8 A V O Y A G E T O
■779- covered w ith red cloth, appeared to be in greater eftimation
January. y 4
— -v——i than the reft. Before this figure he proftrated h im fe lf, and
killed it, defiring Captain Cook to do the fam e ; w h o fufFered
h im fe lf to be directed by Koah throu ghou t the w ho le o f
this ceremony.
We were now led b a ck into the other divifion o f the Morai,
w here there was a fpace, ten or twelve fee t fquare, fu n k
about three feet be low the level o f the area. Into this w e
defcended, and Captain Cook was feated between two
wooden idols, Koah fupporting one o f his arms, whilft I
was defired to fupport the other. At this time, arrived a
fecond proceflion o f natives, ca rryin g a baked ho g , and a
pudding, fome bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, and other v e g e tables.
Wh en the y approached u s , Kaireekeea put h im fe lf
at their head, and prefenting the p ig to Captain Cook in
the u fu a l manner, began the fame k in d o f chant as be.
fore, his companions m a k in g regu lar refponfes. W e ob-
ferved, that a fter every refponfe, their parts became g r a d
u a lly ihorter, till, toward the clofe, Kaireekeea’s confided
o f only two or three words, w h ich the reft anfwered by the
word Orono.
When this offering was concluded, w h ich lafted a quarter
o f an hour, the natives fat down, fron tin g us, and began
to cut u p the baked ho g , to peel the vegetables, and break
the Cocoa-nuts; whilft others employed themfelves in b rew in
g the ava; w h ich is done, by ch ew in g it in the fame
manner as at the Friendly Iflands. Kaireekeea then took
part o f the kernel o f a cocoa-nut, w hich he chewed, and
wrapping it in a piece o f cloth, rubbed with' it the Captain’s
face, head, hands, arms, and Ihoulders. T h c a v a was
3 ‘ then
then handed round, and a fter w e had tailed it, Koah and W9-
Pareea began to pull the fleili o f the h o g in pieces, and to , 1
put it into our mouths. I had no great objection to b e in g
fed by Pareea, w h o was ve ry cleanly in his p e r fon 5 but
Captain Cook, w ho was ferved b y Koah, re collecting the
putrid hog, could not fw a llow a m o r fe l; and his reluCtance,
as may b e fu pp o fed , was not diminiihed, when the old man,
according to his own mode o f c iv ility , had chewed it for
him.
When this laft ceremony was finiihed, w h ich Captain
Cook put an end to as foon as he decently could, w e quitted
the Morai, a fte r diftributing amongft the people fome pieces
o f iron and other trifles, with w h ich they feemed h ig h ly
gratified. T h e men w ith wands conducted us to the boats,
repeating the fame words as before. T h e people a gain retired,
and the few that remained; proftrated themfelves as
w e palTed a lon g the fhore. We immediately wen t on board,
our minds fu ll o f what w e had feen, and extremely w e ll
fatisfied with the good difpofitions o f our n ew friends. T h e
me an in g o f the various ceremonies, with w h ich we had
been received, and w hich, on account o f their novelty and
Angularity, have been related at length, can o n ly be the
fubjeCt o f conjectures, and thofe uncertain and p artial:
they were, however, with ou t doubt, expreflive o f h igh re-
fpeCt .on the part o f the n a tiv e s ; and, as fa r as related to
the perfon o f Captain Cook, they feemed approaching to
adoration.
The next morning, I went on ¿tore with a guard o f e igh t Monday I I
maiines, in clu d in g the corporal and lieutenant, ha vin g orders
to ereCt the obfervatory in fu ch a fituation as might
beft enable me to fuperintend and proteCt the waterfcrs, and
Vo i.. III. C - the