The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. I. Being the First of the First Voyage.Cook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. I. Being the First of the First Voyage.
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
Early the next morning he sent again to remind me of my promise, and his
people seemed to wait till we should set out with great impatience: I
therefore ordered the pinnace, in which I embarked with Mr. Banks and
Dr. Solander about ten o’clock: we took one of Tootahah’s people in the
boat with us, and in about an hour we arrived at his place of residence
which is called EPARRE, and is about four miles to the westward of the
tents.
We found the people waiting for us in great numbers upon the shore, so
that it would have been impossible for us to have proceeded, if way had
not been made for us by a tall well-looking man, who had something like
a turban about his head, and a long white stick in his hand, with which
he laid about him at an unmerciful rate. This man conducted us to the
chief, while the people shouted round us, _Taio Tootahah_, “Tootahah is
your friend.” We found him, like an ancient Patriarch, sitting under a
tree, with a number of venerable old men standing round him; he made a
sign to us to sit down, and immediately asked for his axe: this I
presented to him, with an upper garment of broad cloth, made after the
country fashion, and trimmed with tape, to which I also added a shirt:
he received them with great satisfaction, and immediately put on the
garment; but the shirt he gave to the person who had cleared the way for
us upon our landing, who was now seated by us, and of whom he seemed
desirous that we should take particular notice. In a short time, Oberea,
and several other women whom we knew, came and sat down among us:
Tootahah left us several times, but after a short absence returned; we
thought it had been to shew himself in his new finery to the people, but
we wronged him, for it was to give directions for our refreshment and
entertainment. While we were waiting for his return the last time he
left us, very impatient to be dismissed, as we were almost suffocated in
the crowd, word was brought us, that he expected us elsewhere: we found
him sitting under the awning of our own boat, and making signs that we
should come to him: as many of us therefore went on board as the boat
would hold, and he then ordered bread-fruit and cocoa-nuts to be
brought, of both which we tasted, rather to gratify him than because we
had a desire to eat. A message was soon after brought him, upon which he
went out of the boat, and we were in a short time desired to follow. We
were conducted to a large area or court-yard, which was railed round
with bamboos about three feet high, on one side of his house, where an
entertainment was provided for us, entirely new: this was a
wrestling-match. At the upper end of the area sat the chief, and several
of his principal men were ranged on each side of him, so as to form a
semicircle; these were the judges, by whom the victor was to be
applauded; seats were also left for us at each end of the line; but we
chose rather to be at liberty among the rest of the spectators.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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