June.* effe<aed by means of the lharp coral fand, which is found
every where uPon the fea-lhore in great abundance. In the
middle of the top flood the image of a bird, carved in wood;
and near it lay the broken one of a filh, carved in ftone.
The whole of this pyramid made part of one fide of a fpa-
cious area or fquare, nearly of equal fides, being three hundred
and fixty feet by three hundred and fifty-four, which
was walled in with flone, and paved with flat ftones in its
whole extent; though there were growing in it, notwith-
itanding the pavement, feveral of the trees which they call
Eton, and plantains. About an hundred yards to the weft o f
this building, was another paved area or court, in which were
feveral fmall ftages raifed on wooden pillars, about feven feet
high, which are called by the Indians E-wattas, and feem to
be a kind of altars, as upon thefe are placed provifions o f all
kinds as offerings to their gods; we have fince feen whole
hogs placed upon them, and we found here the fculls of
above fifty, befides the fculls of a great number of dogs.
The principal objedl of ambition among thefe people is to
have a magnificent Morai, and this was a ftriking memorial
o f the rank and power of Oberea. It has been remarked
that we did not find her inverted with the fame authority
that fhe exercifed when the Dolphin was at this place, and
we now learnt the reafon of it. Our way from her houfe to
the Morai lay along the fea fide, and we obferved every
where under our feet a great number of human bones,
chiefly ribs and vertebra. Upon enquiring into the caufe of
fi> Angular an appearance, we were told, that in the then laft
month of Oivarahew, which anfwered to our December, 1768,
about four or five months before our arrival, the people of
Tiarrabou, the S. E. peninfula which we had juft vifited
made a dercent at this place, and killed a great, number of
people, whofe bones were thofe that we faw upon the fhore:
that,
that, upon this occafion, Oberea, and Oamo, who then admi-
niftered the government for his fon, had fled to the mountains
; and that the conquerors burnt all the houfes, which
were very large, and carried away the hogs and what other
animals they found. We learnt alfo, that the turkey and
goofe, which we had feen when we were with Mathiabo, the
ftealer of cloaks, were among the fpoils; this accounted for
their being found among people with whom the Dolphin
had little or no communication; and upon mentioning the
jaw-bones, which we had feen hanging from a board in a
long houfe, we were told, that they alfo had been carried
away as trophies, the people here carrying away the jawbones
of their enemies, as the Indians of North America do
the fcalps.
After having thus gratified our curiofity, we returned to
our quarters, where we palled the night in perfect fecurity
and quiet. By the next evening we arrived at Atahourou,
the refidence of our friend Tootahah, where, the laft time
we pafled the night under his protection, we had been obliged
to leave the bell part of our clothes behind us. This
adventure, however, feemed now to be forgotten on both
fides. Our friends received us with great pleafure, and gave
us a good fupper and a good lodging, where we fuffered
neither lofs nor difturbance.
Thurfday 29.
Friday 30»-
The next day, Saturday, July the ill, we got back to our July,
fort at Matavai, having found the circuit of the illand, in- aturda)' !°
eluding both peninfulas, to be about thirty leagues. Ujson
our complaining of the want of bread-fruit, we were told,
that the produce of the laft feafon was nearly exhaufted; and
that what was feen fprouting upon the trees, would not be fit
to ufe in lefs than three months; this accounted for our having
been able to procure fo little of it in our route.
While