In the afternoon they took the astronomical quadrant, with some other instruments, on shore.
On Tuesday the 2d, having occasion to use the quadrant, to their great astonishment and concern it was missing; this was the more extraordinary, as a centinel had been posted the whole night within a few yards of the tent in which it had been deposited; and it had never been taken out of the case in which it was packed. Their own people were at first suspected, imagining they might have mistaken the contents for articles used in traffic. They searched the fort and the adjacent places, and a considerable reward was offered, as the loss of this instrument would have rendered it impossible for them to have made the necessary observations respecting the Transit, one of the principal objects of their voyage. After every fruitless search had been made, Mr. Banks, accompanied by Mr. Green, and some other gentlemen, set out for the woods, where he thought he might gain some intelligence of the robbery, if it had been committed by the natives. In the course of their journey they met Tubora Tumaida, with a few of the natives, who was made by signs to understand, that some of his countrymen had stolen the quadrant, and Mr. Banks insisted upon being conducted to the place where it was concealed. Accordingly they proceeded together a few miles, and, after some enquiry, Tubora Tumaida received information of the thief, and that he was to be found at a place about four miles distant; as they had no other arms but a brace of pistols, and the spot for which they were destined was at so considerable a distance from the fort, they were not without some apprehensions of danger. They accordingly dispatched one of their company to Captain Cook, desiring him to forward another party after them; having laid an embargo upon all the canoes in the bay; a party accordingly set out, with the Captain at their head.
Mr. Banks and Mr. Green in the interim pursued their route, and at the very place which had been mentioned were met by one of Tubora Tumaida’s own people, with part of the quadrant; soon afterwards the box in which it had been packed, containing the other parts of it, was recovered; and, upon examination, though it had been taken to pieces, they had the satisfaction to find it had received no material injury.
In the evening, when Mr. Banks and the other gentlemen, with Tubora Tumaida, returned, they were very much surprized to find Tootahah confined in the fort, the gate of which was surrounded by the natives, who expressed the utmost dread and anxiety on the occasion, as they had no other expectation but it was intended to put him to death.
Upon enquiry into this affair, it appeared that the Indians were so much alarmed at Captain Cook’s going up into the country with a party of armed men, that in the evening most of them forsook their habitations near the fort; a canoe likewise attempted to leave the bay, which the Lieutenant, who commanded on board the ship, and had been ordered not to permit any canoe to go out, perceiving, dispatched a boat to detain her, but she no sooner came near them than they jumped into the sea; among this unfortunate number was Tootahah, who, being taken up, was sent by the Lieutenant to the fort; and the commanding officer thought it his duty to detain him.
He could not be persuaded that he was not to be put to death, till Captain Cook gave orders for him to be conducted out of the fort. He was received with great affection by the people, every one pressing forward to embrace him.
On Wednesday the 3d, in the morning, Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander attended as usual to purchase provisions, but the Indians brought nothing to market; nor could they procure any from some fishing-boats which came a-breast of the tents, though they were in great want of cocoa-nuts and bread fruit. Mr. Banks walked into the woods, and heard great complaints from the people of the ill treatment of their Chief, who they said had been beaten, and otherwise ill used, of which Mr. Banks declared he was totally ignorant. The hogs which he had left as a present, were sent for back by the Chief, which, probably, he was of opinion they had ill-deserved. However, they would not send them till he came himself, by which means they thought to procure a reconciliation, knowing that absence would promote that coolness between them, to which the first interview might put an end, especially as they were told, the Chief did not intend coming to the fort for near a fortnight.
Their provisions now were extremely scarce, and the markets ill supplied, the people resenting the ill usage their Chief had received. The next day, with some difficulty, Mr. Banks obtained a few baskets of bread-fruit from Tubora Tumaida in the woods, which were a very seasonable relief. An axe and shirt were sent for this day by Tootahah, in return for his two hogs which they promised to bring him the next day. If they had not complied with this request, they could have scarcely procured any provisions.
