1773*'
September.
hitherto remained in their hands, and rewarded the owner ^
of the hub where they had paffed the night, as well as
the old chief, for their fidelity and kindnefs. The beads
which they Jjiad recovered, enabled them to purchafe a
quantity of bananas in the diftrifl of Herurua, and afterwards
in a bay called A-Poto-Poto, or the Round Bay,
where they jaw one of the largeft houfes in all the Society
Ifles. It was full of inhabtiants, many of whom lodged
with their families in different parts of i t ; the whole appearing
to be rather a public building, erected for the cafual
ihelter of travellers, like the carvanfaras of the Eaft, than
a private dwelling-houfe. Here they dined, and after dif-
pofing of every bead and nail which they had brought with
them, fet out on their return to the {hips, where they arrived
about four o’clock in the afternoon, thoroughly wet
by the'waves which beat into their boats.
The next morning, the chief Orea with his family came
to take leave of us, and the {hip was filled with the friends of
O-Hedeedee, who embarked with us, bringing him cloth of
the country fabric, and a fea-provifion of their balls of fermented.
bread-fruit (mahei) which they are very fond of,
and which is one of the mol nutritive fubftances in the
world. The daughter of Orea, who had never ventured
to vifit us before, came on board on this occafion, to beg for
the green awning of the captain s boat, which had mightily
ftruck her fancy. She received abundance of prefents, but
the
4 1 7
the captain could not poflibly grant her requeft. The trade gi* 2 2 »mf,
for their tools, cloth, &c. was very brilk all round the {hip
about this time, till the anchor was weighed. Our friends
parted from us, with the fincereft expreffions of grief, and
fhedding floods of tears, reproached fome of us with a
want of fenfibility. Our civilized education in general
tends to Rifle the emotions of our heart; for as we are ,
too often taught to be afliamed of them, we unhappily
conquer them by cuftom. On the contrary, the Ample
child of nature, who inhabits thefe iflands, gives free courfe
to all his feelings, and glories in his affeftion towards the
fellow-creature.
Molliffima corda
Humano generi dare fe natura fatetur,
Quae lacrymas dedit; haec noftri pars optima (enfus. J u venal.
VoL. i H h h CHAP