*773-
UGU3T.
of vegetable food, fuitabk to the frugal fimplicity of the
natives,' we partook of it very heartily, and foon found
ourfelves in as good fpirits as we had fet out with in the
morning. We paffcd about two hours with this hofpitable
family, and during that time diftributed the greatefl part
of the beads, nails, and knives which we had brought
from the fhip to our generous' hoft, to his fair
daughter, and her companions, whofe care had reflored
our ftrength much fooner than we had a right to expect
after fo laborious an expedition. About three o clock we
fot out on our return, and walked pall numerous dwellings,
whofe inhabitants enjoyed the beauty of the afternoon
in various parties-,, under the fhade of their fruit-
treesv In one of thefe houfes we obferved a man at work,
in preparing a red dye, for fome cloth made of the bark of
the paper-mulberry, which we commonly called the cloth-
tree. Upon enquiring for the materials which he made
ufe- of, we found to our- great furprize that the yellow juice
of a fmall fpecies of fig, which they call mattee, and the
greenifh juice of a fort of fern, or bind-weed, or of feveral
other plants, by being Amply mixed together, formed a
bright crimfon, which the women rubbed with their hands-
if the whole piece was to* be uniformly of the fame colour,,
or in which they dipped* a bamboo reed, i f it was to be.
marked’ 'or fprinkled in different patterns. This colour
fades very foon and becomes of a- dirty red, befides being
liable.
liable to be fpoiled by rain and other accidents ; the cloth, MMm.
however, which is dyed or rather Rained with it, is highly
valued by the Taheitians, and only worn by their principal
people. We bought feveral pieces of cloth of different
kinds for beads and fmall nails, and then walked on
till we arrived at the tents, which flood at leaft five miles
from the place where we had dined. Here we difcharged
our trufly friend whom O-Whaw had recommended, and
who had behaved with a degree of attachment and fidelity
to us, which from the thievifh charadler of the nation we
had no room to expeft. This behaviour was the more
meritorious as our. fituation frequently had afforded him
excellent opportunities of running off with all our nails and
knives, and with one of our fowling-pieces.} temptations
which required an uncommon degree of honefly to with-
fland. We next embarked in one of the canoes which
plied between the fhips and the fhore, and for a couple or
beads were fafely brought on board, Heie we found the
captain and my father jufi returned from a long excuifion
to the weftward. E-Tee, the king’s ambaffador, who arrived
on board immediately after our departure, had
brought a pr.efent of a hog and fome fruit, but acquainted
the captain that O-Too was uiQtow, a teim which( at
once ex prefled that he was afraid and difpleafed. To
convince him that the outrages of laft night were not,
approved of, the offenders were brought to the gangway,
Z z 2 and