179=. fupplies of food and refrefhments being lefs plentiful in return, we were
'I f ferved with every article in the greateft profulion. Six hoglheads o f very
fine pork were cured; and had we been better provided with fait, we
might have fecured ten times that quantity ; and failed with a large* fup-
ply for prefent ufe, which comprehended as many live hogs and vegetables,
as we could find room to difpofe o f ; the whole procured at leaft
200 per cent, cheaper than on any of Captain Cook’s vifits, notwith-
ftanding the recent departure o f the Pandora.
Great alteration has taken place in the military operations of thefe
people. On our firft difcovery of thefe iflands their wars were principally
of a maritime nature; but at prefent it Ihould feem they were
conduced in a very different manner. For although fome of our gentlemen
extended their excurfions to a confiderable diflance, not a fingle
war canoe was feen belonging to Otaheite. I had much converfation
with XJrripiah on this fubjeft; from whom I learned, that in their late
Cornells they had found them fo unmanageable, particularly when the
wind blew at all ftrong, that they had intirely given them up, and now
carried on their enterprizes by land, ufing the larger fort o f their common
canoes, when their wars were offenfive, to convey them to the
place of their deftination, which was generally effefted under cover óf
the night, or in dark rainy weathér.
The youth of Otoo authorifes us to fay little more, than he bore every
appearance of becoming a very promifing man. Some circumflances attendant
on this young monarch were fo very peculiar and extraordinary,
as to make a few obfervations indifpenfablé. .Amongft the firft was the
curious reftriftion which prohibited his entering any o f our habitations.
His father, when Otoo, and king of the ifland, was under no fuch inter-
diftion; but, as frequently as his inclination prompted, vifited our {hips
and tents without attaching the inconvenience which would now have
fallen upon the people had the young king done the fame. Nor was the
grandfather Taow then treated with that degree of obedience and refpefl,
which is at prefent paid to him on all oecafions. The origin of the above
myfterious reftraint, or the reafoning on which it has been founded, I
could not fatisfaflorily learn. The refiilt, however, o f my inquiries on
this
R O U N D t h e w o r l d . 147
this head induces me to believe, that a ceremony very fimilar to the Natche
of the Friendly iflands defcribed by Captain Cook, on Poulahou s fon be- 1— *— ’
;ng permitted to eat in company with his father, will be performed.here.
This ceremony will occupy a confiderable fpace of time, after which he
will no longer be carried on men’s fhoulders, but be at liberty like others
to walk about; but when this was to take place in refpe® of Otoo, I could
not difcover; for as often as the queftion was put, fb often the period
when the event was to take place varied. It was likewife very remarkable,
that we never faw any perfon of confequence or refpeftability about
the young monarch. His neareft relations, though, they paid all pof-
fible refpefl to his high office, did not appear to regard or converfe
with him; and thofe whofe duty it was to attend him on his joumies
between Oparre and our encampment, were fervants from the loweft
order of the people. Amongft thefe was a man named PctcTY&h, who
apparently was a very fhrewd, fenfible fellow, on whofe fhoulders the
young king never rode, but who, on all oecafions, afled as meflenger,
and bore no higher office than that of a butler, or upper fervant. I
had originally taken this man for a prieft and fort of preceptor; but, on
repeated inquiries, they always pointed to my fteward, as bearing the
fame office with that of Peterrah.
Much encomium, and with great juftice, has been bellowed on the
beauty of the female inhabitants of this country. I cannot avoid acknowledging
how great was the difappointment I experienced, in confequence
of the early impreffion I had received of their fuperior per-
fonal endowments. The natives themfelves freely admit the alteration,
which in a few years has taken place, and feem to attribute much of the
caufe to the lamentable difeafes introduced by European vifitors, to
which many of their fineft women, at an early period of life, have
fallen facrifices. Beauty in this country, efpecially amongft the women,
is a flower that quickly bloffoms, and as quickly fades: like the peifonal
accomplifhments of the Creoles of America, theirs foon arrive at maturity,
remain but a fliort time ftationary, and as rapidly decay. The
extreme deficiency of female beauty on thefe iflands makes it fingularly
remarkable, that fo large a proportion of the crew belonging to the
1" u 2 Bounty,