came along with him; he treated her with a fondnefs truly paternal,
carrying her for the moft part in his arms, and when fatigued,
his attendants anxioufly ftrove which Ihould have the honour of
bearing little Mifs, till the father again reaffumed his pretty charge.
On expreliing a defire to come on board, Ihe was handed over the
fide with the utmoft care, and when on board, was never fuffered
to Hand on the deck, but always kept in the arms o f her father, or
-one of the attendants, who, We underflood, .was a relation. Captain
Dixon made her a prefent of a bead Eraie, or necklace, with
which Ihe was wonderfully pleated..
The attention and tendernefs thewn to this little girl, fo totally
■ different from what we had hitherto feen, gave us an idea of the
manner in which the female children of the Arees are treated, and
may ferve to throw fome light on the general character of thefe
people.
For fome days we were fupplied by the Chiefs I have juft mentioned,
with a few hogs, taro, &e. fufficient, as they thought, for
our daily confumption; none of the petty Chiefs, or common
people coming near use Abbenooe informed us, that the people
were tabooed, and that nobody durft bring any thing, to fell, not
even water, till the King had paid us a viftt, which he propofed to
do very thortly.
We never could learn the true cattfe of this taboo being laid, on,
and which it deems did not extend to the principal Chiefs; though
i f we compare it to the fame fituation at Whahoo, under fimilar
■ circumftantes, there is good reafon to fuppofe, that it'is done in
order to exact fome tribute or acknowledgment from the people,
for the privilege of trading with us.
On the -5th of February, the King paid us his promifed vifit.
He came in a large double canoe, attended by a number of Chiefs,
exclufive of the men who paddled the canoe. Amongft the attendants
was Piapia, who, I informed thee, Captain Portlock
brought from Whahoo. It feems Piapia had taken fuch a liking
to his fituation, that he was determined to ftay at Atoui, and had
entirely given up his intention of going to Pritane. Indeed Captain
Portlock gueffed this would be the cafe, and on that account
the more readily brought him from Whahoo. His defire to leave
his native country originated, no doubt, from a love of novelty;
and this love of novelty, or variety, call it which thou wilt, fhews
itfelf amongft young people, in a greater or lefs degree, in the moft
civilized part of the world.
The keen edge of this novelty was a good deal wore off, before
we anchored at Atoui, and when Piapia went on fhore there, and
found himfelf in the midft of his friends and relations, whom he
had not feen for a confiderable time, fome of them perhaps not
at all, ’tis no wonder that the little predilection he now had for
his new voyage, was entirely deftroyed; and that he Ihould refolve
to take up his abode with his former friends.
But to return to his Majefty :— his name, i f I underftood him
right, is Tiara 5 he is a good-looking middle-aged man, and favours
Teeresteere, King of Whahoo, whofe brother, it feems he is, very
much 5 but he appears to be a man of fuperior knowledge, and
« better capacity. He alked many queftions about the veffel:
Jn what manner we fleered her ? How we managed the fails ? &e.
He admired the compafs very much, and feemed to compiehend,
that it was our guide to various parts of the world i he was particularly
anxious to know which part of the compafs pointed towards
'1787..
February.