received; for my own part, I could not learn any more about their mode
of operation than what Omai told me, who said, that they made use of the
juice of a plant which grows amongst the mountains; of cocoa-nut oil;
and of frequent washing with sea-water. I was also told that the bodies
of all their great men, who died a natural death, are preserved in this
manner; and that they expose them to public view for a considerable time
after. At first, they are laid out every day, when it does not rain;
afterward, the intervals become greater and greater; and, at last, they
are seldom to be seen.
In the evening, we returned from Oparre, where we left Otoo, and all the
royal family; and I saw none of them till the 12th, when all but the
chief himself paid me a visit. He, as they told me, was gone to
Attahooroo, to assist, this day, at another human sacrifice, which the
chief of Tiaraboo had sent thither to be offered up at the _morai_. This
second instance, within the course of a few days, was too melancholy a
proof how numerous the victims of this bloody superstition are amongst
this humane people. I would have been present at this sacrifice, too,
had I known of it in time; for now it was too late. From the very same
cause, I missed being present at a public transaction which had passed
at Oparre the preceding day, when Otoo, with all the solemnities
observed on such occasions, restored to the friends and followers of the
late king Tootaha the lands and possessions which had been withheld from
them ever since his death. Probably the new sacrifice was the concluding
ceremony of what may be called the reversal of attainder.
The following evening, Otoo returned from exercising this most
disagreeable of all his duties as sovereign; and, the next day, being
now honoured with his company, Captain Clerke and I, mounted on
horseback, took a ride round the plain of Matavai, to the very great
surprize of a great train of people who attended on the occasion, gazing
upon us with as much astonishment as if we had been centaurs. Omai,
indeed, had, once or twice before this, attempted to get on horseback;
but he had as often been thrown off, before he could contrive to seat
himself; so that this was the first time they had seen any body ride a
horse. What Captain Clerke and I began, was, after this, repeated every
day, while we staid, by one or another of our people; and yet the
curiosity of the natives continued still unabated. They were exceedingly
delighted with these animals, after they had seen the use that was made
of them; and, as far as I could judge, they conveyed to them a better
idea of the greatness of other nations than all the other novelties put
together that their European visiters had carried amongst them. Both the
horse and mare were in good case, and looked extremely well.
The next day, Etary, or Olla, the god of Bolabola, who had, for several
days past, been in the neighbourhood of Matavai, removed to Oparre,
attended by several sailing canoes. We were told, that Otoo did not
approve of his being so near our station, where his people could more
easily invade our property. I must do Otoo the justice to say, that he
took every method prudence could suggest to prevent thefts and
robberies; and it was more owing to his regulations than to our
circumspection that so few were committed. He had taken care to erect a
little house or two on the other side of the river, behind our post, and
two others close to our tents, on the bank between the river and the
sea. In all these places some of his own people constantly kept watch;
and his father generally resided on Matavai point; so that we were, in a
manner, surrounded by them. Thus stationed, they not only guarded us in
the night from thieves, but could observe every thing that passed in the
day; and were ready to collect contributions from such girls as had
private connections with our people, which was generally done every
morning. So that the measures adopted by him to secure our safety, at
the same time served the more essential purpose of enlarging his own
profits.
Otoo informing me that his presence was necessary at Oparre, where he
was to give audience to the great personage from Bolabola; and asking me
to accompany him, I readily consented, in hopes of meeting with
something worth our notice. Accordingly, I went with him, in the morning
of the 16th, attended by Mr. Anderson. Nothing, however, occurred on
this occasion, that was either interesting or curious. We saw Etary and
his followers present some coarse cloth and hogs to Otoo; and each
article was delivered with some ceremony, and a set speech. After this,
they, and some other chiefs, held a consultation about the expedition to
Eimeo. Etary at first seemed to disapprove of it, but at last his
objections were over-ruled. Indeed, it appeared, next day, that it was
too late to deliberate about this measure; and that Towha, Potatou, and
another chief, had already gone upon the expedition with the fleet of
Attahooroo. For a messenger arrived in the evening with intelligence
that they had reached Eimeo, and that there had been some skirmishes,
without much loss or advantage on either side.
