176
>773- a vaft crowd about us ; fo that it might be truly Paid we
«— ^— / dined in public. The chief never failed to drink his glafs
Tuefday 14. Madeira whenever it came to his turn, not only now, but
at all other times when he dined with us, without ever being
once affedted by it. As foon as we had dined, the boat’s crew
took the remainder; and by them, and thofe about them,
the whole was confumed. When we rofe up, many of the
common people rufhed in, to pick up the crumbs which had
fallen, and for which they fearched the leaves very narrowly.
This leads me to believe that, though there is plenty of
pork at thefe ifles, but little falls to their fhare. Some of our
gentlemen being prefent when thefe pigs were killed and
dreffed, obferved the chief to divide the entrails, lard, &c.
into ten or twelve equal parts, and ferve it out to certain
people. Several daily attended the fhips, and ailifted the
butchers, for the fake of the entrails of the hogs we killed.
Probably little elfe falls to the fhare of the common people.
It, however, muft be owned, that they are exceedingly careful
of every kind of provifion, and wafle nothing that can be
eaten by man; flefh and fifh efpecially.
In the afternoon we were entertained with a play. Plays,
indeed, had been acted almoft every day fince we had been
here, either to entertain us, or for their own amufement, or
perhaps both.
Wednef. 1 Next morning produced fome circumftances which fully
prove the timorous difpofition of thefe people. We were
furprifed to find that none of them came off to the fhips as
ufual. Two men belonging to the Adventure having flayed
on fhore all night, contrary to orders, my firll conjectures
were, that the natives hadflripped them, and were now afraid
to come near us, left we fhould take fome ftep to revenge the
infult:
infult: but, in order to be better fatisfied, Captain Furneaux 1773.
and I went afhore to Oreo’s houfe, which we found quite
empty; he and all his family gone, and the whole neigh- " e<Jn<— '5-
bourhood, in a manner, quite deferted. The two men be-
longing to the Adventure made their appearance, and informed
us that they had been very civilly treated by the natives ;
but could give no.account of the caufe of their precipitate'
flight. - All that we could learn, from the very few who durft
come neat us, was, that feveral were killed, others wounded,
by our guns, pointing out to us where the balls went in and
out of the body, &c. This relation gave me a good deal of
uneafinefs for the fafety of our people gone to Otaha, fearing
that fome difturbance had happened at that ifland. However,
in order to be better informed, I determined, if pofli-
ble, to fee the chief himfelf. Accordingly we embarked in
our boat, having one of the natives with us, and rowed aiong-
fhore to the northward, the way we were told he was gone.
We foon came in fight of the canoe in which he was; but
before we could come up with her he had got on fhore. We
landed prefently after, and found he was gone flill farther.'
An immenfe crowd, however, waited our landing, who entreated
me to follow him. One man offered to carry me on
his back; but the whole ftory appearing rather more myfte-
rious than ever, and being all unarmed, I did not chufe to
feparate myfelf from the boat, but embarked again, and
rowed after-him. We foon came before the place where our
guide told us he was, and put in the boat accordingly. It
grounded at fome diftance from the fhore, where we were
met by a venerable old lady, wife to the chief. • She threw
herfelf into my arms, and wept bitterly, infomuch that it
was not poflible to get one plain word from her. With this
old lady in my hand I went afhore, contrary to the advice of
VOL. I. AA aa jpy