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P-I7I* The Chief was no fooner returned to the iiland, than they made fail for
Ulietea;, and the next morning, September the 8th, anchored there in feventeen
fathoms water. As foon as they arrived, the inhabitants flocked on board, as
ufual, bringing with them hogs and fruit: the latter they exchanged for nails
and beads ; the former were refufed, as yet, the ihips being fully ilored with
them ; feveral »they were, however, obliged to take, as many of the principal
people brought off little pigs, pepper, or Eavoa-root, and young plaintain
trees, and handed them into the ihip, or put them into the boats along fide,
whether they would or no; for i f the officers refufed to take them on board,
they would throw them into the boats. In this manner did thefe good people
welcome Captain Cook and his companions to their country.
p. 172. On the 9th Captain Cook paid a.formal’ vifit to Oreo, the Chief of that
part of the ifland, carrying with him the neceffary prefents. They went
through no fort of ceremony at landing, but were at once conduced to him
at his houfe, which flood near the water-fide, where he and his friends received
them with great cordiality. The Chief exprefled great fatisfadtion at feeing
the Captain again, and defired that they might exchange names, which he
accordingly agreed to. This appears to be the greateil mark of refpedl and
friendihip they can fhow to a flranger. He then inquired after Tupia, and all
the gentlemen, by name, who were with Captain Cook when he firit vifited
the iile. Tupia had been likewife much inquired after at Huahaine; at that
place every one afked about him, and concerning the occafion of. his death
and, like true philofophers, were perfettly fatisfied with the anfwers they
received.
P* *74- Oreo behaved in the moil friendly manner during the flay of the ihip; purchafing
hogs for them on the bell terms, and ihewing them every civility. On
the 12th he ordered an Heava to be afted for their entertainment, in which
two very pretty young women were the ailreffes: but this was fomewhat
different from that before defcribed.
P* 175* The Chief, and.fome of his friends, paying Captain Cook a pretty early vifit,
on the 14th, he acquainted the Chief that he would dine with him that day;
and
and defired he would order two pigs to be dreffed after their manner, which he
accordingly xlid. About one o'clock, thé Captains, with the officers and
gentlemen of both ihips, went to partake of them. When they came to the
Chief’s houfe, they found the cloth laid : that is, green leaves were ilrewed
thick on the floor; round thefe they feated themfelves. Prefently one of the"
pigs came over Captain-Cook’s head foufe upon the leaves, and immediately
after, the other; both fo hot as hardly to be touched; the tabic was garniihed
round with hot bread fruit and plantains, and a quantity o f cocoa nuts
brought for drink. Each man being ready, with his knife in his hand, they
fell to without ceremony ; and it muil be owned, in favour of the cookery,
that yiduals were never cleaner nor bettor dreffed : for, though the pigs were
ferved up whole, and the one weighed between fifty and fixty pounds, and
the other nearly half as much, yet all the parts were equally well done; and
eat far fweeter, than i f dreffed according to any of the Engliih methods. The
Chief and his fon, and fome other of his male friends, eat with the vifitors,
and pieces were handed to others who fat behind, for they had a vail crowd
about them; fo that it might be truly faid they dined in publick. The Chief
never failed to drink his glafs of Madeira whenever it came to his turn, not
only now, but at all the times he dined on board, without ever being once
affeiled by it. As foon as they had dined, the boat’s crew took the remainder;
and by them, and thofe about them, the whole was .confumed, When the
company, rofe up, many of the common people ruihed in, to pick up the
crumbs which had fallen, and for which they fearched the leaves very
narrowly.
The timorous difpofition of thefe people was cpnfpicuous on many occasions, p. 176.
but on none more fo than the following : .On the 15th Captain Cook and the
crew were fur-prized that none of the natives came off to the ihips as ufual.
■On going afhore, he found Oreo’s houfe quite empty.; -the King and all his
family gone, and the whole neighbourhood, in a manner, deferted. All that
he could learn from the few that -remained was, that feveral o f ,the inhabitants
had ¡been killed, and others wounded, by ¡the guns ..of the ihips. Having at
length found out the retreat of the Chief, on his landing near it, he was met
with by a venerable old lady, his wife, who threw herfelf into his arms,
N n weeping