•773- feet in length. I, who had no intention to offend either October. . .
>-—»— -> them or their gods, did not fo much as touch them, but
Monday .4, _ .
afked Attago, as well as I could, if they were Eatuas or gods.
Whether he underflood me or no 1 cannot lay; but he immediately
turned them over and over, in as rough a manner
as he would have done any other log of wood, which convinced
me that they were not there as reprefentatives of the
Divinity. I was curious to' knpw if the dead were interred
there, and afked Attago feveral queftions relative thereto;
but I was not fure that he underftood me; at leaft I did not
underftand the anfwers he made, well enough to fatisfy my
inquiries. For the reader muft know that, at our firft coming
among thefe people, we hardly could underftand a
word they faid. Even my Otaheitean youth, and the man
on board the Adventure, were equally at a lofs: but more
of this by and bye. Before we quitted the houfe we thought
it neceflary to make an offering at the altar. Accordingly
we laid down upon the blue pebbles, fome medals, nails, and
feveral other things; which we had no fooner done than
my friend Attago took them up, and put them in his pocket.
The ftones with which the walls were made that inclofed
this mount, were fome of them nine or ten feet by four,
and about fix inches thick. It is difficult to conceive how
they can cut fuch ftones out of the coral rocks.
This mount flood in a kind of grove open only on the fide
which fronted the high road, and the green on which the
people were feated. At this green or open place, was a:
jundtion of five roads, two or three of which appeared to
be very public ones. The groves were compofed of feveral
forts of trees. Among others was the jQtofi tree, as it is called
at Otaheite, of which are made clubs, &c. and,a kind of low
3 palm,
palm, which is very common in the northern parts of New JgSj
Holland. . ' ■ S
After we had done examining this place of worfhip, which
in their language is called A-fia-tou-ca, we defired to return;
but, inflead of conducting us to the water-fide, as we expected,
they ftruck into a road leading into the country.
This road, which was about fixteen feet broad, and as level
as a bowling-green, feemed to be a very public one; there
being many other roads from different parts, leading into
it, all inclofed on each fide, with neat fences made of reeds,
and fhaded from the fcorching fun by fruit-trees. I thought
I was tranfported into the moft fertile plains in Europe.
There was not an inch of wafte ground; the roads occupied
no more fpace than was abfolutely neceflary; the
fences did not take up above four inches each; and even
this was not wholly loft, for in many Were planted fome
ufeful trees or plants. It was every where the fame; change
of place altered not the fcene. Nature, affifted by a little
art, no where appears in more fplendor than at this ifle.
In thefe delightful walks we met numbers o f people;
fome travelling down to the fhips with their burdens of
fruit; others returning back empty. They all gave us the
road by turning either to the right or left, and fitting down,
or Handing, with their backs to the fences, till we had
paffed.
At feveral of the crofs roads, or at the meeting of two or
more roads, were generally AJiatoucas, fuch as already de-
fcribed; with this difference, the mounts were pallifadoed
round, inftead of a ftone wall. At length, after walking
feveral miles, we came to one larger than common ; near1
to which was a large houfe belonging to an old chief in our
Vox,’. I. D d company.