1779. fliipman, who had been w ith Captain Cook in Ins two laft
'February^ to tlie vacant Lieutenancy. Du rin g the -wh ole
day; we met \yith no interruption from the n a tiv e s ; and, at
nigh t, the launch was again moored with a top-chain; and
guard-boats ilationed round both fhips as before.
About e igh t o’clock, it b e in g ve ry dark, a canoe was heard ■
paddling toward the fltip ; and as Toon as it was feen, both
the fentinels on deck fired into it. The re were two perfons
in the canoe, and they immediately roared out <l Eznnee,
(w h ich was the w a y in which they pronounced my name),
and faid they were friends, and had fomething fo r me belo
n g in g to Captain Cook. When they came on board, they
threw themfelves at our feet, and appeared exceedingly
frightened. L u ck ily neither o f them was hurt, notwith-
ftanding the balls o f both pieces had gone through the
canoe. One o f them was the perfon, whom I have before
mentioned under the name o f the Tabao man, w ho con-
ftantly attended Captain Cook with the circumftances o f ceremony
I have already defcribed; and who, though a man
o f rank in the ifland, could fcarcely be hindered from perfo
rm in g fo r him the loweft offices o f a menial fervant.
A fte r lamenting, with abundance o f tears, the lofs o f the
Oram, he told us, that h e had brou ght us a part o f his
body. He then prefented to us a fmaU bundle wrapped' up
in cloth, w hich he brought under his a rm ; and it is im-
poflible to defcribe the horror which feized us, on finding
in it, a piece o f human fleih, about nine or ten pounds,. (
weight. T his , he faid, was all that remained o f the body \
that the reft was cut to pieces, and b u rn t; but that the
head and all the bones, except what belonged to the trunk,
were in the poffeffion o f Terreeoboo, and the other Erees;
that what w e faw had been allotted to Kaoo, the ch ie f o f
P the
O -
the priefts, to be made u fe o f in fome religious ceremony ; ^ 9-
and that he had fent it as a p roof o f his innocence and at- >— -v—
tachment to us.
T h is afforded an opportunity o f in fo rm in g ourfelves,
whether they were cannibals ; and we did not n e g le it it.
We firft tried, b y many in d i r e i queftions, put to each o f
them apart, to learn in what manner the reft o f the bodies
had been difpofed o f ; and finding them ve ry conftant in
one ftory, that, after the fleih had been cut off, it was all
b u rn t; w e at laft put the diretft queftiòn, Whether th e y
had not eat fome o f it 1 T h e y immediately ihewed as
much horror at the idea, as any European wou ld have done;
and aiked, v e ry naturally, i f that was the cuftom amongft
us? T h e y afterward aiked us, w ith great earneftnefs and
apparent apprehenfion, “ When the Orono wou ld come
again? and w hat he would d o ro them on his return?” T h e
fame inquiry was frequently made afterward b y othprs ;
and this idea agrees with thè general tenour o f their cond
u it toward him, w h ich ihewed, that they confidered him
as a being o f a fuperior nature.
We preffed our two friendly vifiters to remain on board till
morning ; but in vain. T h e y told us, that, i f this tranfailion
ihould come to the kn owledge o f the k in g , o rC hiefs , it m igh t
be attended w ith the moft fatal confequences to their w h o le
fociety ; in order to prevent w hich, they had been obliged
to come o ff to us in the dark ; and that the fame precaution
would be neceffary in re turn in g on ihore. T h e y informed
us farther, that the Chiefs were eager to revenge the death
o f their countrymen ; and, particularly, cautioned us againft
tra ilin g Koah, who, they faid, was our mortal and implacable
enemy ; and defired noth ing more ardently, than .
an