T h e fame good humour was preferved throu ghou t, w h ich w e
before fo m u ch admired in the Friendly Hlanders. As thefe
games were given at our defire, w e found it was univerfa-lly
e xp e ited , that w e ihould have borne our part in them >
but our people, th o u gh m u ch preffed by the natives, turned
a deaf ear to their cha llen ge , remembering fu ll w e ll the
blows they got at the Friendly Iilands.
T h is day died W illiam Watman, a feaman o f the g u n n
e r ’s c r e w / a n event w hich I mention the more particula
r ly , as death had hitherto been ve ry rare amongft us.
He was an old man, and m u ch refpe&ed on account o f his
attachment to Captain Cook. He had fo rm e rly ferved as a
marine twenty-one y e a r s ; after w h ich he entered as a feaman
on board the Refolution in 1772, and ferved w ith Captain
Cook in his voya ge toward the South Pole. A t their
re turn , h e was admitted into G reenwich hofpital, th rou gh
th e Captain’s intereft, at the fame time w ith h im fe lf ; and
b e in g refolved to fo llow throu ghou t the fortunes o f his
b ene fa&or, he alfo quitted it a long with him, on his b e in g
appointed to the command o f the prefent expedition.
D u r in g the voyage, he had frequen tly been fubjedt to fligh t
fevers, and was a convalefcent w hen we came into the bay,
where b e in g fent on fhore fo r a few days, he conceived h im f
e l f perfe ctly recovered, and, at his own defire, returned on
b o a rd ; but the day following, he had a paralytic ftroke,
w h ich in two days more carried h im off.
A t the requeft o f the k in g o f the ifland, he was buried
o n the Morai, and the ce remony was performed w ith as
mu ch folemnity as our fkuation permitted. Old Kaoo and
his brethren were fpeilators, and preferved the moil profo
u n d filence and attention, whilft the fervice was reading.
When
When w e began to fill up the grave, they approached it with
great reverence, threw in a dead pig, fome cocoa-nuts, and e— .—
plantains ; and, fo r three nights afterward, the y furrounded
it, facrificing hogs, and p e r fo rm in g their u fu a l ceremonies
o f hym n s and prayers, w h jch continued till day-break.
At the head o f the grave, w e e te iled a poll, and nailed
upon it a.fquare piece o f board, on w h ich was ihfcribed the
name o f the deceafed, his age, and the day o f his death.
T h is they promifed not to rem o v e ; and we have no doubt,
but that it will be fuffered to remain, as lon g as the fra il
materials, o f w hich it is made, w ill permit.
T h e ihips b e in g in great wan t o f fu e l, the Captain defired
me, on the sd o f February, to treat w ith the priefts, fo r Taefdayj-.
the purchafe o f the fa il, that furrounded the top o f the
Morai, I mull confefs, I had, at firft, fome doubt about the
decency o f this propofal, and was apprehenfive, that even
the bare mention o f it m igh t be confidered, by them, as a
piece o f iho ck in g impiety. In this, however, 1 found m y -
f e l f miftaken. Not the fmalleft furprize' was exprefled at
the application, and the wood was readily given, even w ith out
ftipulating for any th in g in return. Whilft the failors
were tak in g it away, I obferved one o f them ca rryin g o f f a
carved im a g e ; and, on fu r th e r inquiry, I found, that they
had conveyed to the boats the w h o le * femicircle, T h o u gh
this was done in the prefence o f the natives, w ho had not
Ihewn any ma rk o f refentment at it, but had even affifted
them in the removal, I thought it proper to fpeak to Kaoo,
on the fu b je f t ; w ho appeared ve ry indifferent about the
matter, and only defired, that we wou ld reftore the centre
* See defcription .of the Morai, in the preceding Chapter.
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