C H A P . XIV.
;The A rriv a l o f the Ship a t the I f and o f Huaheine-, with an-
Account o f an Expedition into the I f and, and fever at
other Incidents which happened while Jhe lay there.
»774- A T one o’clock in the afternoon on the ij-th, we an-
. M°y' . i l chored in the North entrance of O’Wharre Harbour
Sunday 15. t t e of Huaheine; hoifted out the boats, warped
into a proper birth, and moored with the’bower and kedge
anchor, not quite a cable’s length from the Ihore. While
this was doing, feveralof the natives made us a vifit, amongft
whom was old-Oree the chief, who brought a hog, and fome
other articles, which he prefented to me, with the ufual.
ceremony.
Monday 16 Next morning, the natives began to bring us fruit. I returned
Oree’s vifit, and made my prefent to him; one article
of which was red feathers. Two or three of thefe the
chief took in his right hand, holding.them up between the
finger and thumb, and faid a prayer, as I underftood, which
was little noticed by any prefent. Two hogs were, foon after,
put into my boat; and he, and feveral of his friends, came on
board and dined with us. After dinner Oree gave me to un-
derftand what articles would be moft acceptable to him and
his friends; which were chiefly axes and nails. Accordingly
I gave him what he allied, and defired he would diftribute
them to the others, which he did, feemingly to the .fatisfac-
tion of every one. A youth about ten or twelve years of
age,
age, either his fon or grandfon, feemed to be the perfon of
*7 7 4 '
May.
moft note, and had the greateft lhare.
Monday 16»
After the diftribution was over, they all returned alhore.
Mr. Forfter and his party being out in the country botanizing,
his fervant, a feeble man, was befet by five or fix fellows,
who would have ftripped him, if, that moment, one of the
party had not come to his afliftance; after which they made
off with a hatchet they had got from him.
On the 17th I went alhore to look for the chief, in order to Tuefday 17.
complain of the outrage committed as above; but he was
not in the neighbourhood. Being alhore in the afternoon, a
perfon came and told me Oree wanted to fee me. I went
with the man, and was conduced to a large houfe where
the chief, and feveral other perfons of note, were aflembled
in council, as well as I could underftand. After I was
feated, and fome converfation had palled among them, Oree
made a fpeech, and was anfwered by another. I underflood
no more of either, than juft to know it regarded the robbery
committed the day before. The chief then began to allure
me, that neither he, nor any one prefent (which were the
principal chiefs in the neighbourhood) had any hand in i t ;
and defired trie to kill, with the guns, all thofe which had.
I allured him that I was fatisfied that neither he, nor thofe
prefent, were at all concerned in the affair ; and that I fhould
do with the fellows as he defired, or any others who were
guilty of the like crimes. Having alked where the fellows
were, and defired they would bring them to me that I might
do with them as he had faid ; his anfwer was, they were gone
to the mountains, and he could not g^t them. Whether
this was the cafe or not I will not pretend to fay. I knew
fair means would never make them deliver them up; and I