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

dinner; after which I went down to Opparree, paid a visit to Otoo, and returned on board in the evening.[4][4] "The number of common women on board our ships considerably increased, since we had begunto deal in red feathers. Their mirth was often extravagant and noisy; and sometimes their ideas wereso original as to give great amusement. We had a very weak scorbutic patient when we arrived atOtaheite; this man being somewhat recovered by means of fresh vegetable food, and animated by theexample of the crew, wooed one of these girls; about dusk he led her to his birth, and lighted acandle. She looked her lover in the face, and finding he had lost an eye, she took him by the hand,and conducted him upon deck again to a girl that was one-eyed likewise, giving him to understand,that that person was a fit partner for him, but that for her part she did not choose to put up with ablind lover."--G.F.On the 3d, in looking into the condition of our sea-provisions, we found that the biscuit was in a state ofdecay, and that the airing and picking we had given it at New Zealand, had not been of that service weexpected and intended; so that we were obliged to take it all on shore here, where it underwent anotherairing and cleaning, in which a good deal was found wholly rotten and unfit to be eaten. We could not wellaccount for this decay in our bread, especially as it was packed in good casks, and stowed in a dry part ofthe hold. We judged it was owing to the ice we so frequently took in when to the southward, which madethe hold damp and cold, and to the great heat which succeeded when to the north. Be it this, or any othercause, the loss was the same to us; it put us to a scanty allowance of this article; and we had bad bread toeat too.On the 4th, nothing worthy of note.On the 5th, the king and several other great men, paid us a visit, and brought with them, as usual, somehogs and fruit. In the afternoon, the botanists set out for the mountains, and returned the following evening,having made some new discoveries in their way.On going ashore in the morning of the 7th, I found Otoo at the tents, and took the opportunity to ask hisleave to cut down some trees, for fuel. He not well understanding me, I took him to some growing near thesea-shore, where I presently made him comprehend what I wanted, and he as readily gave his consent. Itold him, at the same time, that I should cut down no trees that bore any fruit. He was pleased with thisdeclaration, and told it aloud, several times, to the people about us.In the afternoon, this chief and the whole of the royal family, viz. his father, brother, and three sisters, paidus a visit on board. This was properly his father's visit of ceremony. He brought me, as a present, acomplete mourning dress, a curiosity we most valued.[5] In return, I gave him whatever he desired, whichwas not a little, and having distributed red feathers to all the others, conducted them ashore in my boat.Otoo was so well pleased with the reception he and his friends met with, that he told me, at parting, I mightcut down as many trees as I pleased, and what sort I pleased.[5] When here before, Captain Cook could not obtain this very singular article; but, at this time,according to Mr G.F., not less than ten complete mourning-dresses were purchased by differentpersons, who brought them to England. Captain Cook gave one to the British Museum, and MrForster another to the University of Oxford. A sailor sold a third on his return home for twenty-fiveguineas, but to whom Mr G.F. does not mention.--E.During the night, between the 7th and 8th, some time in the middle watch, all our friendly connections