£ formation from our vifitcrs; yet their venturing on board'
—' feemed to imply, at leaft, that their countrymen on ihore
had not made an improper life of the confidence put in-
them. At length, a little before fun-fet, we had theSatisfaction
of feeing the boats put off. When they got on board,
I found that Mr. Gore himfelf, Omai, Mr. Anderfon, and
Mr. Burney, were the only perfons who had landed. The
tranfaftions of the day were now fully reported to me b y
Mr. Gore ; but" Mr. Anderfon’s account of them being very
particular, and including fome remarks on the iiland and:
its inhabitants, 1 ihall give it a place here; nearly in his.
own word's,
“ We rowed toward a fmall fandy beach, upon which,,
and upon the adjacent rocks, a-great number of the natives
had affembled ; and came to an anchor within a hundred
yards of the reef, which extends about as far, or a little
farther, from the ihore. Several of the natives fwam off,
bringing cocoa nuts ; and Omai, with their countrymen,
whom we had with us in the boats, made them fenfible of
our wifh to land.. But their attention was taken up, for a
little time, by the dog, which had been carried from the
ihip, and was juft brought on ihore, round whom they
flocked with great eagernefs. Soon after, two canoes came
off; and, to create a greater confidence in the iflanders, we
determined to go unarmed, and run the hazard of being
treated well or ill.
Mr. Burney, the firft Lieutenant of the Difcovery, and I,
went in one canoe, a little time before the other; and our conductors,
watching attentively the motions o f the furf, landed
us fafely upon the reef. An iilander took hold of each of
us, obvioufly with an intention to fupport us in walking,
.7 over
over the rugged rocks, to the beach, where feveral of the *777- , April,
others met us, holding the green boughs, of a fpecies of >----
Mimofa, in their hands, and faluted us by applying their
nofes to ours. r
We were conducted from the beach by our guides,
amidft a great crowd of people, who flocked with very
eager curioiity to look at us; and would have prevented out*
proceeding, had not fome men, who feemed to have authority,
dealt blows, with little diftindion, amongft them, to
keep them off. We were then led up an avenue of cocoa-
palms; and foon came to a number of men, arranged in
two rows, armed with clubs, which they held on their
Ihoulders, much in the manner we reft a mufquet. After
walking a little way amongft thefe, we found a perfon
who feemed a Chief, fitting on. the ground crofs-Iegged,
cooling himfelf with a fort o f triangular fan, made from
a leaf o f the cocoa-palm, with a poliihed handle, o f
black wood, fixed to one corner. In his ears were large
bunches of beautiful red feathers, which pointed forward.
But he had no other mark, or ornament, to diftinguifh him
from the reft of the people; though they all obeyed him
with the greateft alacrity. He either naturally.had, or at
this time put on, a ferious, but not fevere countenance ; and
we were defired to falute him as he fat, by fome people
who feemed of confequence.
We proceeded ftill amongft the men armed with clubs,
and came to a fecond Chief, who fat fanning himfelf, and
ornamented as the firft. He was remarkable for his fize,
and uncommon corpulence, though, to appearance, not-
above thirty years of age. In the fame manner, we were
conducted to a third Chief, who feemed older than the two
B b 2 former,