In the morning of the 18th, Mr. Anderson, myself, and Omai, went again
with Otoo to Oparre, and took with us the sheep which I intended to
leave upon the island, consisting of an English ram and ewe, and three
Cape ewes; all which I gave to Otoo. As all the three cows had taken the
bull, I thought I might venture to divide them, and carry some to
Ulietea. With this view, I had them brought before us, and proposed to
Etary, that if he would leave his bull with Otoo, he should have mine,
and one of the three cows; adding, that I would carry them for him to
Ulietea; for I was afraid to remove the Spanish bull, lest some accident
should happen to him, as he was a bulky spirited beast. To this proposal
of mine, Etary at first made some objections, but at last agreed to it,
partly through the persuasion of Omai. However, just as the cattle were
putting into the boat, one of Etary’s followers valiantly opposed any
exchange whatever being made. Finding this, and suspecting that Etary
had only consented to the proposed arrangement, for the present moment,
to please me, and that after I was gone he might take away his bull, and
then Otoo would not have one, I thought it best to drop the idea of an
exchange, as it could not be made with the mutual consent of both
parties, and finally determined to leave them all with Otoo, strictly
enjoining him never to suffer them to be removed from Oparre, not even
the Spanish bull, nor any of the sheep, till he should get a stock of
young ones; which he might then dispose of to his friends, and send to
the neighbouring islands.
This being settled, we left Etary and his party to ruminate upon their
folly, and attended Otoo to another place hard by, where we found the
servants of a chief, whose name I forgot to ask, waiting with a hog, a
pig, and a dog, as a present from their master to the sovereign. These
were delivered with the usual ceremonies, and with an harangue in form,
in which the speaker, in his master’s name, enquired after the health of
Otoo, and of all the principal people about him. This compliment was
echoed back in the name of Otoo, by one of his ministers; and then the
dispute with Eimeo was discussed, with many arguments for and against
it. The deputies of his chief were for prosecuting the war with vigour,
and advised Otoo to offer a human sacrifice. On the other hand, a chief
who was in constant attendance on Otoo’s person opposed it, seemingly,
with great strength of argument. This confirmed me in the opinion, that
Otoo himself never entered heartily into the spirit of this war. He now
received repeated messages from Towha, strongly soliciting him to hasten
to his assistance. We were told that his fleet was in a manner
surrounded by that of Maheine; but that neither the one nor the other
durst hazard an engagement.
After dining with Otoo, we returned to Matavai, leaving him at Oparre.
This day, and also the 19th, we were very sparingly supplied with fruit.
Otoo hearing of this, he and his brother, who had attached himself to
Captain Clerke, came from Oparre between nine and ten o’clock in the
evening, with a large supply for both ships. This marked his humane
attention more strongly than any thing he had hitherto done for us. The
next day, all the royal family came with presents, so that our wants
were not only relieved, but we had more provisions than we could
consume.
Having got all our water on board, the ships being caulked, the rigging
overhauled, and every thing put in order, I began to think of leaving
the island, that I might have sufficient time to spare for visiting
others in this neighbourhood. With this view, we removed from the shore
our observatories and instruments, and bent the sails. Early the next
morning, Otoo came on board to acquaint me, that all the war canoes of
Matavai, and of the three other districts adjoining, were going to
Oparre, to join those belonging to that part of the island; and that
there would be a general review there. Soon after, the squadron of
Matavai was all in motion; and, after parading a while about the bay,
assembled ashore near the middle of it. I now went in my boat to take a
view of them.
Of those with stages on which they fight, or what they call their
war-canoes, there were about sixty, with near as many more of a smaller
size. I was ready to have attended them to Oparre; but, soon after, a
resolution was taken by the chiefs, that they should not move till the
next day. I looked upon this to be a fortunate delay, as it afforded me
a good opportunity to get some insight into their manner of fighting.
