52 COOK S VOYAGE TO SEPT. 



who had, for several days past, been in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Matavai, removed to Oparre, attended 

 by several sailing canoes. We were told, that Otoo 

 did not approve of his being so near our station, 

 where his people could more easily invade our pro- 

 perty. I must do Otoo the justice to say, that he 

 took every method prudence could suggest to pre- 

 vent thefts and robberies ; and it was more owing to 

 his regulations than to our circumspection that so 

 few were committed. He had taken care to erect a 

 little house or two on the other side of the river, be- 

 hind our post, and two others close to our tents, on 

 the bank between the river and the sea. In all these 

 places some of his own people constantly kept watch ; 

 and his father generally resided on Matavai point ; 

 so that we were, in a manner, surrounded by them. 

 Thus stationed, they not only guarded us in the night 

 from thieves, but could observe every thing that 

 passed in the day ; and were ready to collect contri- 

 butions from such girls as had private connections 

 with our people, which was generally done every 

 morning. So that the measures adopted by him to 

 secure our safety, at the same time served the more 

 essential purpose of enlarging his own profits. 



Otoo informing me that his presence was necessary 

 at Oparre, where he was to give audience to the great 

 personage from Bolabola ; and asking me to accom- 

 pany him, I readily consented, in hopes of meeting 

 with something worth our notice. Accordingly, I 

 went with him, in the morning of the 16th, attended 

 by Mr. Anderson. Nothing, however, occurred on 

 this occasion, that was either interesting or curious. 

 "We saw Etary and his followers present some coarse 

 cloth and hogs to Otoo ; and each article was deli- 

 vered with some ceremony, and a set speech. After 

 this, they, and some otheir chiefs, held a consult- 

 ation about the expedition to Eimeo. Etary at first 

 seemed to disapprove of it, but at last his objec- 

 tions were over-ruled. Indeed, it appeared, next 



