76 cook's voyage to oct. 



sers to the trees. It is said that this experiment 

 has sometimes succeeded ; but, I believe, we got 

 clear of very few, if any, of the numerous tribe that 

 haunted us. 



In the morning of the 2d, Maheine, the chief 

 of the island, paid me a visit. He approached the 

 ship with great caution, and it required some per- 

 suasion to get him on board. Probably, he was 

 under some apprehensions of mishief from us, as 

 friends of the Otaheiteans ; these people not being 

 able to comprehend how we can be friends with any 

 one, without adopting, at the same time, his cause 

 against his enemies. Maheine was accompanied by 

 his wife, who, as I was informed, is sister to Oamo 

 of Otaheite, of whose death we had an account 

 while we were at this island. I made presents to 

 both of them, of such things as they seemed to set 

 the highest value upon ; and after a stay of about 

 half an hour, they went away. Not long after, they 

 returned with a large hog, which they meant as a 

 return for my present ; but I made them another 

 present to the full value of it. After this, they paid 

 a visit to Captain Clerke. 



This chief \ who, with a few followers, has made 

 himself in a manner independent of Otaheite, is 

 between forty and fifty years old. He is bald-headed, 

 which is rather an uncommon appearance in these 

 islands at that age. He wore a kind of turban, and 

 seemed ashamed to shew his head. But whether they 

 themselves considered this deficiency of hair as a 

 mark of disgrace, or whether they entertained a no- 

 tion of our considering it as such, I cannot say. We 

 judged that the latter supposition was the truth, from 

 this circumstance, that they had seen us shave the 

 head of one of their people, whom we had caught 

 stealing. They therefore concluded that this was 

 the punishment usually inflicted by us upon all 

 thieves ; and one or two of our gentlemen, whose 