With this view, I expressed my wish to Otoo that he would order some of
them to go through the necessary manœuvres. Two were, accordingly,
ordered out into the bay, in one of which Otoo, Mr. King, and myself
embarked, and Omai went on board the other. When we had got sufficient
sea-room, we faced and advanced upon each other, and retreated by turns,
as quick as our rowers could paddle. During this, the warriors on the
stages flourished their weapons, and played a hundred antic tricks,
which could answer no other end, in my judgment, than to work up their
passions, and prepare them for fighting. Otoo stood by the side of our
stage, and gave the necessary orders when to advance and when to
retreat. In this, great judgment and a quick eye combined together
seemed requisite, to seize every advantage that might offer, and to
avoid giving any advantage to the adversary. At last, after advancing
and retreating from each other at least a dozen times, the two canoes
closed head to head, or stage to stage; and, after a short conflict, the
troops on our stage were supposed to be all killed, and we were boarded
by Omai and his associates. At that very instant, Otoo and all our
paddlers leaped overboard, as if reduced to the necessity of
endeavouring to save their lives by swimming.
If Omai’s information is to be depended upon, their naval engagements
are not always conducted in this manner. He told me, that they sometimes
begin with lashing the two vessels together, head to head, and then
fight till all the warriors are killed on one side or the other. But
this close combat, I apprehend, is never practised but when they are
determined to conquer or die. Indeed, one or the other must happen; for
all agree that they never give quarter, unless it be to reserve their
prisoners for a more cruel death the next day.
The power and strength of these islands lie entirely in their navies. I
never heard of a general engagement on land; and all their decisive
battles are fought on the water. If the time and place of conflict are
fixed upon by both parties, the preceding day and night are spent in
diversions and feasting. Toward morning they launch the canoes, put
every thing in order, and, with the day, begin the battle, the fate of
which generally decides the dispute. The vanquished save themselves by a
precipitate flight; and such as reach the shore fly with their friends
to the mountains; for the victors, while their fury lasts, spare neither
the aged, women, nor children. The next day they assemble at the
_morai_, to return thanks to the _Eatooa_ for the victory, and to offer
up the slain as sacrifices, and the prisoners also, if they have any.
After this, a treaty is set on foot, and the conquerors for the most
part obtain their own terms, by which particular districts of land, and
sometimes whole islands, change their owners. Omai told us that he was
once taken a prisoner by the men of Bolabola, and carried to that
island, where he and some others would have been put to death the next
day if they had not found means to escape in the night.
As soon as this mock fight was over, Omai put on his suit of armour,
mounted a stage in one of the canoes, and was paddled all along the
shore of the bay; so that every one had a full view of him. His coat of
mail did not draw the attention of his countrymen so much as might have
been expected. Some of them, indeed, had seen a part of it before; and
there were others, again, who had taken such a dislike to Omai, from his
imprudent conduct at this place, that they would hardly look at any
thing, however singular, that was exhibited by him.
CHAP. IV.
THE DAY OF SAILING FIXED.—PEACE MADE WITH EIMEO.—DEBATES ABOUT IT, AND
OTOO’S CONDUCT BLAMED.—A SOLEMNITY AT THE MORAI ON THE OCCASION,
DESCRIBED BY MR. KING.—OBSERVATIONS UPON IT.—INSTANCE OF OTOO’S ART.—
OMAI’S WAR-CANOE, AND REMARKS UPON HIS BEHAVIOUR.—OTOO’S PRESENT, AND
MESSAGE TO THE KING OF GREAT BRITAIN.—REFLECTIONS ON OUR MANNER OF
TRAFFIC, AND ON THE GOOD TREATMENT WE MET WITH AT OTAHEITE.—ACCOUNT OF
THE EXPEDITION OF THE SPANIARDS.—THEIR FICTIONS TO DEPRECIATE THE
ENGLISH.—WISHES EXPRESSED THAT NO SETTLEMENT MAY BE MADE.—OMAI’S
JEALOUSY OF ANOTHER TRAVELLER.
