'77?. ftudied and affumed, only to make our meeting more
A ug ust . . _
folemn. This may be looked upon as a kmd of recommendation
by fome men, but it is unhappily a maik of
hypocrify, which we fliould hardly have espefted at Tahei-
tee. After the firft Mutation, captain Cook prefented
Aheatua with a piece of red baize, a bed-flieet, a broad
axe, a knife, nail's, loofcing-glaffas, and beads y and my
father gave him fimilar prefects, among which was an aigrette
or tuft of feathers fixed on. a wire, and dyed of a bright
crimfon; upon this bis majefty fet a particular valpe, and
at the fight of it the whole croud gave a general fhout of
admiration, expreffed by the word awbay / The king now
enquired for Mr. Banks, which only Tuahow had done before
him, and then aiked how long we intended to flay,
expreffing at the fame time, that he wiflied we might remain
five months. Captain Cook’s anfwer was, that as he
did not receive fufficient fupplies of provifions, he muft
fail immediately. The king confined his firft requeft to
one month, and at laft to five days, but captain Cook per-
lifted in his refolution ; Aheatua then promifed to fend us
hogs the next day, but as this had: been repeatedly faid without
any confequence, we took no notice of it now; for even
in a ftate fo little refined as Tiarraboo, we found that the
real benevolence of the middle elafs, which manifefted it-
felf towards us in hofpitality and a number of good
and
and noble aftions, gave us no right to truft the fpecious aJgust
politenefs of the court and courtiers, who fed our hopes
with empty promifes.
During this conference the croud, amounting at leaft to
five hundred peiTons, was fo exceffively noify, that it was
impoffible at times to diftinguifh a word ; and on thofe
occafions feme of the king's attendants with a Stentor s
void called out mamoi! (be filent,) and enforced his command
by dealing out hearty blows with a long flick. The
aree feeing that captain Cook was not to be perfuaded to
prolong his flay in this harbour, got up, and walked down
along the river with us, while his attendants carried his
wooden ftool, and the kingly prefents which he had received.
On this walk he laid afide the gravity, which was
not natural to him, and talked with great affability to our
comfnon people. He defired me to tell him the names of
all the perfons from on hoard both floops, who were pre-
fent, to which he added the queftion, whether they had
their wives on' board.? Being anfwered in the negative,
his majefty in a fit of good, humour defired them to look
for partners' among the daughters of the land, which' they
underftood it was meant at prefent, in the light of a
mere compliment. He fat down loon after clofe to a houfe
of reeds, into which we all retired, when the fun appeared
through the clouds. Here he called for fome coco-nuts,
and began to tell the ftory of the Pahe'i M Peppe, or Spanifli
R r 2 flnp.