A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 13 by Robert Kerr

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When the ship was secured, I went on shore to look for a proper place to
get ballast and water, both which I found in a very convenient
situation.

This day Mr Banks and Dr Solander spent on shore very much to their
satisfaction; every body seemed to fear and respect them, placing in
them at the same time the utmost confidence, behaving as if conscious
that they possessed the power of doing them mischief, without any
propensity to make use of it. Men, women, and children crowded round
them, and followed them wherever they went; but none of them were guilty
of the least incivility: On the contrary, whenever there happened to be
dirt or water in the way, the men vied with each other to carry them
over on their backs. They were conducted to the houses of the principal
people, and were received in a manner altogether new: The people, who
followed them while they were in their way, rushed forward as soon as
they came to a house, and went hastily in before them, leaving however a
lane sufficiently wide for them to pass. When they entered, they found
those who had preceded them ranged on each side of a long matt, which
was spread upon the ground, and at the farther end of which sat the
family: In the first house they entered they found some very young women
or children, dressed with the utmost neatness, who kept their station,
expecting the strangers to come up to them and make them presents, which
they did with the greatest pleasure; for prettier children or better
dressed they had never seen. One of them was a girl about six years old;
her gown, or upper garment, was red; a large quantity of plaited hair
was wound round her head, the ornament to which they give the name of
Tamou, and which they value more than any thing they possess. She sat at
the upper end of a matt thirty feet long, upon which none of the
spectators presumed to set a foot, notwithstanding the crowd; and she
leaned upon the arm of a well-looking woman about thirty, who was
probably her nurse. Our gentlemen walked up to her, and as soon as they
approached, she stretched out her hand to receive the beads which they
offered her, and no princess in Europe could have done it with a better
grace.

The people were so much gratified by the presents which, were made to
these girls, that when Mr Banks and Dr Solander returned they seemed
attentive to nothing but how to oblige them; and in one of the houses
they were, by order of the master, entertained with a dance, different
from any that they had seen. It was performed by one man, who put upon
his head a large cylindrical piece of wicker-work, or basket, about four
feet long and eight inches in diameter, which was faced with feathers,
placed perpendicularly, with the tops bending forwards, and edged, round
with shark's teeth, and the tail-feathers of tropic birds: When he had
put on this head-dress, which is called a _Whow_, he began to dance,
moving slowly, and often turning his head so as that the top of his high
wicker-cap described a circle, and sometimes throwing it so near the
faces of the spectators as to make them start back: This was held among
them as a very good joke, and never failed to produce a peal of
laughter, especially when it was played off upon one of the strangers.

On the 3d, we went along the shore to the northward, which was in a
direction opposite to that of the route Mr Banks and Dr Solander had
taken the day before, with a design to purchase stock, which we always
found the people more ready to part with, and at a more easy price, at
their houses than at the market. In the course of our walk we met with a
company of dancers, who detained us two hours, and during all that time
afforded us great entertainment. The company consisted of two
women-dancers, and six men, with three drums; we were informed by Tupia,
that they were some of the most considerable people of the island, and
that though they were continually going from place to place, they did
not, like the little strolling companies of Otaheite, take any gratuity
from the spectators. The women had upon their heads a considerable
quantity of Tamou, or plaited hair, which was brought several times
round the head, and adorned in many parts with the flowers of the
cape-jessamine, which were stuck in with much taste, and made a
head-dress truly elegant. Their necks, shoulders, and arms were naked;
so were the breasts also as low as the parting of the arm; below that,
they were covered with black cloth, which set close to the body; at the
side of each breast, next the arm, was placed a small plume of black
feathers, much in the same manner as our ladies now wear their nosegays
or _bouquets_; upon their hips rested a quantity of cloth plaited very
full, which reached up to the breast, and fell down below into long
petticoats, which quite concealed their feet, and which they managed
with as much dexterity as our opera-dancers could have done: The plaits
above the waist were brown and white alternately, the petticoats below
were all white.

