James Cook's Voyage Towards the South Pole and Round the World. James Cook
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presents, and partly to pilfer whatever came in their way.
One of this sort of Earees I had, most of the day, in the cabin, and made presents to him and all his friends, which were not few; at length he was caught taking things which did not belong to him, and handing them out of the quarter gallery. Many complaints of the like nature were made to me against those on deck, which occasioned my turning them all out of the ship. My cabin guest made good haste to be gone; I was so much exasperated at his behaviour, that after he had got some distance from the ship, I fired two muskets over his head, which made him quit the canoe, and take to the water; I then sent a boat to take up the canoe, but as she came near the shore, the people from thence began to pelt her with stones. Being in some pain for her safety, as she was unarmed, I went myself in another boat to protect her, and ordered a great gun, loaded with ball, to be fired along the coast, which made them all retire from the shore, and I was suffered to bring away two canoes without the least shew of opposition. In one of the canoes was a little boy, who was much frightened, but I soon dissipated his fears, by giving him beads, and putting him on shore. A few hours after, we were all good friends again, and the canoes were returned to the first person who came for them.
It was not till the evening of this day, that any one enquired after Tupia, and then but two or three. As soon as they learnt the cause of his death, they were quite satisfied; indeed, it did not appear to me, that it would have caused a moment's uneasiness in the breast of any one, had his death been occasioned by any other means than by sickness. As little enquiry was made after Aotourou, the man who went away with M. de Bougainville. But they were continually asking for Mr. Banks, and several others who were with me in my former voyage.
These people informed us, that Toutaha, the regent of the greater peninsula of Otaheite, had been killed in a battle, which was fought between the two kingdoms about five months before, and that Otoo was the reigning prince. Tubourai Tamaide, and several more of our principal friends about Matavai, fell in this battle, as also a great number of common people; but, at present, a peace subsisted between the two kingdoms.
On the 19th, we had gentle breezes easterly, with some smart showers of rain. Early in the morning, the boats were again sent to recover the Adventure's anchors, but returned with the same ill success as the day before, so that we ceased to look for them any longer, thinking ourselves very happy in having come off so well, considering the situation we had been in. In an excursion which Captain Furneaux and I made along the coast, we met with a chief who entertained us with excellent fish, fruit, &c. In return for his hospitality, I made him a present of an axe and other things; and he afterwards accompanied us back to the ships, where he made but a short stay.
Nothing worthy of note happened on the 20th, till the dusk of the evening, when one of the natives made off with a musquet belonging to the guard on shore. I was present when this happened, and sent some of our people after him, which would have been to little purpose, had not some of the natives, of their own accord, pursued the thief. They knocked him down, took from him the musquet, and brought it to us. Fear, on this occasion, certainly operated more with them than principle. They deserve, however, to be applauded for this act of justice, for, if they had not given their immediate assistance, it would hardly have been in my power to have recovered the musquet, by any gentle means whatever, and by making use of any other, I was sure to lose more than ten times its value.
The 21st, the wind was at north, a fresh breeze. This morning a chief made me a visit, and presented me with a quantity of fruit, among which, were a number of cocoanuts we had drawn the water from, and afterwards thrown, over board; these he had picked up, and tied in bundles so artfully, that we did not at first perceive the cheat; when he was told of it, without betraying the least emotion, and, as if he knew nothing of the matter, he opened two or three of them himself, signified to us, that he was satisfied it was so, and then went ashore and sent off a quantity of plantains and bananoes. Having got on board a supply of water, fruit, and roots, I determined to sail in the morning to Matavai, as I found it was not likely that I should get an interview with Waheatoua, without which, it was very improbable we should get any hogs. Two of the natives, who knew my intention, slept on board, with a view of going with us to Matavai, but, in the morning, the wind blew fresh at N.W., and as we could not sail, I sent the trading party on shore as usual.
In the evening, I was informed that Waheatoua was come into the neighourhood, and wanted to see me. In consequence of this information, I determined to wait one day longer, in order to have an interview with this prince. Accordingly, early the next morning, I set out in company with Captain Furneaux, Mr. Forster, and several of the natives. We met the chief about a mile from the landing-place, towards which he was advancing to meet us; but, as soon as he saw us, he stopt, with his numerous train, in the open air. I found him seated upon a stool, with a circle of people round him, and knew him at first sight, and he me, having seen each other several times in 1769. At that time he was but a boy, and went by the name of Tearee, but, upon the death of his father, Waheatoun, he took upon him that name.
After the first salutation was over, having seated me on the same stool with himself, and the other gentlemen on the ground by us, he began to enquire after several by name who were with me on my former voyage. He next enquired how long I would stay, and when I told him no longer than next day, he seemed sorry, asked me to stay some months, and at last came down to five days, promising, that in that time I should have hogs in plenty; but, as I had been here already a week, without so much as getting one, I could not put any faith in this promise; and yet, I believe, if I had staid, we should have fared much better than at Matavai. The present I made him consisted of a shirt, a sheet, a broad axe, spike-nails, knives, looking-glasses, medals, beads, &c.; in return, he ordered a pretty good hog to be carried to our boat. We staid with him all the morning, during which time, he never suffered me to go from his side, where he was seated. I was also seated on the same stool, which was carried from place to place by one of his attendants, whom he called stool-bearer. At length we took leave, in order to return on board to dinner, after which, we visited him again, and made him more presents, and he, in return, gave Captain Furneaux and me each of us an hog. Some others were got by exchanges at the trading places; so that we got in the whole, to-day, as much fresh pork as gave the crews of both the ships a meal; and this in consequence of our having this interview with the chief.
The 24th, early in the morning, we put to sea with a light land-breeze. Soon after we were out, we got the wind at west, which blew in squalls, attended with heavy showers of rain. Many canoes accompanied us out to sea, with cocoa-nuts and other fruits, and did not leave us till they had disposed of their cargoes.
The fruits we got here greatly contributed towards the recovery of the Adventure's sick people; many of them, who had been so ill as not to be able to move without assistance, were, in this short time so far recovered, that they could walk about of themselves. When we put in here, the Resolution had but one scorbutic man on board, and a marine, who had been long sick, and who died the second day after our arrival, of a complication of disorders, without the least mixture of the scurvy. I left Lieutenant Pickersgill, with the cutter, behind the bay, to purchase hogs, as several had promised to bring some down to-day, and I was not willing to lose them.
On the 25th; about noon, Mr. Pickersgill returned with eight hogs, which he got at Oaiti-piha. He spent the night at Ohedea, and was well entertained by Ereti, the chief of that district. It was remarkable, that this chief never once asked after Aotouroo, nor did he take the least notice when Mr. Pickersgill mentioned his name. And yet M. de Bougainville tells us, this is the very chief who presented Aotourou to him; which makes it the more extraordinary, that he should neither enquire after him now, nor when he was with us at Matavai, especially as they believed that we and M. de Bougainville came from the same country, that is, from Pretane, for so they called our country. They had not the least knowledge of any other European nation, nor probably will they, unless some of those men should return who had lately gone from the isle, of which mention shall be made bye and bye. We told several of them, that M. de Bougainville came from France, a name they could by no means pronounce; nor could they pronounce that of Paris much better; so that it is not likely that they will remember either the one or the other long; whereas Pretane is in every child's mouth, and will hardly ever be forgotten. It was not till the evening of this day that we arrived in Matavai bay.