Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/169

Rh 15th. Our Indian often prayed to Tane for a wind, and as often boasted to me of the success of his prayers, which I plainly saw he never began till he perceived a breeze so near the ship that it generally reached her before his prayer was finished.

16th. This morning we were very near the island of Huahine; some canoes very soon came off, but appeared very much frightened; one, however, came to us bringing a chief and his wife, who on Tupia's assurance of our friendship came on board. They resembled the Otahite people in language, dress, tattow, in short, in everything. Tupia has always said that the people of this island and Ulhietea will not steal, in which they indeed differ much from our late friends if they only keep up to their character.

Soon after dinner we came to an anchor in a very small bay, called by the natives Owalle, and immediately went ashore. As soon as we landed Tupia squatted down on the ground, and ranging us on one side and the Indians on the other, began to pray to the chief who stood opposite to him, answering him in a kind of response; this lasted about a quarter of an hour, in which time he sent at different intervals two handkerchiefs and some beads he had prepared for the purpose for Eatua; these were sent among many messages which passed backwards and forwards with plantains, etc. In return for this present to their gods, which it seems was very acceptable, we had a hog given for our Eatua, which in this case will certainly be our stomachs.

17th. We found the productions here almost exactly the same as at Otahite—upon the hills the rocks and slag were burnt if anything more than they were in that island. The people also were almost exactly like our late friends, but rather more stupid and lazy, in proof of which I need only say that we should have gone much higher up the hills than we did if we could have persuaded them to accompany us; their only excuse was the fear of being killed by the fatigue. Their houses are very neat, and their boat-houses particularly very large: one of these I measured was fifty good paces in length, ten in breadth, and twenty-four feet in height.