1 7 78 .
January.
Saturday 31
die ihips in their canoes. T h e y brought refreihmerits with
them, w h ich were purchafed, in exchange fo r nails, and
pieces o f iron hoops ; and I diftributed a good many pieces
o f ribbon, and fome buttons, as bracelets, amongft the w omen
in ah e canoes. One o f the men had the figure o f a
l iz a rd punitured upon his breaft, and upon thofe o f others
were the figures o f men badly imitated. Thefe vifiters informed
us, that there was no Chief, or Hairee, o f this iflan d ;
hu t that it was fubjedt to Teneooneoo, a C h ie f o f A to o i;
w h ich ifland, they faid, was not governed by a fingle Chief,
bu t that there were many to w h om they paid the honour o f
moe, or p roftration; and, amongft others, they named Otaeaio
•and Terarotoa. Among other things, w h ich thefe people
aiow brought off, was a fmall drum, altnoft lik e thofe o f •
•Otaheite.
About ten or eleven o’clock at night, the wind veered to
th e South, arid the ik y feemed to forebode a ftorm. With
fuch appearances, thin k in g that we were rather too near
the ihore, I ordered the anchors to be taken up, and, having
’carried the ihips into forty-two fathoms, came to again in
that fafer ftation. T he precaution, however, proved to be
unneceffary ; for the wind, foon after, veered to North North
Eaft, from w hich quarter it blew, a freili gale, with fqualls,
attended with very heavy fhowers o f rain.
This weather continued all the next day ; and the fea ran
fo high, that We had no manner o f communication with
our party on ih o r e ; and even the natives themfelves durft
not venture out to the ihips in their canoes. In the evening,
1 fent the matter in a boat up to the South Eaft head,
or point o f the ifland, to try i f he could land under it. He
I returned with a favourable repo rt; but it was too late, now, to
fend
fend for our party till the next morning j and thus they had
another n ight to improve their intercourfe with the na-
tives.
Encouraged b y the mailer’s report, I fent a boat to the February.
South Eaft point, as foon as d a y -light returned, w ith an or- Sunda7 l*
der to Mr. Gore, that, i f he could riot embark his people
from the fpot where they now were, to march them up to
the point. As the boat could not g e t to the beach, one o f
the crew fwam aihore, and carried the order. On the return
o f the boat, I went m y fe lf w ith the pinnace and launch up
to the point, to b rin g the party on board ; tak ing with me
a ram-goat and two ewes, a boar and fow p ig o f the Eng-
Jifh b re ed ; and the feeds o f melons, pumpkins, and onions; •
be in g very defirous o f benefiting thefe poor people, by fu r -
n iih in g them With fome additional articles o f food. I
landed with the greateft eafe, under the Weft fide o f the
point, and found my party already there, with fome o f the
natives in company. To one o f them, whom Mr. Gore had
obferved affuming fome command over the reft, I gave the
goats, pigs, and feeds. I fhould have le ft thefe w e ll-in tended
prefents at Atooi, had- w e not been fo unexpectedly
driven from it.
While the people were engaged in filling four water-calks,
from a fmall ftream occafioned by the late rain, I walked a
little w ay up the country, attended by the man above-mentioned,
and followed by two others carrying the two pigs. As
foon as w e got upon a riling ground, I Hopped to look round
me j and obferved a woman, on the oppofite fide o f the valley
where I landed, ca llin g to her countrymen who attended me.
Upon this, the C h ief began to m utter fomething which I fup-
pofed was a prayer; and the two men, who carried the pigs,
continued to w a lk round me all the time, making, at leaft,
V ol. IT. F f - a dozen