>88 A N A C i C Ö ü N . T O F
1783.
AUGUST.
corned w ith e v e ry teftimony o f jo y ; and it wasoja'fmall plear
fure to th o fe le ft on th e M au d , to fdei theni éflT. çbme back
in hea lth and ip iiits , .<. .They ièp orted' th ey had been gvery
k indly treated’ evcndipeetthèir departure^ the^patiyes b^hav^
in g to them I in rh e .m o ft friendly ainreferved manner . T h e
K in g ’s brother,-R a a Koq&, came b a ck w ith th em . T h e canoes
b rou gh t great quantities o f yams and cocoa-nuts j and
the K in g had giv en to each o f the men w h o went on this
expedition a balket of fweetmeats, and alio fen t feme bafkeÇs
to. the Captain ; this fweétmeat th ey diftributed y e ry l ib e ra
lly amongft their countrymen, b o t it was not much re-
liihed, being; found dry and h a rd , infomuch that : the failors
g a v e it the pame o f C b o a k -B a g But. o f th ^ T ih a ^ h a s | e
occafion to fpeak again, when 1 come to defcribe the cuftoms
and manners o f th e natives.
T h e following w a s the account our people g a v e of-their
expedition, w h ich was confirmed b y Mr. C u m m in s journal,
w h o w e n t w ith them.
H a v in g departed th e 17th, th ey went to one o f the
K in g ’s iflands, about f ix le a g u e s to the eaftward o f the cove,
w h ere th ey were received w ith grea t kjndnefsj, and treated
w ith m u ch hofpitality ; after remaining there all nigh t,
th e y fet off the next morning for Pelew, the place o f the
K in g ’s refidence, w h ich was in an ifland about three or fou r
miles diffant: here they. remained till the stiff, the. K in g
p oH te ing till then able-to g e t together all his canoes ; h o w ever,
T H E P E L E W I S L A N D i f
ever, by day-light on tfte'laiflv tlily muftêréc| «before the
King’s houfe With their arms, which confifted o f bamboo
darts from five to eight feet long, pointed with the wood of
the beetle-nut tree and bearded; thefe-' they ufe for clofe
quarters'pbubthey' hfeve', fhort ones, for .diffancèywhich they
throw With a- fhort flick offaboud two feet long,' filing a
botch cut''in it-tö.’ receive 'the point'ofdthe«Öartj, and place'
their hand at’ the other'extremity Ofdtlfe dart,'which, being
■ made of bamboo,': is' el'afticjand compreffed into a 'èurte,.
proportioned to* the-diftapce they ' aini" at, > arid being therf
fufisred. to fpring, in general it comes down perpendicular’
onthe'obfeól to which it is .directed.
■ Thé f^«j/zfeembarked' in five, different “ canoes'/ and went,
away, to the* eaftward about tèri or twelve- leagtics^-ealling■ as!
they went along 'at feveral óf the Kings villages fo refrefh
and reinforce^ «at half an hour paft two* in the afternoon,’
they got in fight of the enemy. The King'-had Mth him
now a fleet of one' hundred and fifty, Canoes, on' board of
which were confiderably above; one thbufand men. Of the
enemy’s force our people could form*,Up certainty. v'B,efore‘
the adlion, Raa Kook went in his’ Canoe clofe to the town,
and fpoke t-o the enemy for fome time, having T homas
Dulton in the boat with him, who had directions not
to fire till fuch time as the fignal agreed on ihould be
given him. What tlie General faid, being received by the
! N enemy
89
*783'.
,U G tr S T .