In this dress they advanced sideways in a measured step, keeping
excellent time to the drums, which beat briskly and loud; soon after
they began to shake their hips, giving the folds of cloth that lay upon
them a very quick motion, which was in some degree continued through the
whole dance, though the body was thrown into various postures, sometimes
standing, sometimes sitting, and sometimes resting on their knees and
elbows, the fingers also being moved at the same time with a quickness
scarcely to be imagined. Much of the dexterity of the dancers, however,
and the entertainment of the spectators, consisted in the wantonness of
their attitudes and gestures, which was, indeed, such as exceeds all
description.

One of these girls had in her ear three pearls; one of them was very
large, but so foul that it was of little value; the other two were as
big as a middling pea; these were clear, and of a good colour and shape,
though spoiled by the drilling. Mr Banks would fain have purchased them,
and offered the owner any thing she would ask for them, but she could
not be persuaded to part with them at any price: He tempted her with the
value of four hogs, and whatever else she should chuse, but without
success; and indeed they set a value upon their pearls very nearly equal
to what they would fetch among us, except they could be procured before
they are drilled.

Between the dances of the women, the men performed a kind of dramatic
interlude, in which there was dialogue as well as dancing; but we were
not sufficiently acquainted with their language to understand the
subject.

On the 4th, some of our gentlemen saw a much more regular entertainment
of the dramatic kind, which was divided into four acts.

Tupia had often told us that he had large possessions in this island,
which had been taken away from him by the inhabitants of Bolabola, and
he now pointed them out in the very bay where the ship was at anchor.
Upon our going on shore, this was confirmed by the inhabitants, who
shewed us several districts or Whennuas, which they acknowledged to be
his right.

On the 5th, I received a present of three hogs, some fowls, several
pieces of cloth, the largest we had seen, being fifty yards long, which
they unfolded and displayed so as to make the greatest show possible;
and a considerable quantity of plantains, cocoa-nuts, and other
refreshments, from Opoony, the formidable king, or, in the language of
the country, Earee rahie, of Bolabola, with a message that he was at
this time upon the island, and that the next day he intended to pay me a
visit.

In the mean time Mr Banks and Dr Solander went upon the hills,
accompanied by several of the Indians, who conducted them by excellent
paths, to such a height, that they plainly saw the other side of the
island, and the passage through which the ship had passed the reef
between the little islands of Opururu and Tamou, when we landed upon it
the first time. As they were returning, they saw the Indians exercising
themselves at what they call _Erowhaw_, which is nothing more than
pitching a kind of light lance, headed with hard wood, at a mark: In
this amusement, though they seem very fond of it, they do not excel; for
not above one in twelve struck the mark, which was the bole of a
plantain tree, at about twenty yards distance.

On the 6th, we all staid at home, expecting the visit of the great king,
but we were disappointed; we had, however, much more agreeable company,
for he sent three very pretty girls to demand something in return for
his present: Perhaps he was unwilling to trust himself on board the
ship, or perhaps he thought his messengers would procure a more valuable
return for his hogs and poultry than he could himself; be that as it
may, we did not regret his absence, nor his messengers their visit.

In the afternoon, as the great king would not come to us, we determined
to go to the great king. As he was lord of the Bolabola men, the
conquerors of this, and the terror of all the other islands, we expected
to see a chief young and vigorous, with an intelligent countenance, and
an enterprising spirit: We found, however, a poor feeble wretch,
withered and decrepit, half blind with age, and so sluggish and stupid
that he appeared scarcely to have understanding enough left to know that
it was probable we should be gratified either by hogs or women.[46] He
did not receive us sitting, or with any state or formality as the other
chiefs had done: We made him our present, which be accepted, and gave a
hog in return. We had learnt that his principal residence was at Otaha;
and upon our telling him that we intended to go thither in our boats the
next morning, and that we should be glad to have him along with us, he
promised to be of the party.

[Footnote 46: He was alive, however, when Cook visited Bolabola in his
last voyage, and even then was universally esteemed and feared.--E.]

