P- »■ about from place to place to procure a living. However, they, in fome mea-
fure, pyercame thefe prejudices by'dealing out their prefent?, (particularly red
feathers) in a judicious manner; fo that at length they confeffed that the
Engliih were more valuable taios (friends) than the Dons,.
P* T33* Qn the 23d of Auguft they anchored in Matavia Bay. Here Omai found his
lifter married and fettled, who received him very afte&ionately; but her hulband,
who was of the inferior fet of people, would not deign to fpeak to him; finding,
however, that Omai was pofi'gffed of many valuables, he foon altered his
behq.yiour. ]
P* 139* The armament which was prepared for. the redu&ion of Eimeo, when Captain
Cook was laft here, as before recited, failed foon after the departure of the
Refolutipn; and entirely routing their foes, obliged them to fue for peace.
P* 149- A relation of the Commander, Tohaw, was placed over them as Governor;
but fpon throwing off his authority, they difpatched him: this occafioned another
war, in which thefe iflands were at prefent engaged. To fecure the protection
of their God of War, whom they call Oro, a human facrifice was offered
p. 142. up to him by Tohaw. As it was his relation that had been murdered, he, of
courfe, was the moft adtive, and had made great preparations; ©¡too, Potatow
and another Chief, whofe name was Tapaow, were to affift him : Tohaw, and
the two others, accordingly failed for Eimeo the 19th of September, whilft
Otoo was to mufter his forces, and join them the next day. Inftead of which,
the K in g , after having reviewed his war canoes, difmiffed his forces; the confe-
quence of which was, the Admiral and his friends were roughly handled, and
obliged to make off in the belt manner they could.
p. 142. This b e h a v io u r of Otoo enraged Tohaw fo much, that he threatened1 to
depofe him, which, he faid, it was not very difficult to accompliih, as Waheatoua,
the young King of Tiarraboo, is his nephew. Indeed, from the popularity
and military knowledge of Tohaw, and the power of his kinfman, ©too had
great reafon to be alarmed at thefe threats. In this fituation ftood the government
of Otajieite N o o a , when Captain Cook left the illand, on. the 2 9 $ o f
September.
When
When thejr arrived át Huaheine, thé place Omai had fixed upon for his re- p* 147*
fidencé, a hüüfe was ordered to be ëreéted for him by the carpenters belonging
tô the ihips, tô which hé rëtoôved his'uëffé&s; and nothing' but the coüntenancé P* r5°*
given him by Captain. Cook and Captain Clerke, and their principal officers,
could induce his countrymen id fhew him even common civility.
Thé fociéty of the Areeois, mentioned by Captain Cook in his laft voyage, but P* r59»
whofe tenets he was then at a lofs to account f o r , became' b e t te r known to hinl
before he left the Society Ifles. This fraternity is efteemed -the moft polite
eftabliihment in thefé iflands. The me’mb'ers of it are always perfons of rank
aiïd fortune, ând are diftiñgüiíhéd by being' táttdwed in a peculiar man her,
efpëcially thdfe \Vho are natives of Boráborá. It is a! moft cruel ánd inhtrm'áf¿
aétion that conftitutes a member. A man muft conned! himfelf with a girl,
and the firft child he has-by her muft be ftrangled the inftant it is born; at thé
next meeting of the! fociety, he mtift bring wifneffes to prove thé perpetration
of the horrid deed; on which they áre1 admitted as toetobers. They gërïeraily
go in companies 6f ten or twelve fail of cartoes ; and let the to diredt tliëir courfe
to whatever illand they pleafe, they are always certain of being'well received;
nay, i f they have even been at: war but a few days before the vifit, all animofity
is laid afide-, and they áre as per fed! friends as i f ndthing Had1 háppéned.
The m'dmbers of this fociety have many privileges annexed to thei'r ardéis.
They are allowed to keep feveral women; they always wear the beft cloth;
and eat many peculiar things which others, even i f Arees, are not permitted
to do. In fhort, though they are generally diftínguifhéd for their prbwefs and
valour, yet they appear to be a fociety of pFôféfféd debauchees.
On the 9th of December they left the Society liles, and on the 24th difcovered p
-a low fandy ifland lying in latitude 20 3’ north, and longitude 202o 22’ eaft,
which, as they fpent the anniverfary of Chriftmas thége* Captain Cook called P *63*
Chriftmas Illand. It fupplied them with fome turtle, befides which the place P*l6*'
produced nothing remarkable:
On the 18th of January 1778 they fell in with another, ifland in latitude
210 ¿3* north, and longitude 200° 49’ eaft* where they were fupplied with plenty P
o f