It appeared to us very Angular that thefe two young men, who were
nearly allied to the moll; inveterate enemies of Tamaahmaah, Ihould have
been feleCted by him from the numerous train of favorites attending on
his perfon, to be his moll intimate and confidential friends. Crymakoo,
who was about twenty-four years of age, was fon to a chief o f the firft
confequence in Mowee, and one of Titeeree’s principal warriors. In
his early infancy he was taken under the care o f Tamaahmaah, brought
up by him, and had for fome years pad poffeffed the confidence, and
been the conftant companion, of the king, for whofe intereft and profpe-
rity he entertained the greateft regard; and in return, he was invefted
by his prince with an authority almoft equal to his own. Ouoti,
though not poffeffing at this time power and authority equal to that
o f Crymakoo, yet feemed to divide with him the affeCtion and elleem of
the king. He was about the age of eighteen ; and notwithftanding that
he was inferior in point of figure and addrefs to Crymakoo, whole-perfon
and deportment .excelled in a great degree any of the illanders we
had feen, yet he had a very engaging manner, and a pleating mode of
conducting .himfelf. In his intellectual endowments he feemed to poffefs
a great-fiiperiority over Crymakoo. This youth was the-reputed fon of
Terreeoboo, by Namahanna, the favorite wife o f Kahowmotoo, but report
whifpered that he was a much nearer relation than that o f coufin to
Tamaahmaah.
All our external bufinefs being completely finifhed, little elfe remained
to be done but to bend the fails, and get the veffels ready for fea; this
fervice was performed the next day, when all our friends who continued
or refided in the neighbourhood were in facred retirement. This taboo
was not obferved by the lower orders of the people with the fame degree
o f ftriCtnefs as that mentioned in the preceding chapter- Many of the
men were bufily employed in their traffic alongfide, but no woman was
permitted to be afloat.
On this occafion I think it important to Hate, that ever fince permif-
fion had been granted for a general traffic with the illanders, I had attentively
watched its effeCl, and coujd not have had a better opportunity
to be convinced, how abfolutely requifite it is that a prohibition
on
on a general trade, between the crews and the natives, Ihould take place ^J793-
on board all European or American veffels, until the more important * — — 1
bufinefs, of procuring the neceffary fupplies of refrelhments, wood and
water, be accomplilhed. Whilft the prohibition was in force on board
the Difcovery, all the effential articles were brought to market, and
purehafed by us as fall as they could conveniently be received; and any
number o f hogs, or quantity of.vegetables, might have been procured
during that period. But no fooner were thefe reftriCtions difcontinued,
and our people at liberty to indulge themfelves in the purchafe of what at
the moment they efteemed to be curiofities, than almoft all our effential
fupplies ceafed to be brought from thelhore, and the few articles of that
defcription which did appear alongfide, were increafed in price four or
five hundred per c e n t .e v e n at that rate I endeavoured to purchafe our
daily confumption o f water, but could not fucceed. The depreciation
in the value of our own commodities was alfo the confequence of the per-
miffion for a general trade, from the extravagant prices given by the crew
in outbidding each other, for infignificant articles,, which were no fooner
poffeffed than they were neglefited, and often in a few days were thrown
overboard.
The weather became cloudy with fome rain in the afternoon, and the
wind was unfteady, blowing in fqualls very hard from the northern
quarter. This continued all night, and in the morning of thurfday Tlmrflay 7.
brought a very heavy fwell into the bay, that obliged us, much to the
fatisfaCtion of Tamaahmaah and our friends on Ihore, to remain ftation-
ary. Soon after fun rife they all flocked round us with their ufual affability
and friendlhip ; the king however was not, according to his general
pra&ice, amongft the earlieft. A delay had been occafioned by his
waiting to come off in great Hate in one of his largeft canoes, that we
had rigged for him with a full fuit of canvas fails, Hoop fafhion, to which
I had added a union jack and'a pendant; but thefe, not having been
placed according to his directions, required alteration; and, that they
might be quite in proper order, he cruized for fome time about the bay,
before he came alongfide. On his arrival we found him highly delighted
with his man o f war, but he obferved, that {he would make a much better
appearance with a few fwivels properly mounted ; I agreed with him
Y 2 in