A voyage to the South Sea : $b Undertaken by command of His Majesty for the purpose of conveying the bread-fruit tree to the West Indies in His Majesty's ship the Bounty commanded by Lieutenant William Bligh; including an account of the mutiny on board the said ship and the subsequent voyage of part of the crew in the ship's boat from Tofoa, one of the Friendly Islands, to Timor, a Dutch settlement in the East IndiesBligh, William
History
A voyage to the South Sea : $b Undertaken by command of His Majesty for the purpose of conveying the bread-fruit tree to the West Indies in His Majesty's ship the Bounty commanded by Lieutenant William Bligh; including an account of the mutiny on board the said ship and the subsequent voyage of part of the crew in the ship's boat from Tofoa, one of the Friendly Islands, to Timor, a Dutch settlement in the East Indies
Bligh, William
Bounty (Ship); Bounty Mutiny, 1789; Oceania -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; Voyages and travels
After breakfast I walked with Tinah to Matavai to see the cattle and the
gardens. Tinah had already taken so large a dose of the Ava that he was
perfectly stupefied. Iddeah however was with us, and she is one of the
most intelligent persons I met with at Otaheite. We went first to
Poeeno's house and saw the bull and cow together in a very fine pasture.
I was informed that the cow had taken the bull; so that if no untoward
accident happens there is a fair chance of the breed being established.
In the garden near Poeeno's house many things had failed. The Indian corn
was in a fine state and I have no doubt but they will cultivate it all
over the country. A fig-tree was in a very thriving way, as were two
vines, a pineapple plant, and some slips of a shaddock-tree. From this
place we walked to the garden at Point Venus, but I had the mortification
to find almost everything there destroyed by the hogs. Some underground
peas and Indian corn had escaped, and likewise the caliloo green and ocra
of Jamaica.
We returned to the ship, and after dinner I was not a little surprised to
hear Tinah seriously propose that he and his wife should go with me to
England. He said he would only take two servants; that he much wished to
see King George who he was sure would be glad to see him. Tinah and many
of his countrymen were become extremely eager to get a knowledge of other
countries, and were continually enquiring about the situations of the
islands which we told them of in these seas. To quiet his importunity I
was obliged to promise that I would ask the king's permission to carry
them to England if I came again; that then I should be in a larger ship
an could have accommodations properly fitted up. I was sorry to find that
Tinah was apprehensive he should be attacked by his enemies as soon as
our ship left Otaheite, and that if they joined they would be too
powerful for him. The illness of Teppahoo, with whom he was on good
terms, gave him much uneasiness, Teppahoo's wife being a sister of Otow's
and aunt to Tinah. They have no children as has been before related, and
if Teppahoo were to die he would be succeeded as Earee of the district of
Tettaha by his brother who is an enemy to Tinah. I have on every occasion
endeavoured to make the principal people believe that we should return
again to Otaheite and that we should revenge any injury done in our
absence to the people of Matavai and Oparre.
The wife of Oedidee is likewise an aunt to Tinah, and sister to Otow. His
native place is Ulietea, where he has some property, but which I imagine
is not of such consequence to him as the countenance of the chiefs with
whom he is connected at Otaheite.
CHAPTER 10.
The Ship's Cable cut in the Night.
Coolness with the Chiefs on that Account.
Visit to an old Lady.
Disturbance at a Heiva.
Tinah's Hospitality.
A Thief taken and punished.
Preparations for sailing.
1789. February. Tuesday 3.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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