After his sending again early in the morning, on Friday 5, Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander, with the Captain, set out in the pinnace, taking one of Tootahah’s people with them, they soon reached Eparre, the place where he dwelt, which was but a few miles to the west of the tents.
Upon their arrival, they found great numbers of people upon the shore waiting for them. They were immediately conducted to the Chief, whilst the people shouted round them, _Taio Tootahah_, “Tootahah is your friend;” they found him sitting under a tree, and some old men standing round him. As soon as he had made signs for them to sit down, he asked for his axe, which Captain Cook presented to him, with a shirt and a broad cloth garment, with which he seemed greatly pleased; and put the garment on. After eating a mouthful together in the boat, they were conducted to a large area, or court-yard, on one side of his house, where an entertainment was provided for them, consisting of wrestling. The Chief sat at the upper end of the area, with several of his principal men on each side of him, by way of judges, from whom the conquerors received applause.
Ten or twelve combatants entered the area, and after many simple ceremonies of challenging each other, they engaged, endeavouring to throw one another by dint of strength; then seizing hold of each other by the thigh, the hand, the hair, or the cloaths, they grappled without the least art, till one was thrown on his back; this conquest was applauded by some words from the old men, and three huzzas. After one engagement succeeded another, but if they could not throw each other during the space of a minute, they parted either by consent, or the intervention of their friends. Several women of rank were present; but it was thought, they would not have attended this amusement, only in compliment to the English gentlemen.
A man with a stick, who made way for them when they landed, officiated here as master of the ceremonies, keeping order among the people.
When this entertainment was at an end, they were informed, that some hogs and a quantity of bread-fruit were preparing for their dinner; which intelligence was the more agreeable, as their appetites were at this time exceedingly keen. But instead of dining either on shore or on board of the boat, they had the mortification of going as far as the ship by the desire of the Chief.
As soon as the Chief was known to be on board the ship, the people brought plenty of bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, and other provisions to the fort.
On Monday 8, early in the morning, Mr. Molineux, the Master, and Mr. Green, set out in the pinnace to the eastward, in order to procure some hogs or poultry; but after proceeding a considerable way, and seeing many hogs and a turtle, they could not purchase either. They belonged to Tootahah, and the people told them, that they could not sell them without his consent; so absolute was the power of this man.
They were now obliged, for the first time, to bring out their nails to purchase provisions; for one of the smallest size, they obtained near twenty cocoa-nuts and some bread-fruit, so that they soon got great plenty.
On Tuesday 9, in the forenoon, Oberea paid them a visit, accompanied by her favourite Obadee; she presented them with a hog and some bread-fruit.
The forge being now set up and frequently at work, became not only a new subject of admiration to the Indians, but afforded the Captain an additional opportunity of conferring obligations on them, by permitting the smith, during his leisure hours, to convert the old iron, which they were supposed to have procured from the Dolphin, into different kinds of tools.
The natives, after repeated attempts, finding themselves incapable of pronouncing the names of the English gentlemen, had recourse to new ones formed from their own language, Mr. Cook was named Toote; Hicks, Hete; Gore, Touara; Solander, Tolano; Banks, Opane; Green, Treene; and so on for the greatest part of the ship’s crew.
As Mr. Banks was sitting in his boat, trading with them as usual, on Friday the 12th, a very extraordinary ceremony was performed by some ladies who were strangers, to whom the rest of the Indians giving way on each side, and forming a passage, they advanced in procession towards Mr. Banks, to whom they presented some parrots feathers, plantains, and other plants. They then brought a large bundle of cloth, consisting of nine pieces, which being divided into three parcels, one of the women, who appeared to be the principal, stepping on one of the parcels, pulled up all her cloaths as high as her waist, and then, with an air of unaffected simplicity, turned round three times. This ceremony she repeated in the same manner on the other two parcels of cloth, and the whole being then presented to Mr. Banks, the ladies went and saluted him; in return for which he made them such presents as he thought would gratify them the most.