Early in the morning, therefore, I set out both with the pinnace and
long-boat for Otaha, having some of the gentlemen with me; and in our
way we called upon Opoony, who was in his canoe, ready to join us. As
soon as we landed at Otaha, I made him a present of an axe, which I
thought might induce him to encourage his subjects to bring us such
provision as we wanted; but in this we found ourselves sadly
disappointed; for after staying with him till noon, we left him without
being able to procure a single article. I then proceeded to the north
point of the island, in the pinnace, having sent the long-boat another
way. As I went along I picked up half a dozen hogs, as many fowls, and
some plantains and yams. Having viewed and sketched the harbour on this
side of the island, I made the best of my way back, with the long-boat,
which joined me soon after it was dark; and about ten o'clock at night
we got on board the ship.

In this excursion Mr Banks was not with us; he spent the morning on
board the ship, trading with the natives, who came off in their canoes,
for provisions and curiosities; and in the afternoon he went on shore
with his draughtsmen, to sketch the dresses of the dancers which he had
seen a day or two before. He found the company exactly the same, except
that another woman had been added to it: The dancing also of the women
was the same, but the interludes of the men were somewhat varied; he saw
five or six performed, which were different from each other, and very
much resembled the drama of our stage-dances. The next day, he went
ashore again, with Dr Solander, and they directed their course towards
the dancing company, which, from the time of our second landing, had
gradually moved about two leagues in their course round the island. They
saw more dancing and interludes, the interludes still varying from each
other: In one of them the performers, who were all men, were divided
into two parties, which were distinguished from each other by the colour
of their clothes, one being brown, and the other white. The brown party
represented a master and servants, and the white party a company of
thieves: The master gave a basket of meat to the rest of his party, with
a charge to take care of it: The dance of the white party consisted of
several expedients to steal it, and that of the brown party in
preventing their success. After some time, those who had charge of the
basket placed themselves round it upon the ground, and leaning upon it,
appeared to go to sleep; the others, improving this opportunity, came
gently upon them, and lifting them up from the basket, carried off their
prize: The sleepers soon after awaking, missed their basket, but
presently fell a-dancing, without any farther regarding their loss; so
that the dramatic action of this dance was, according to the severest
laws of criticism, one, and our lovers of simplicity would here have
been gratified with an entertainment perfectly suited to the chastity of
their taste.

On the 9th, having spent the morning in trading with the canoes, we took
the opportunity of a breeze, which sprung up at east, and having stopped
our leak, and got the fresh stock which we had purchased on board, we
sailed out of the harbour. When we were sailing away, Tupia strongly
urged me to fire a shot towards Bolabola, possibly as a mark of his
resentment, and to shew the power of his new allies: In this I thought
proper to gratify him, though we were seven leagues distant.

While we were about these islands, we expended very little of the
ship's provisions, and were very plentifully supplied with hogs, fowls,
plantains, and yams, which we hoped would have been of great use to us
in our course to the southward; but the hogs would not eat European
grain of any kind, pulse, or bread-dust, so that we could not preserve
them alive; and the fowls were all very soon seized with a disease that
affected the head so, that they continued to hold it down between their
legs till they died: Much dependence therefore must not be placed in
live-stock taken on board at these places, at least not till a discovery
is made of some food that the hogs will eat, and some remedy for the
disease of the poultry.

Having been necessarily detained at Ulietea so long, by the carpenters
in stopping our leak, we determined to give up our design of going on
shore at Bolabola, especially as it appeared to be difficult of access.

To these six islands, Ulietea, Otaha, Bolabola, Huaneine, Tubai, and
Maurua, as they lie contiguous to each other, I gave the names of
_Society Islands_, but did not think it proper to distinguish them
separately by any other names than those by which they were known to the
natives.

