r iz a y o Y 'A -G j' e t o
i788; ferior in quality to rooft o f tijg. others, it affords great fub-
flftenee. toi the. natives. We- received5,flr iio ft every ^day|*
prefents of filh.,. chiefly dolphin, and albacore,. and a few*
finfll- rock. filh. Their. fifliing^ds «fel
when the_y .naake flftong lightsaon the reefed which ^atkaiftf
the fi£h tp them. Sometimes* in flue weather,' the canoes-
arehht: in &eh numbers, that-théiWhöle fla appé^rsMutiH-
nated. In the canoes .they lifh- with hook and lirië, and on-1
the reefs theyïlibake .thè filft wkteaipear. Some Bkewifo
ca&ry out fiwaU' net®, iwhflph - areriÉaahaged'1 by -two- m te.£
Itr t t e day^titae-thoir filfcing«atS(S^ go-Withouti the-reefsi1
Ibaaetimes to a! confiderable diflranae, where they filh with;
rods and: lines, and’ catch* bonetas, Mid other-fifli. Whenever
there is a Ihow of lilh, a fleet of canoes immediately^
,: prpEeedB-tö^ièa. Thek hböksh^ögïb^ght^arètS^dwith-
out haifr* ia the manner of our ^artiflöiaiflijös^; Their rodb-
are made o f bamboo; but when/there* are* any vé ry -large**
filial they make- ufe -of amohhrlgger^oVtó* -the -fore-part* of-r
the canoey about-twenty^**®1 feètdn fength^ ^Midh h # tw e ;
prongs at the extremity,: to each of whichbfe» foflfcrieda-
h ook and line; asd-wbsn a> fifh takes$he> hooky IMS railed hy -
jtNify*Y. ropes mamiged5bytw0?*rêenin--fche*ffom' ofthe-cahoe.
Thiufday 1. i€!ontva£y to- my espeótation, Tirtahy this dftdMbohy1
brought-* om (böatd the* that Jhad hë&h flólen. The
thtefihad) taken it? toAtthhoomb,. as^ Tfeah- teffdhae, which/
I-couMi^atfily feeMdvd*- that* k was- given* up- with ;gfeat re>-
friday 2. lufkasce* The next^mbr-ningjIc offered Tihah a;prefcnt-of •
a^Sy and other thin^ji bufy as ^he fu^e^fed^tiiK-was meant:
b y wgy?öfQfêïUrn-fór gfettiig the-cleaver reflaored* he would
not be prevailed with-ffo apdept a* fi riglte* aftièlfe.
-1 had* GoOftantl-y the-compaiiyiöf Tinah,: his« wife, and *
fomeofhis relations ; but the* royal* children,- though lb •
hear
T H E S O Ü T H S E A S , fee.
neat us'j hfiyer ;came •irv light o f the Ihip. The river fepa- 1785.
rated them from-the place occupied by our people on /*""***,
flaore; and, for fear of giving alarm or .oflehce, I gave ftridt
orders that no onehhbuld attemptlo*go near their place of
refldeneey’*’-!?
Monday-: the 15th. At the relief* of'the watch, at four Monday $.
o’clock this .morning, the fmall cutter was miffing. I was'
immediately informed ,of it, and muttered-, the- Ihip’s company;
when it appeared, that three men were abfent, Charles
Churchill', the Ihip’s corporal, and-two of the- leamen', William
Mufprat, and John Millward; the latter of whom had
been centinel from twelve to two. in the morning.’ They had
taken with them eight Hand Of arms and ammunition;; but
what their plan was, or which way they hadigoiie, no orib
on board feemed to have t-he leaft knowledge. I wenf ondhorb
tp the chiefs; and foon received information, that the boat-
was at Matayai; and thatthe deferters had departed in a failing
canoe-for *the illand Tethuroa. On this intelligence, I
fent the matter to Matavai tofearcli for the fmall cutter, and
one of the chiefs t went with him; but before they, had got
half way, they,met, the'1 boat with'-five of the datives, who
were bringing Iver back to the Ihip. This fervice; rendered
me by thepeopie-qf Matavai,-pleafed-me muchj andl re^ x
warded the men- accordingly, fjj
I tpld Tin ah, and the other chiefs, that I expected they
would get the deferters brought back; for that I was de-
terminedpqt to leave Otaheite without them. Theyaffar-
ed me, that,they would do everything- in theif power to have
them taken ; and it Was agreed,- that preepyah arid Mdan-
nah Ihould depart,the next-morning for Tethuroa. Oree-
pyah enquired i f they had pocket piftols, ‘i for,” faid he;
“ though we may furprile/and foize them before-- they caa
Q ' ‘Amake