Early in the morning of the 22d, Otoo and his father came on board, to
know when I proposed sailing. For, having been informed that there was a
good harbour at Eimeo, I had told them that I should visit that island
on my way to Huaheine; and they were desirous of taking a passage with
me, and of their fleet sailing at the time to reinforce Towha. As I was
ready to take my departure, I left it to them to name the day, and the
Wednesday following was fixed upon, when I was to take on board Otoo,
his father, mother, and, in short, the whole family. These points being
settled, I proposed setting out immediately for Oparre, where all the
fleet, fitted out, for the expedition, was to assemble this day, and to
be reviewed.
I had but just time to get into my boat, when news was brought, that
Towha had concluded a treaty with Maheine, and had returned with his
fleet to Attahooroo. This unexpected event made all further proceedings
in the military way quite unnecessary, and the war-canoes, instead of
rendezvousing at Oparre, were ordered home to their respective
districts. This alteration, however, did not hinder me from following
Otoo to Oparre, accompanied by Mr. King and Omai. Soon after our
arrival, and while dinner was preparing, a messenger arrived from Eimeo,
and related the conditions of the peace, or rather of the truce, it
being only for a limited time. The terms were disadvantageous to
Otaheite; and much blame was thrown upon Otoo, whose delay in sending
reinforcements had obliged Towha to submit to a disgraceful
accommodation. It was even currently reported, that Towha, resenting his
not being supported, had declared, that as soon as I could leave the
island he would join his forces to those of Tiaraboo, and attack Otoo at
Matavai or Oparre. This called upon me to declare, in the most public
manner, that I was determined to espouse the interest of my friend
against any such combination; and that whoever presumed to attack him,
should feel the weight of my heavy displeasure, when I returned again to
their island. My declaration probably had the desired effect; and if
Towha had any such hostile intention at first, we soon heard no more of
the report. Whappai, Otoo’s father, highly disapproved of the peace, and
blamed Towha very much for concluding it. This sensible old man wisely
judged, that my going down with them to Eimeo must have been of singular
service to their cause, though I should take no other part whatever in
the quarrel. And it was upon this that he built his arguments, and
maintained that Otoo had acted properly by waiting for me, though this
had prevented his giving assistance to Towha so soon as he expected.
Our debates at Oparre, on this subject, were hardly ended, before a
messenger arrived from Towha, desiring Otoo’s attendance the next day at
the _morai_ in Attahooroo, to give thanks to the gods for the peace he
had concluded; at least such was Omai’s account to me of the object of
this solemnity. I was asked to go; but being much out of order was
obliged to decline it. Desirous, however, of knowing what ceremonies
might be observed on so memorable an occasion, I sent Mr. King and Omai,
and returned on board my ship, attended by Otoo’s mother, his three
sisters, and eight more women. At first I thought that this numerous
train of females came into my boat with no other view than to get a
passage to Matavai. But when we arrived at the ship, they told me, they
intended passing the night on board, for the express purpose of
undertaking the cure of the disorder I complained of; which was a pain
of the rheumatic kind, extending from the hip to the foot. I accepted
the friendly offer, had a bed spread for them upon the cabin floor, and
submitted myself to their directions. I was desired to lay myself down
amongst them. Then, as many of them as could get round me, began to
squeeze me with both hands, from head to foot, but more particularly on
the parts where the pain was lodged, till they made my bones crack, and
my flesh became a perfect mummy. In short, after undergoing this
discipline about a quarter of an hour, I was glad to get away from them.