They are situated between the latitude of 16 deg. 10' and 16 deg. 55' S. and
between the longitude of 150 deg. 57' and 152 deg. W. from the meridian of
Greenwich. Ulietea and Otaha lie within about two miles of each other,
and are both inclosed within one reef of coral rocks, so that there is
no passage for shipping between them. This reef forms several excellent
harbours; the entrances into them, indeed, are but narrow, yet when a
ship is once in, nothing can hurt her. The harbours on the east side
have been described already; and on the west side of Ulietea, which is
the largest of the two, there are three. The northermost, in which we
lay, is called _Ohamaneno_: The channel leading into it is about a
quarter of a mile wide, and lies between two low sandy islands, which
are the northermost on this side; between, or just within the two
islands, there is good anchorage in twenty-eight fathom, soft ground.
This harbour, though small, is preferable to the others, because it is
situated in the most fertile part of the islands, and where fresh water
is easily to be got. The other two harbours lie to the southward of
this, and not far from the south end of the island: In both of them
there is good anchorage, with ten, twelve, and fourteen fathom. They are
easily known by three small woody islands at their entrance. The
southermost of these two harbours lies within, and to the southward of
the southermost of these islands, and the other lies between the two
northermost. I was told that there were more harbours at the south end
of this island, but I did not examine whether the report was true.

Otaha affords two very good harbours, one on the east side, and the
other on the west. That on the east side is called Ohamene, and has been
mentioned already; the other is called _Oherurua_, and lies about the
middle of the south-west side of the island; it is pretty large and
affords good anchorage in twenty and twenty-five fathom, nor is there
any want of fresh water. The breach in the reef, that forms a channel
into this harbour, is about a quarter of a mile broad, and, like all the
rest, is very steep on both sides; in general there is no danger here
but what is visible.

The island of Bolabola lies N.W. and by W. from Otaha, distant about
four leagues; it is surrounded by a reef of rocks, and several small
islands, in compass together about eight leagues. I was told, that on
the south-west side of the island there is a channel through the reef
into a very good harbour, but I did not think it worth while to examine
it, for the reasons that have been just assigned. This island is
rendered very remarkable by a high craggy hill, which appears to be
almost perpendicular, and terminates at the top in two peaks, one higher
than the other.

The land of Ulietea and Otaha is hilly, broken, and irregular, except on
the sea-coast, yet the hills look green and pleasant, and are in many
places clothed with wood. The several particulars in which these islands
and their inhabitants differ from what we had observed at Otaheite, have
been mentioned in the course of the narrative.

We pursued our course without any event worthy of note till the 13th,
about noon, when we saw land bearing S.E. which Tupia told us was an
island called _Oheteroa_. About six in the evening, we were within two
or three leagues of it, upon which I shortened sail, and stood off and
on all night; the next morning stood in for the land. We ran to leeward
of the island, keeping close in shore, and saw several of the natives,
though in no great numbers, upon the beach. At nine o'clock I sent Mr
Gore, one of my lieutenants, in the pinnace, to endeavour to land upon
the island, and learn from the natives whether there was anchorage in a
bay then in sight, and what land lay farther to the southward. Mr Banks
and Dr Solander accompanied Mr Gore in this expedition, and as they
thought Tupia might be useful, they took him with them.

As the boat approached the shore, those on board perceived the natives
to be armed with long lances; as they did not intend to land till they
got round a point which run out at a little distance, they stood along
the coast, and the natives therefore very probably thought they were
afraid of them. They had now got together to the number of about sixty,
and all of them sat down upon the shore, except two, who were dispatched
forward to observe the motions of those in the boat. These men, after
walking abreast of her some time, at length leaped into the water, and
swam towards her, but were soon left behind; two more then appeared, and
attempted to board her in the same manner, but they also were soon left
behind; a fifth man then ran forward alone, and having got a good way
ahead of the boat before he took to the water, easily reached her. Mr
Banks urged the officer to take him in, thinking it a good opportunity
to get the confidence and good will of a people, who then certainly
looked upon them as enemies, but he obstinately refused: This man
therefore was left behind like the others, and so was a sixth, who
followed him.

