■ 7H' flioot herons and wood-peckers; birds as facred with them as May. t x
<---- -— < robin-red-breafts, fwallows, &c. are with many old women in
Monday 30. _ . , . . England. Tupia, who was a prieft, and well acquainted
with their religion, cuftoms, traditions, &c. paid little or no
regard to thefe birds. I mention this, becaufe fome amongft
us were of opinion that thefe birds are their Eatuas, or gods.
We, indeed, fell into this opinion when I was here in 1769, and
into fome others ftill more abfurd, which we had undoubtedly
adopted if Tupia had not undeceived us. A man of his knowledge
andunderftandingwe have not fince met with, andcon-
fequently have added nothing to his account of their religion,
but fuperftitious notions.
Toefday 3'. The people knowing that we lhould fail foon, began on
the 31ft to bring on board fruit more than ufual. Amongft
thofe who came was a young man who meafured fix feet
four inches and fix-tenths; and his fitter, younger than him,
meafured five feet ten inches and an half. A brilk trade»
Wednef,*.. f° r hogs and fruit continued on the ift of June. On the ad,
Thuriday z. fn the afternoon, we got intelligence that, three days
before, two fhips had arrived at Huaheine. The fame
report faid the one was commanded by Mr. Banks, and-
the other by Captain Furnèaux. The man, who brought
the account, faid he was made drunk on board one of them,,
and defcribed the perfons of Mr. Banks and Captain. Fur-
neaux fo well, that I had not the leaft doubt of the truth,,
and began to confider about fending a boat over, that very
evening, with orders to Captain Furneaux, when a man, a
friend of Mr. Forfter, happened to come on board, and denied
the whole, faying it was ivu ivarre, a lie. The man
from whom we had thé intelligence was now gone, fo that
I could not confront them, and there were none elfe prefent
4 who
who knew any thing about it but by report; fo that I laid '774.
afide fending over a boat till I lhould be better informed. »
This evening we entertained the people with fire-works,- on Th“rfday 2‘
one of the little ifl.es near the entrance of the harbour.
I had fixed on the next day for failing, but the intelligence
from Huaheine put a flop to it. The chief had promifed to
bringthe mam on board: who firft brought the account; but
he was either not to be found, or would not appear. In the-
morning,, the people were divided1 in their opinions ; but in Friday 3,
the afternoon, all faid it was a falfe report. I had fent Mr.
Gierke,, in, the morning,, to the fartheft part of the ifland, to
make inquiries- there; he returned without learning any
thing ladsfa&ory, - In fliort, the report appeared now too ilL
founded, to authorife me to fend a boat over, or to wait any
longer here; and, therefore, early in the morning of the 4th, Saturday 4.
I got every thing in readinefs to fail. Oreo the chief, and his
whole family, came on board, to take their laft farewel,
accompanied.by Oo-oo-rou, the Earee de hi, and Boba theism?
©f Otaha, and feveral of their friends.-None of them came
empty ; but Oo-oo-rou brought a- pretty large prefent,
this being his firft and . only vifit. I diftributed amongft
them almoft every thing I had left. The very hofpitable
manner in which I had ever been received by thefe people,
had endeared them to me, and given them a juft title to
every, thing in.my power to grant. I queftioned them again*
about the Ihips at Huaheine ; and they all, to a man, denied.
that any were there. During the time thefe people remained
on board, they were continually importuning me to-
return. The chief, his wife and daughter, but efpecially the
two latter, fcarcely ever ceafed weeping. I will not pretend,
to fay whether it was real or feigned grief they fliewed on
this-,