FIRST ■ $6 MISSIONARY VOYAGE
CH APT ER VI. .
Oc cufrenceirori 'landing at- Qt&heite, a n d d iir in g th e f r j l
f fla r ti'.'"
[Sunday, March £, 1797.]
T h e morning was pleafant, and with a gentle breeze we had by
jbfy|he djftribfc of Atahooroo, whence we
faw, feyeral I canoes, putting off and paddling towards-u^wdth gi'eat
Ipeed;i {a |j the.idame^time^ fell calm, which being, in tbelFif^goUfc
canoes around us* many o f tbenj
double OR^jficontaimng about Being fb nu-j
merous, we.endeavoured to keep .them from" crowding on boardij
but in fp iteo f all our efforts to prevenk.it, there were fopnUJSf/lefs
than one hundred o f them dancing and capering like frantic, perfons
abouttourdecks,^crying, “ Tayo l /tayoill’ and a few broken-ffcn-‘
tences. o f .Englifh were often repeated.; They had no,weapons o f any
kind among them ; however, j to .keep them in, awe, fome ;q£ the
great .guns 'were ordered to be hoi fled out,of the hold, whilft-thpy,
as free from the apprehenfion as tb e intention of mifehpfj'-cheerfully
affifted to put them .on their carriages;» V^henrAfti^rft ceipuonieg
were over, we, beganAto view our,-«few friends w ^h Sfueye
q u iry : their wild diforderly behaviour, ftrong fmell o f the cocoas
nut pfl,. together with the tricks o f the arreoies, leflened th e .favourable
-opinion WP bad formed , o f th ^ a ; ndrther coujd we-dee aught
o f th a t ej^ ^ c e-ated hqauty in their wpmen for whichj they have been
fo ^ e a tjy <blebra|ed.. Qfhis ut firft feemed to depreciate them jin the
eftimation o f our brethren; but the cheerfulnefs, good-nature, and
generofity o f thefe kind people fbon removed the . momentary preju-
March.] TO THE SOUTH-SEA MSEAEDS. St
dices. One very old man, Manne Manne, who called himfelf a
prieft o f the Eatooa, was: very importunate to be tayo with the cap-»
tain 1' o&ers,' pretending to. be cJaifefsy fmgled jbufc fucfoa&had fhe»ap-
pearance o f officers for their tayos; but as they neither exercifed
authoritylover, the unrulyilindipHoRe'-theffmalleft mark, o f dhlindlion;
WtKlthqyght aproper (^decline theirip|pjpfalsftiil> w<e knew them and
th^oijfamrSofo thet^ngage^enfe better. At tbisj they »'feemed.. alfoi
nifhed, blitiftrll more when they<few:oilrlmdifFerence abjbut the hagsl
fowls, .and1 fruit, which sthey had brought in abundance. We.en-
B 'e a v b u r e dm a k e therpi underfland, but Tthink in vain;' that thjs
W^siSthe: dajK'iT3&,the .jl!^.t0oa5, and that in it we durft not trade d ib it
•their ■ womerufrapfilfed, s oceafrortedsgredter wonder. uThey continued
to; go ab®ut>'the decks jf-ill 1 the .tran£ports.,of; their.joy .gradually} fub-
fided,'. when many o f fhemideft.us dfiBbeibown accord, and others
were driven» <^^ay,b y ithec»,old »man, and one named Mauroa, who
mow, exercifed a little authority^. /f-Thofe. who remained were chiefly
heresies firdria IJketea, fn . humbef about forty.; pa®d; being .brought to
order,. the- ■ brethren p f opofed? havingtdass^sine* fervice,. upon, the .quarter*
deck. Mr.;,©oyeir .qfft<^ated;,-hejperhaps was» the firft that ever mentioned
with > reverence! xthetiSaviour’s name tor thefe' poor heathens.
Such, hymns wegeiTblebted aSt had th'e-.mofl,’'.harmonious, tu n e s f ir f t ,
d^rtGfer- the.gfeomyihills o f darknefs then, .Blow--ye the trum-
db»,pet, blewt/i? sand at tbesebnclufioh, rf‘ iPraife God from whom af|
1 bleffingsdlow,.”' The tea^avks'from the firft' epiftle' general of John;
chap, iiinker'.f^'."’“ iGod as love..” The- wholdErvice.lafted abpjrt
a n . .hour and* a .quarter. . Durin g i fermon and prayeritMe. natives were
vquiet and’thoughtful; but- whenitherfinging ftruck up, they feemed
pharmed-'and .filled with -aniazemeht; fometimes. they, jwould talk
and laughyobut a ftodtof qfche hCad brought thent.to order;. Upon the
whole^. their unweaMednsE a id quietnefs were aftonifhing; .and;
indeed, all , who- hfeaxd obferved a .peculiar folemnity and excellence
in; Mr. Cover’s addrefsson that day.
f< 1