p . 19 8 .
p . 19 9 .
p . 1 9 9 .
p. 200.
who, at the firft interview, had attached himfelf to Captain Cook, and, as a
teftimony of his friendship, exchanged names with him. In this progrefs,
they firft pafled through a lane which led to an open, green, where ftood one
o f their houfes of worihip : it was built on a mount that had been railed by
the hand of man, about eighteen feet above the common level, of an oblong
form, and inclofed by a wall, or parapet of ftone, about three feet in height:
from this wall the mount rofe with a gentle flope, and. was covered with a
green turf; on the top of it ftood a houfe of the fame ihape as; the mount,
about twenty feet in length, and fixteen broad.' As foon as they came before
the place, every one feated himfelf on the green; about fifty or fixty yards from
the front, of the houfe. Prefently came lthree~elderly men, who feated them-
felves between the company and the houfe, and began a fpeech, or rather a
prayer, as it feemed to be from its being wholly directed to the houfe : this
lafted about ten minutes, and then the priefts, for fuch they appeared to be,
came and fat down with the reft; when Captain Cook made them prefents of
fudh things as he had with him.
Having then made figns-that they wiihed to fee the pfemifes, Attago went
with them, without fhewing the leaft reludtanee, and gave them full liberty
to examine every part of it. In the front were two ftone fteps leading to the
top of the wall, from“ this the afcent to the houfe was eafy, round which was
a fine gravel walk. The houfe was built in all refpeCU like to their common
dwelling houfes; that is, with pofts and rafters, and covered with palm thatch;
the eaves came down within three feet of the ground, which fpace was.filled
up with ftrong matting, made of palm leaves, as a wall: the floor of the
houfe was laid with fine gravel, except in the middle, where there was an oblong
fquare of blue pebbles, raifed about fix inches higher than the floor: at
one corner of the houfe ftood an image, rudely carved in Wood, and on one
fide lay another, each about two feet in length. Captain Cook; as he wiihed
to avoid offending either the natives, or their God, did not fo much as touch
the images, but aiked Attago, as well as he was able, i f they were Eatuas, or
Gods." Whether the Chief underftood him or no, he could not fay, but as
he turned ’ them over and over in as rough a manner as he would have done any
other log' of wood, the Captain was convinced from it, that they were not
pliced
placed there as rep refen tati ves of the Divinity. Before they quitted the houfe,
they thought it neceflary to make an offering at the altar: accordingly, they
laid down upon the blue pebbles; fome medals, nails, and leverai other things;
but this was no fooner done, than Attago took them up, and put them in
his pocket. Behind the. mount ftood a grove, cómpofed" of feveral forts of
trees; among others of the etoa tree, as it is called at Otaheite, of which are
made clubs, &c. and likewife a kind of low palm, which is very common
in the northern parts of New Holland.
After they had done examining this place of worfhip, which, in the language p- 201.
o f the natives, Is called A-fia-tou-ca, they ftruck into a road leading into the
country: this road, which was about fixteen feet broad, a/id as level as a’
bowling-green, feemed to be a very publick one ; there being many other
roads, from different parts, leading into it, all inclofed, on each fide, with neat
fences made ofxreeds, and fhaded from the fcorching fun by fruit trees. The
Europeans thought themfelves tranfported into the moft fertile ; plains in
Europe. There was not an inch of wafte ground; the roads occupied no more •
lpace than was abfolutely nece'flary; the fences did not take up above four inches
each; and even this was not wholly loft, for in many were planted fome ufeful
trees or plants : it was every where the fame; change of place altered not the
fcene. Nature, afiifted by a little art, no where appears in more fplendour
than at this ifle. In thefe delightful walks they met à number of people, fome
travelling down to the fhips with their burdens of fruit, and others returning
back empty: thefe all gave the ftrangers thè road, by turning either to the
right or left, and fitting down or ftanding with their backs to the fences, till
they had paffed ; at feveral of the crofs roads, or at the meeting of two or
more roads, were generally Afiatoucas. In a boat-houfe, nèar the fhore, was p. 203.
fhewn them a fine large double canoe, not yet launched, belonging to an old
Chief.
Thefe people gave many proofs of their being no lefs inclined to thieving, p. 205*
nor lefs dexterous at it,r than thofe iflanders the Englifh had lately left. On
the 5th of October a man got into the Mafter’s cabin, through the outfide
fcuttle, and took away fome books and other things : and, being purfued by
a boat> •