290
p- 356.
P- 35-®-
p. 364.
P- 365-
fruit, cocoa nuts, &c. they, however, were plentifully fupplied with. Robberies
were not lefs frequent.
May the 17th, in the evening, fome of -the officers and gentlemen went to a
dramatic entertainment, which feemed to prove that thefe exhibitions ufually
contain fome moral, and were intended for inftru&ion, as well as amufement.
The piece reprefented a girl as running away with fome of the Refolution’s
.people from Otaheite. This,, in fome degree, was true: as. a young woman
had taken her pafiage with them to go to Ulietea, and happened now to be
prefent at the reprefentation of her own adventure; which had fuch an effedt
upon her, (a proof that the adtors polfeiTed fome dramatic powers) that it was
with difficulty the gentlemen-could prevail upon her to fee the play out, or to
refrain from tears whilft it was adting. The piece concluded with the reception
ihe was fuppofed to meet with from her friends at her return, which was
not a very favourable one,; and was, without doubt, intended at once as a fatire
on the girl, and to difcourage others from following her fteps. The getting up
an extempore entertainment of this nature in fo ihort a time, ihows that the
natives are not wanting in fertility of genius.
Day light no fooner broke upon them, on the 21ft, than they faw upwards of
iixty canoes under fail, and fleering over for Ulietea. On enquiring the reafon,
they were told that the people in. them were Eareeoies, and were going to viiit
their brethren in the neighbouring iflands. Thefe men may be almoft compared
to Free-Mafons, as they affifl each other when need requires, and feem to have
fome cuftoms among them, which they either will not, or cannot explain.
Oedidee informed Captain Cook that he was one of the fraternity, and Tupia
had done the fame: he was not, however, able to get any tolerable idea of this
fet of men from either of them.
On the 23d of May they left the Ifland of Huaheine, and the next day arrived
at Ulietea. Going afhore to pay the Chief a viiit, and make the cuflomary prefent,
at their firit entering his houfe, they were met by four or five old women,
weeping and lamenting, as it were, moil bitterly, and, at the fame time, cutting
their heads with inilruments made of iharks teeth, till the blood ran plentifully
down
down their faces and on their ihoulders. What added to this difagreeable fcene
was, that the party were obliged to fubmit to the embraces of thefe old hags,
and by that means were all befmeared with blood. This ceremony (for it was
merely fuch) being over, the women went out, waihed themfelves, and immediately
after appeared as chearful as any of the company.
In this iiland they faw another lingular dramatic entertainment. It was called P' 3^6.
Mididdij Harramijy which fignifies the child is coming. It concluded with the
reprefentation of a woman in labour, ailed by a fet of great brawny fellows,
one of whom, at lail, brought forth a ftrapping boy, about fix feet high, who
ran about the ftage, dragging after him a large wifp of ilraw, which hung by
a firing from his middle: the moment the ailors got hold o f the fellow who
reprefented the child, they flattened or prefled his noie. From this they judged
that thefe people do fo by their children when born, and may be the reafon
why they all, in general, have flat nofes.
Befides the plays which were performed at the Chiefs; there were a let o f p* 368.
firolling players in the neighbourhood, who feem to have ailed with a view of
profit. Captain Cook obferves, that he generally appeared at Oreo’s theatre
towards the clofe of the play, and twice at the other, in order to give his mite
to the ailors. The only ailrefs at the Chief’s theatre was his daughter, a
pretty brown girl, at whofe ihrine, on thefe occafions, many offerings were
made by her numerous votaries u and thefe, he believes, was one great inducement
to her father’s giving them thefe entertainments fo often.
June the 2d they received intelligence, that three days before, two ihips had p. 372.
arrived at Huaheine. The fame report faid, that one was-commanded by Mr.
Banks, and the other by Captain Furneaux. The man who brought the account
declared, that he was made drunk on board one of them, and defcribed the
perfons of Mr. Banks and Captain Furneaux fo well, that Captain Cook entertained
not the leaft doubt of the truth; and began to confider about fending
a boat over to Huaheine, when a man happened to come on board who denied
the whole, faying, it was a wh warre, ,a lie. Nor could they, after the ftridteil
enquiry, find there was the leaft foundation for the intelligence.
On