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

in the presence of them all, ordered the fellow two dozen lashes with a cat-o'-nine-tails, which he bore withgreat firmness, and was then set at liberty. After this the natives were going away; but Towha steppedforth, called them back, and harangued them for near half an hour. His speech consisted of short sentences,very little of which I understood; but, from what we could gather, he recapitulated part of what I had saidto Otoo; named several advantages they had received from us; condemned their present conduct, andrecommended a different one for the future. The gracefulness of his action, and the attention with which hewas heard, bespoke him a great orator.Otoo said not one word. As soon as Towha had ended his speech, I ordered the marines to go through theirexercise, and to load and fire in vollies with ball; and as they were very quick in their manoeuvres, it iseasier to conceive than to describe the amazement the natives were under the whole time, especially thosewho had not seen any thing of the kind before.This being over, the chiefs took leave, and retired with all their attendants, scarcely more pleased thanfrightened at what they had seen. In the evening Mr Forster and his party returned from the mountains,where he had spent the night; having found some new plants, and some others which grew in NewZealand. He saw Huaheine, which lies forty leagues to the westward; by which a judgment may be formedof the height of the mountains in Otaheite.[3][3] Forster the father met with a serious accident during this excursion. In descending from the hills,rendered exceedingly slippery from the recent rains, he had the misfortune to fall, which bothbruised his leg in a very severe manner, and also occasioned a rupture.--E.Next morning I had an opportunity to see the people of ten war-canoes go through part of their paddlingexercise. They had put off from the shore before I was apprised of it; so that I was only present at theirlanding. They were properly equipped for war, the warriors with their arms, and dressed in their war habits,&c. In landing, I observed that the moment the canoe touched the ground, all the rowers leaped out, andwith the assistance of a few people on the shore, dragged the canoe on dry land to her proper place; whichbeing done, every one walked off with his paddle, &c. All this was executed with such expedition, that infive minutes time after putting ashore, you could not tell that any thing of the kind had been going forward.I thought these vessels were thinly manned with rowers; the most being not above thirty, and the leastsixteen or eighteen. I observed the warriors on the stage encouraged the rowers to exert themselves. Someyouths sat high up in the curved stern, above the steersmen, with white wands in their hands. I know notwhat they were placed there for, unless it was to look out and direct, or give notice of what they saw, asthey were elevated above every one else. Tarevatoo, the king's brother, gave me the first notice of thesecanoes being at sea; and knowing that Mr Hodges made drawings of every thing curious, desired of hisown accord that he might be sent for. I being at this time on shore with Tarevatoo, Mr Hodges wastherefore with me, and had an opportunity to collect some materials for a large drawing or picture of thefleet assembled at Oparree, which conveys a far better idea of it than can be expressed by words. Beingpresent when the warriors undressed, I was surprised at the quantity and weight of cloth they had uponthem, not conceiving how it was possible for them to stand under it in time of battle. Not a little waswrapped round their heads as a turban, and made into a cap. This, indeed, might be necessary in preventinga broken head. Many had, fixed to one of this sort of caps, dried branches of small shrubs covered overwith white feathers, which, however, could only be for ornament.On the 1st of May, I had a very great supply of provisions sent and brought by different chiefs; and thenext day received a present from Towha, sent by his servants, consisting of a hog, and a boat-load ofvarious sorts of fruits and roots. The like present I also had from Otoo, brought by Tarevatoo, who stayed