3 62
vn%. in the mean while a young Taheitian, of the common
Se p tem b e r -.-
elafs, who was very well made, and about feventeen years
©Id, having talked to the captain of going no te whennua tei
Bretane, (to the land of Britain,) for feveral days paft, had
arrived on board with his father. His whole equipment
confifted of a final 1 piece of the Indian doth wrapped
about his loins -r fo entirely did he depend upon our care
and protection. . Captain Cook gave his father, who feern-
ed to be a middle aged man, a hatchet and fome prefents
of lefler value,, with which he defcended into his canoe
with great compofure and firmnefs, without manifefting
any figns of grief. We had fcarce cleared the reefs, when
a canoe arrived with two or three, natives, who demanded
the youth back in the name of O-Too,. and fhewed fome
pieces of cloth which, they intended as prefents to the captain:
but as they could not produce the iron-work which
he had bellowed on the poor fellow’s account, they were
obliged to return without him. The youth, whofe name
was Borea, fpoke to them, but would not leave us, though,
to terrify him, we underllood that they prefaged his death
amongft us. However, when they were at fome diftance,
he looked wilbfully after, them, leaned over the railing on-
the quarter-deck,, and Ihed a flood of tears in an agony of
grief. To divert him from this gloomy, mood, we took
him. into the cabin, where he complained that he mull
furely die, and. that his father would weep for his lofs.
Captain
Captain Cook and my father comforted him, faying they
would be his fathers, upon which he hugged and kilfed
them, and palled from the extreme of defpondence by a
quick tranfition to a great degree of chearfulnefs. About
fun-fet he ate his fupper, and lay down on the floor of the
cabin; but feeing that we did not. follow his example, he
got up again, and remained with us till we had fupped.
It was with great regret that we daparted from this delightful
ifland, at a time when we were juft bècome acquainted
with its happy inhabitants. We had only palled
fourteen days on its coaft, two of which had been fpent
in removing from one port to the other. During this
Ihort fpace of time, we had lived in a continual round of
tumultuous occupations,' which had left us little leifure to
ftudy the nature of the people. An immenfe variety of
objedts relative to their «economy, their cuftoms and
ceremonies, all which appeared new and interefting to us,
had engaged our attention ; but we afterwards found moll
of them had been obferved by former navigators. Thefe
therefore, for fear of prefuming too far on the indulgence
of my readers, I have omitted in this narrative, and refer
for the particular defcriptions of the dwellings, drefs, food,
domeftic amufements, boats and navigation, difeafes, religion,
and funeral rites, wars, weapons, and government,
to the hiftory of captain Cook’s voyage in thé Endeavour
A a a a bark