1777 THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 51 



thither to be offered up at the moral. This second in- 

 stance, within the course of a few days, was too me- 

 lancholy a proof how numerous the victims of this 

 bloody superstition are amongst this humane people. 

 I would have been present at this sacrifice, too, had I 

 known of it in time; for now it was too late. From 

 the very same cause, I missed being present at a pub- 

 lic transaction which had passed at Oparre the pre- 

 ceding day, when Otoo, with all the solemnities 

 observed on such occasions, restored to the friends and 

 followers of the late king Tootaha the lands and 

 possessions which had been withheld from them ever 

 since his death. Probably the new sacrifice was the 

 concluding ceremony of what may be called the re- 

 versal of attainder. 



The following evening, Otoo returned from exer- 

 cising this most disagreeable of all his duties as sove- 

 reign ; and, the next day, being now honoured with 

 his company, Captain Gierke and I, mounted on 

 horseback, took a ride round the plain of Matavai, to 

 the very great surprize of a great train of people who 

 attended on the occasion, gazing upon us with as 

 much astonishment as if we had been centaurs. Omai, 

 indeed, had, once or twice before this, attempted to 

 get on horseback ; but he had as often been thrown 

 off, before he could contrive to seat himself ; so that 

 this was the first time they had seen any body ride a 

 horse. What Captain Clerke and I began, was, after 

 this, repeated every day, while we staid, by one or 

 another of our people ; and yet the curiosity of the 

 natives continued still unabated. They were exceed- 

 ingly delighted with these animals, after they had 

 seen the use that was made of them ; and, as far as I 

 could judge, they conveyed to them a better idea of 

 the greatness of other nations than all the other no- 

 velties put together that their European visiters 

 had carried amongst them. Both the horse and mare 

 were in good case, and looked extremely well. 



The next day, Etary, or Olla, the god of Bolabola, 



e 2 



