130 A V O Y A G E O F D I S C O V E R Y
January. tent’ wuh vanous articles were fent off; leaving the marquee, the guard’s.
— ----- ' tent> and cannon, only to be embarked. Whilft. thus employed, the
chiefs had all, imperceptibly, withdrawn themfelves ; towards fun-fet,
moft of the canoes that had been on the banks o f the river were ob-
ferved to be moving off, and the houfes on the oppofite fide, which had
been fully inhabited, were intirely ftripped and deferred. We were foon
given to underftand that the Erees arid people were “ mattowed,” that
is, alarmed, becaufe I was angry ; which intelligence a man named Boba
was extremely urgent to communicate. He had, on the evening the
linen was ftolen, come over the river udder a flimfy pretence,, with
which at the time I was by no means fatisfied; and fince then he had
not been feen. Sufpefting him to be an acceffary, I gave .directions:
that he Ihould be fecured; and that the remaining canoe, which chanced
to contain many of their moft valuable articles, Ihould be detained;:
(hat-we might have fomething in our power in cafe the . chiefs Ihould
have deferred us, which I began to apprehend, as -a general- mattow-
feemed to have taken place. Mr. Broughton, who had been .with the
natives on the other fide of the river, informed me that the principal-
caufe o f the mattow, was the confinement o f Boba; and that they.,conceived,
I had alfo confined the queen-mother. This good lady had
been our conftant companion, even in the abfence of her hulband; and
was, on all occafions, very folicltous to imitate, our manners. Having
carried her politenefs rather too far, in taking a few glaffes more a t
dinner than was quite agreeable, lhe had been fleeping in the marquee
moft of the afternoon. On this information, I requefted' lhe would
mllantly repair to Pomurrey, who, with feveral chiefs, and a large con-
courfe of the inhabitants, were affembled on the oppofite Ihore of the
river. She complied, though greatly againft her inclination, faying lhe
well knew that I was the friend of her Pomurrey, and all the chiels
and it was his and their bufinefs to come to me. This convention took
place at the river fide, whilft Pomurrey and the natives were accufing
me of detaining his wife, who, with all imaginable fpirit contradicted
the affertion. The crowd replied, lhe was inftructed by me to fay fo -
afferting that I well underftood their language. Matters thus fituated I
- infilled
infilled (he Ihould crofs the river, with which at length lhe complied, 792*
and was received on the oppofite fide with great deriionftrations of joy. ■ ■
On her alluring Pomurrey that I was ftill his friend, and that I earneftly
wilhed to confer with him on the unpleafant circumftances that had
occurred, he attempted to come over the river, but was prevented by
the crowd. On his affuring them his intentions were not to crofs, but
to be fufficiently near to underftand me perfectly, he was allowed to
advance a few paces, when he again queftioned my pacific intentions,
and whether I would confine him if he crofted the river. After receiving
the moft unequivocal affurances of a continuance of my friend-
Ihip, and his own perfonal liberty, he difengaged himfelf from thofe
who forcibly attempted to flop hirii, and came over to us much againft
the general voice and opinion of the multitude, who murmured excef-
fively on the occafion ; but this Ihortly fubfiding, his wives foon followed
his example. I acquainted Pomurrey with the detention o f the
canoe, and the man I had confined. The inftant he faw it was Boba,
he aflured me he was innocent, and requefted he might be releafed;
and, as he had been arrefted on fufpicion only, I did not hefitate to
comply with the requeft of Pomurrey, who had gratified me exceedingly
by the confidence he had fo recently repofed in my integrity.
Our royal guefts became perfeftly reconciled, fpent the evening with
us,-and flept in the marquee. Early on funday morning they departed. Sunday 22.
Pomurrey informed me, he was then going to Oparre in quell of Towe-
reroo, who, it was reported, had fecreted himfelf in the mountains of
that diftrifl; that in the courfe of the day he would be taken, and that,
with him, he would return to Matavai; he further added, that Whytooa
was going in fearch of the linen, which would likewife Be reftored.
It was an exceflively mortifying; refleflion, now that we were in every
refpefl ready Tor fea, after having lived three weeks on terms of the
(trifled amity with thefe good people, that juft on the eve. of our departure,
they Ihould fo conduft themfelves, as materially to incur our
difapprobation and cenfure, and prevent our bidding them farewell with
that cordiality and good-will, to which they were fo highly »titled by
their former good behaviour.
S 2 Having