1773. which was quite new to us. Potatow was fo well fatisfied
of the integrity of his friends, after this ceremony, that he
and his wives, and feveral of their attendants, -carrying
with them two hogs and abundance of cloth, marched towards
the boat, amidlt an immenfe croud of people. He
was, however, no fooner arrived at the water’s fide, than
the whole multitude eagerly preffed him not to venture
amongft our people, and clinging to his feet endeavoured
to hold him back; feveral women, with a flood of tears,
repeatedly cried aloud that Tome would kill him as foon
as he came on board ; and an old man, who, by living at
the chief’s own houfe, feemed to be a faithful fervant to
the family, drew him back by the Ikirts of his garment.
Potatow was moved for a moment he expreffed fome
marks of diffidence; but inftantly arming himfelf
with all the refolution he was mailer of, he thruft
the old man afide, exclaiming “ Toote aipa matte te tay,
(Cook will not kill his friends!) and ftepped into the boat
with an air of undaunted majefty, that ftruck our Britons
with aftoniffiment. As foon as he was onboard the Ihip,
he defcended into the cabin, accompanied by his wife
Whoinee-ow, his former wife, and her friend, and brought
his prefents -to captain Cook. Potatow was one of the tailed:
men we had feen upon the ifland, and his features were
fo mild, comely, and at the fame time majeftic, that Mr.
Hodges immediately applied himfelf to copy fiom them, as
from
from the nobleft models of nature. His portrait is infert- SEr'r” ^BES.
ed in captain Cook’s own account of this voyage. His
whole body was remarkably ftrong and heavily built, fo
that one of his thighs nearly equalled in girth our flouted
failor’s waift. His ample garments, and his elegant white
turban, fet off his figure to the greateft advantage,' and his
noble deportment endeared him to us, as we naturally
compared it with the diffidence of O-Too. Polatehera, his
former wife, was fo like him in flature and bulk, that we
unanimoufly looked upon her as the moft extraordinary
woman we had ever feen. Her appearance and her conduit
were mafculine in the higheft degree, and ftrongly
conveyed the idea of fuperiority and command. When
the Endeavour bark lay here, fhe had diftinguiffied herfelf
by the name of captain Cook’s filler, (tuaheim no T oote ;)
and one day, being denied admittance into the-fort on
Point Venus, had knocked down the fentry who oppofed
her, and complained to her adopted brother of the indignity
which had been offered to her. After a fhort flay,
being told that we intended to get under way immediately,
they afked, with every demonftration of friendffiip and
with tears in their eyes, whether we intended to return.
Captain Cook promifed to be here again in the fpace of
feven months, with which they relied perfectly fatisfied,
and departed immediately to the weftward, their own canoes
having followed our boat all the way.
V ol. I. A a a In