Wednesday the 19th, they carried some hatchets with them, with which they procured three very large hogs. As they proposed to sail in the afternoon, the King, accompanied by some others of the natives, came on board to take his leave, when his Majesty received from Captain Cook a small pewter plate, with the following inscription. “His Britannic Majesty’s ship Endeavour, Lieutenant Cook Commander, 16 July, 1769.” He also was presented with some medals, or counters, resembling the coin of England, and a few other trifles.
This island is situated in the latitude of 16 degrees 43 minutes south, and longitude 150 degrees 52 minutes west; it is distant from Otaheite about thirty leagues, and is about twenty miles in circumference.
The productions of Huaheine, seem to be a month forwarder than those of Otaheite, as they found by several of the fruits, &c. Mr. Banks met with only a few new plants, but found a species of scorpion which he had not seen before.
The people are of a very lazy disposition, though they are stouter and larger made than those of Otaheite.
The women are much fairer than those of that island, and in general exceedingly handsome: both men and women seemed less susceptible of fear, and not so desirous of information.
From Huaheine they sailed for the island of Ulietea, and in the afternoon came within a league or two of the shore. The next morning, being the 20th, by the direction of Tupia, they anchored in a bay, which is formed by a reef, on the north side of the island; two canoes of natives soon came off from the shore, and brought with them two small hogs, which they exchanged for some nails and beads. The Captain, Mr. Banks, and some other gentlemen, now went on shore, accompanied by Tupia, who introduced them with the same kind of ceremonies that had taken place on their landing at Huaheine; after which, Capt. Cook took possession of this and the adjacent islands in the name of the King of Great Britain.
They then walked to a large Morai, which the natives called _Tapodeboatea_; they found that it differed considerably from the Morais of Otaheite, being composed of four walls, about eight or nine feet in height, built of very large coral-stones, which surrounded an area about thirty yards square: at a small distance they discovered an _Ewhatta_, or altar, upon which, as an oblation, was placed a whole hog, about a hundred pounds weight. At the front of this Morai, facing the sea, there was a kind of amphitheatre. There were likewise three or four _Ewharee no Eatua_, or houses of God, of the same kind as that which they saw at Huaheine.
On Friday the 21st, the Master was sent in the long-boat to inspect the coast on the south part of the island, and a Lieutenant was dispatched in the yawl, to sound the harbour where the Endeavour lay, while the Captain went in the pinnace to take a view of the coast on the north part of the island; in their return they saw a tree, of the same kind as that seen by Mr. Green at Otaheite, the circumference of the trunk, or rather congeries of the roots of which measured about forty yards.
On the 22d and 23d it being hazy weather with brisk gales, Captain Cook judged it rather unsafe to put to sea. On they 24th they got under sail, and steered to the northward within the reef, towards an opening five or six leagues distant; in effecting this, he was in the greatest danger of striking on a rock; the man who sounded, crying out on a sudden, two fathom, at which they were much alarmed, but happily got clear without receiving any damage.
The bay in which the Endeavour lay at anchor is called _Oopoa_; it is large enough to contain a great number of shipping, and is secured from the sea by a reef of rocks. It lies off the eastermost point of the island, and may be distinguished by a low woody island which lies to the south-east of it.
The provisions of this island consist chiefly of cocoa-nuts, yams, plantains, and a few hogs and fowls: that part of the country where they landed is not so fruitful as either Otaheite or Huaheine.
On the 25th they were within a league or two of the island of Otaha, but the wind continuing contrary, they could not get near enough to land till the 28th in the morning, when Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander went in the long-boat, with the Master, to sound a harbour on the east side of the island, which they found safe and convenient, with good anchorage. They then went on shore, and purchased some hogs and fowls, and a large quantity of yams and plantains.
This island appeared to be more barren than Ulietea, but the produce was much the same. The natives paid them the compliment they used towards their own Kings, by uncovering their shoulders, and wrapping their cloaths round their bodies; taking care no one should omit doing the same.
On the 29th they made sail to the northward, and at eight o’clock next morning they were close under the high craggy peak of the island of Bolabola. The island was inaccessible in this part, and they found it impossible to weather the south end of it till late at night. The next morning, Sunday the 30th, they discovered an island, which Tupia called Maurua, who said it was small, surrounded by a reef, and without any commodious harbour, but inhabited, and yielded nearly the same produce as the adjacent islands. In the middle is a high round hill, which may be seen at eleven or twelve leagues distance.
In the afternoon, finding themselves to windward of some harbours that lay on the west side of Ulietea, they intended to put into one of them, in order to stop a leak which they had sprung in the powder-room, and to take in some additional ballast. The wind being right against them, they plied on and off till the afternoon, of the 1st of August, when they came to an anchor in the entrance of the channel which led into one of the harbours.
Wednesday 2, in the morning, when the tide turned, they came into a proper place for mooring, in twenty-eight fathom. In the interim many of the natives came off, and brought hogs, fowls, and plantains, which were purchased upon very moderate terms.
Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander went on shore, and spent the day very agreeably; the natives shewing them great respect. Being conducted to the houses of the chief people, they were received in an uncommon manner. Upon their entrance into a house, they found those who had ran hastily before them, standing on each side of a long matt, spread upon the ground, and the family sitting at the further end of it. In one house they observed some very young girls, dressed in the neatest manner, who kept their places, waiting for the strangers to accost them: these girls were the most beautiful the gentlemen had ever seen.
One of them, who was about seven or eight years old, was dressed in a red gown, and her head was decorated with a great quantity of plaited hair; this ornament is called _Tomou_, and is held in great estimation among them. She was sitting at the upper end of one of their long mats, on which none of the people present presumed to set a foot; and her head was reclined on the arm of a decent looking woman, who appeared to be her nurse; when Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander approached her, she stretched out her hand to receive some beads, which they presented to her, with an air of such dignity and gracefulness, as would have done honour to the first princess in Europe.
Before their departure they were entertained with a dance, different from any they had seen before. The performer put upon his head a large piece of wicker-work, about four feet long, of a cylindrical form, covered with feathers, and edged round with shark’s teeth. Having this head-dress on, which is called a _Whou_, he began to dance with a slow motion, frequently moving his head, so as to describe a circle with the top of his wicker cap, and sometimes throwing it so near the faces of the bye-standers, as to make them jump back; this they considered as an excellent piece of humour, and it always produced a hearty laugh, when practiced upon any of the English gentlemen.
On Thursday the 3d, as Mr. Banks and the Doctor were going along the shore to the northward, with a design to purchase stock, they met with a company of dancers, who retarded the progress of their excursion near two hours, and afforded them much diversion. The company was composed of six men and two women dancers, with three drums. They were informed, that these dancers were some of the principal people of the island, and though they were an itinerant troop, they did not, like the strolling parties of Otaheite, receive any gratuity from the by-standers. The women wore a considerable quantity of Tamou, or plaited hair, ornamented with the flowers of the cape jessamine, which were stuck in with taste, and made an elegant head dress. The womens necks, breasts and arms were naked; the other parts of the body were covered with black cloth, which was fastened close round them; and by the side of each breast, next the arms, was a small plume of black feathers, worn like a nosegay.