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J769- had taken to recover his things* though they had not been
;---- ,----1 fuccefsful. As it cannot be fuppofed that in fuch a fituation
a ur Jy 27' his fleep was very found, he foon after heard mufic, and faw
lights at a little diftance on fhore: this was a concert or af-
fembly, which they call a Heiva, a common name for every
public exhibition; and as it would necelfarily bring many
people together, and there was a chance of my being among
them with his other friends, he rofe, and made the beft of
his way towards it: he was foon led by the lights and the
found to the hut where I lay, with three other Gentlemen of
our party; and eafily diftinguifhing us from the reft, he
made up to us mpre than half naked, and told us his melancholy
ftory. We gave him fuch comfort as the unfortunate
generally give to each other, by telling him that we
were fellow-fuflerers; I fhowed him that I was myfelf without
{lockings, they having been ftolen from under my head,
though I was fure I had never been afleep, and each of my
aflociates convinced him, by his appearance, that he had loft
a jacket. We determined, however, to hear out the concert,
however deficient we might appear in our drefs ; it confifted
of three drums, four flutes, and feveral voices: when this
entertainment, which lafted about an hour, was over, we
retired again to our fleeping-places; having agreed, that nothing
could be done toward the recovery of our things till
the morning.
Sunday as. We rofe at day-break, according to the cuftom of the
country; the firft man that Mr. Banks faw was Tupia, faithfully
attending with his mufquet; and foon after, Oberea
brought him fome of her country clothes, as a fuccedaneum
for his own, fo that when he came to us he made a moft
motley appearance, half Indian and half Englifh. Our party
foon got together, except Dr. Solander, whofe quarters we
did not know, and who had not aflifted at the concert: in a
fhort
fhort time Tootahah made his appearance, and we prefled 1
him to recover our clothes ; but neither he nor Oberea could
be perfuaded to take any meafure for that purpofe, fo that S”nd
we began to fufpedt that they had been parties in the theft.
About eight o’clock, we were joined by Dr. Solander, who
had fallen into honefter hands, at a houfe about a mile dif-
tant, and had loft nothing.
Having given up all hope of recovering our clothes, which
indeed were never afterwards heard of, we fpent- all the
morning in foliciting the hogs which we had been promifed;
but in this we had no better fuccefs: we therefore, in no
very good humour, fet out for the boat about twelve o’clock,
with only that which we had redeemed from the butcher
and the cook the night before.
As we were returning to the boat, however, we were entertained
with a fight that in fome meafure compenfated for our
fatigue and difappointment. In our way we came to one of
the few places where accefs to the ifland is not guarded by a
reef, and, confequently, a high furf breaks upon the fhore; a
more dreadful one indeed I had feldom feen; it was impof-
fible for any European boat to have lived in i t ; and if the
beft fwimmer in Europe had, by any accident, been expofed
to its fury, I am confident that he would not have been able
to preferve himfelf from drowning, efpecially as the fhore
was covered with pebbles and large ftones; yet, in the midft
of thefe breakers, were ten or twelve Indians fwimming for
their amufement: whenever a furf broke near them, they
dived under it, and, to all appearance with infinite facility,
rofe again on the other fide. This diverfion was greatly improved
by the ftem of an old canoe, which they happened to
find upon the fpot; they took this before them, and fwam
out with it as far as the outermoft breach,, then two or three
7 of