However, the operation gave me immediate relief, which encouraged me to
submit to another rubbing-down before I went to bed; and it was so
effectual, that I found myself pretty easy all the night after. My
female physicians repeated their prescription the next morning, before
they went ashore, and again, in the evening, when they returned on
board; after which, I found the pains entirely removed; and the cure
being perfected, they took their leave of me the following morning. This
they call _romee_; an operation which, in my opinion, far exceeds the
flesh-brush, or any thing of the kind that we make use of externally. It
is universally practised amongst these islanders; being sometimes
performed by the men, but more generally by the women. If, at any time,
one appears languid and tired, and sits down by any one of them, they
immediately begin to practise the _romee_ upon his legs; and I have
always found it to have an exceeding good effect.[6]
In the morning of the 25th, Otoo, Mr. King, and Omai, returned from
Attahooroo; and Mr. King gave me the following account of what he had
seen:
“Soon after you left me, a second messenger came from Towha, to Otoo,
with a plantain-tree. It was sunset when we embarked in a canoe and left
Oparre: about nine o’clock we landed at Tettaha, at that extremity which
joins to Attahooroo. Before we landed, the people called to us from the
shore, probably to tell us that Towha was there. The meeting of Otoo and
this chief I expected would afford some incident worthy of observation.
Otoo and his attendants went and seated themselves on the bench, close
to the canoe in which Towha was. He was then asleep; but his servants
having awaked him, and mentioning Otoo’s name, immediately a
plantain-tree and a dog were laid at Otoo’s feet; and many of Towha’s
people came and talked with him, as I conceived, about their expedition
to Eimeo. After I had, for some time, remained seated close to Otoo,
Towha neither stirring from his canoe, nor holding any conversation with
us, I went to him. He asked me if _Toote_ was angry with him. I
answered, No: that he was his _taio_; and that he had ordered me to go
to Attahooroo to tell him so. Omai now had a long conversation with this
chief; but I could gather no information of any kind from him. On my
returning to Otoo, he seemed desirous that I should go to eat, and then
to sleep. Accordingly, Omai and I left him. On questioning Omai, he
said, the reason of Towha’s not stirring from his canoe was his being
lame; but that, presently, Otoo and he would converse together in
private. This seemed true; for, in a little time, those we left with
Otoo came to us; and, about ten minutes after, Otoo himself arrived, and
we all went to sleep in his canoe.
“The next morning, the _ava_ was in great plenty. One man drank so much
that he lost his senses. I should have supposed him to be in a fit, from
the convulsions that agitated him. Two men held him, and kept plucking
off his hair by the roots. I left this spectacle to see another more
affecting. This was the meeting of Towha and his wife, and a young girl,
whom I understood to be his daughter. After the ceremony of cutting
their heads, and discharging a tolerable quantity of blood and tears,
they washed, embraced the chief, and seemed unconcerned. But the young
girl’s sufferings were not yet come to an end. Terridiri[7] arrived; and
she went, with great composure, to repeat the same ceremonies to him,
which he had just performed on meeting her father. Towha had brought a
large war-canoe from Eimeo. I enquired if he had killed the people
belonging to her; and was told, that there was no man in her when she
was captured.
“We left Tettaha, about ten or eleven o’clock, and landed, close to the
_morai_ of Attahooroo, a little after noon. There lay three canoes,
hauled upon the beach, opposite the _morai_, with three hogs exposed in
each: their sheds, or awnings, had something under them which I could
not discern. We expected the solemnity to be performed the same
afternoon; but as neither Towha nor Potatou had joined us, nothing was
done.
“A chief from Eimeo came with a small pig, and a plantain-tree, and
placed them at Otoo’s feet. They talked some time together; and the
Eimeo chief often repeating the words, _Warry, warry_, “false,” I
supposed that Otoo was relating to him what he had heard, and that the
other denied it.
“The next day (Wednesday), Towha and Potatou, with about eight large
canoes, arrived, and landed near the _morai_. Many plantain-trees were
brought, on the part of different chiefs, to Otoo. Towha did not stir
from his canoe. The ceremony began by the principal priest bringing out
the _maro_, wrapped up, and a bundle shaped like a large sugar-loaf.
These were placed at the head of what I understood to be a grave. Then
three priests came and sat down opposite, that is, at the other end of
the grave; bringing with them a plantain-tree, the branch of some other
tree, and the sheath of the flower of the cocoa-nut tree.