A General History & Collection of Voyages and Travels ... - Nauticus

I had forgot to mention, that Tupia was much enquired after at Huaheine; but, at this place, every oneasked about him, and the occasion of his death; and, like true philosophers, were perfectly satisfied withthe answers we gave them. Indeed, as we had nothing but the truth to tell, the story was the same, bywhomsoever told.Next morning we paid a formal visit to Oreo, the chief of this part of the isle, carrying with us thenecessary presents. We went through no sort of ceremony at landing, but were at once conducted to him.He was seated in his own house, which stood near the water side, where he and his friends received us withgreat cordiality. He expressed much satisfaction at seeing me again, and desired that we might exchangenames, which I accordingly agreed to. I believe this is the strongest mark of friendship they can show to astranger. He enquired after Tupia, and all the gentlemen, by name, who were with me when I first visitedthe island. After we had made the chief and his friends the necessary presents, we went on board with ahog, and some fruit, received from him in return; and in the afternoon he gave me another hog, still larger,without asking for the least acknowledgment. Exchanges for fruit, &c. were mostly carried on alongsidethe ships. I attempted to trade for these articles on shore, but did not succeed, as the most of them werebrought in canoes from distant parts, and carried directly to the ships.After breakfast, on the 10th, Captain Furneaux and I paid the chief a visit; and we were entertained by himwith such a comedy, or dramaticheava, as is generally acted in these isles. The music consisted of three drums, the actors were seven men,and one woman, the chief's daughter. The only entertaining part in the drama, was a theft committed by aman and his accomplice, in such a masterly manner, as sufficiently displayed the genius of the people inthis vice. The theft is discovered before the thief has time to carry off his prize; then a scuffle ensues withthose set to guard it, who, though four to two, are beat off the stage, and the thief and his accomplices bearaway their plunder in triumph. I was very attentive to the whole of this part, being in full expectation that itwould have ended very differently. For I had before been informed that Teto (that is, the Thief) was to beacted, and had understood that the theft was to be punished with death, or a goodtiparahying (or beating), a punishment, we are told, they inflict on such as are guilty of this crime. Be thisas it may, strangers are certainly excluded from the protection of this law; them they rob with impunity, onevery occasion that offers. After the play was over, we returned on board to dinner; and in the cool of theevening took a walk on shore, where we learnt from one of the natives, that nine small islands, two ofwhich were uninhabited, lay to the westward, at no great distance from hence.[1][1] "The accounts of the situation and distances of these isles, were so various and so vague, that wecould by no means depend upon them, for we never met with any man who had visited them;however, they served to convince us, that the natives of the Society Isles have sometimes extendedtheir navigation farther than its present limits, by the knowledge they have of several adjacentcountries. Tupaya (Tupia), the famous man who embarked at Taheitee in the Endeavour, hadenumerated a much more considerable list of names, and had actually drawn a map of theirrespective situations and magnitudes, of which Lieutenant Pickersgill obligingly communicated acopy to me. In this map we found all the names now mentioned, except two; but if his drawing hadbeen exact, our ships must have sailed over a number of the islands which he had laid down. It istherefore very probable, that the vanity of appearing more intelligent than he really was, hadprompted him to produce this fancied chart of the South Sea, and perhaps to invent many of thenames of islands in it, which amounted to more than fifty."--G.F.