The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World, Vol. III. Being the First of the Second VoyageCook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World, Vol. III. Being the First of the Second Voyage
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
After breakfast, on the 10th, Captain Furneaux and I paid the chief a
visit; and we were entertained by him with such a comedy, or dramatic
_heava_, as is generally acted in these isles. The music consisted of
three drums; the actors were seven men, and one woman, the chief’s
daughter. The only entertaining part in the drama was a theft committed
by a man and his accomplice, in such a masterly manner, as sufficiently
displayed the genius of the people in this vice.—The theft is discovered
before the thief has time to carry off his prize; then a scuffle ensues
with those set to guard it, who, though four to two, are beat off the
stage, and the thief and his accomplices bear away their plunder in
triumph. I was very attentive to the whole of this part, being in full
expectation that it would have ended very differently. For I had before
been informed that _Teto_ (that is, the Thief) was to be acted, and had
understood that the theft was to be punished with death, or a good
_tiparrahying_ (or beating), a punishment, we are told, they inflict on
such as are guilty of this crime. Be this as it may, strangers are
certainly excluded from the protection of this law; them they rob, with
impunity, on every occasion that offers. After the play was over, we
returned on board to dinner; and in the cool of the evening took a walk
on shore, where we learnt from one of the natives, that nine small
islands, two of which were uninhabited, lay to the westward, at no great
distance from hence.
On the 11th, early in the morning, I had a visit from Oreo and his son,
a youth about twelve years of age. The latter brought me a hog, and some
fruit; for which I made him a present of an axe, and dressed him in a
shirt, and other things, which made him not a little proud of himself.
Having stayed some hours, they went on shore; as I also did soon after,
but to another part. The chief hearing I was on shore, came to the place
where he found the boat, into which he put a hog, and a quantity of
fruit, without saying a word to any body; and, with some of his friends,
came on board and dined with us. After dinner I had a visit from
Oo-oorou, the principal chief of the isle. He was introduced to us by
Oreo, and brought with him, as a present, a large hog, for which I made
him a handsome return. Oreo employed himself in buying hogs for me (for
we now began to take of them), and he made such bargains as I had reason
to be satisfied with. At length they all took leave, after making me
promise to visit them next morning; which I accordingly did, in company
with several of the officers and gentlemen. Oreo ordered an _heava_ to
be acted for our entertainment, in which two very pretty young women
were the actresses. This _heava_ was somewhat different from the one I
saw before, and not so entertaining. Oreo, after it was over,
accompanied us on board, together with two of his friends.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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