When the boat had got round the point, she perceived that all her
followers had desisted from the pursuit: She now opened a large bay, at
the bottom of which appeared another body of men, armed with long lances
like the first. Here our people prepared to land, and pushed towards the
shore, a canoe at the same time putting off to meet them. As soon as it
came near them, they lay upon their oars, and calling out to them, told
them that they were friends, and that if they would come up they would
give them nails, which were held up for them to see: After some
hesitation they came up to the boat's stern, and took some nails that
were offered them with great seeming satisfaction; but in less than a
minute they appeared to have formed a design of boarding the boat, and
making her their prize: Three of them suddenly leaped into it, and the
others brought up the canoe, which the motion in quitting her had thrown
off a little, manifestly with a design to follow their associates, and
support them in their attempt. The first that boarded the boat, entered
close to Mr Banks, and instantly snatched his powder-horn out of his
pocket: Mr Banks seized it, and with some difficulty wrenched it out of
his hand, at the same time pressing against his breast in order to force
him over-board, but he was too strong for him, and kept his place: The
officer then snapped his piece, but it missed fire, upon which he
ordered some of the people to fire over their heads; two pieces were
accordingly discharged, upon which they all instantly leaped into the
water: One of the people, either from cowardice or cruelty, or both,
levelled a third piece at one of them as he was swimming away, and the
ball grazed his forehead; happily, however, the wound was very slight,
for he recovered the canoe, and stood up in her as active and vigorous
as the rest. The canoe immediately stood in for the shore, where a great
number of people, not less than two hundred, were now assembled. The
boat also pushed in, but found the land guarded all round with a shoal,
upon which the sea broke with a considerable surf; it was therefore
thought advisable by the officer to proceed along shore in search of a
more convenient landing-place: In the mean time, the people on board saw
the canoe go on shore, and the natives gather eagerly round her to
enquire the particulars of what had happened. Soon after, a single man
ran along the shore, armed with his lance, and when he came a-breast of
the boat he began to dance, brandish his weapon, and call out in a very
shrill tone, which Tupia said was a defiance from the people. The boat
continued to row along the shore, and the champion followed it,
repeating his defiance by his voice and his gestures; but no better
landing-place being found than that where the canoe had put the natives
onshore, the officer turned back with a view to attempt it there,
hoping, that if it should not be practicable, the people would come to a
conference either on the shoals or in their canoes, and that a treaty of
peace might be concluded with them.

As the boat rowed slowly along the shore back again, another champion
came down, shouting defiance, and brandishing his lance: His appearance
was more formidable than that of the other, for he wore a large cap made
of the tail feathers of the tropic bird, and his body was covered with
stripes of different coloured cloth, yellow, red, and brown. This
gentleman also danced, but with much more nimbleness and dexterity than
the first; our people therefore, considering his agility and his dress,
distinguished him by the name of _Harlequin_. Soon after a more grave
and elderly man came down to the beach, and hailing the people in the
boat, enquired who they were, and from whence they came; Tupia answered
in their own language, from Otaheite: The three natives then walked
peaceably along the shore till they came to a shoal, upon which a few
people were collected; here they stopped, and after a short conference,
they all began to pray very loud: Tupia made his responses, but
continued to tell us that they were not our friends. When their prayer,
or, as they call it, their _Poorah_, was over, our people entered into a
parley with them, telling them, that if they would lay by their lances
and clubs, for some had one and some the other, they would come on
shore, and trade with them for whatever they would bring: They agreed,
but it was only upon condition that we would leave behind us our
musquets: This was a condition which, however equitable it might appear,
could not be complied with, nor indeed would it have put the two parties
upon an equality, except their numbers had been equal. Here then the
negotiation seemed to be at an end; but in a little time they ventured
to come nearer to the boat, and at last came near enough to trade, which
they did very fairly, for a small quantity of their cloth and some of
their weapons; but as they gave our people no hope of provisions, nor
indeed any thing else except they would venture through a narrow channel
to the shore, which, all circumstances considered, they did not think it
prudent to do, they put off the boat and left them.

With the ship and the boat we had now made the circuit of the island,
and finding that there was neither harbour nor anchorage about it, and
that the hostile disposition of the people would render landing
impracticable, without bloodshed, I determined not to attempt it, having
no motive that could justify the risk of life.