1777. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 19 



the cloth and its appendages were all rolled up ; but, 

 at my request, the two attendants hung it out in order, 

 first dressing themselves in clean white robes. They 

 told me, that the chief had been dead twenty months. 



Having taken in a fresh supply of water, and 

 finished all our other necessary operations, on the 22d, 

 I brought off the cattle and sheep, which had been 

 put on shore here to graze 5 and made ready for sea. 



In the morning of the 2Sd, while the ships were 

 unmooring, Omai and I landed, to take leave of the 

 young chief. While we were with him, one of those 

 enthusiastic persons, whom they call Eatooas, from a 

 persuasion that they are possessed with the spirit of 

 the Divinity, came and stood before us. He had all 

 the appearance of a man not in his right senses ; and 

 his only dress was a large quantity of plantain leaves, 

 wrapped round his waist. He spoke in a low, squeak- 

 ing voice, so as hardly to be understood ; at least, 

 not by me. But Omai said, that he comprehended 

 him perfectly, and that he was advising Waheiadooa 

 not to go with me to Matavai ; an expedition which 

 I had never heard he intended, nor had I ever made 

 such a proposal to him. The Eatooa also foretold, 

 that the ships would not get to Matavai that day. 

 But in this he was mistaken ; though appearances 

 now rather favoured his prediction, there not being 

 a breath of wind in any direction. While he was 

 prophesying, there fell a very heavy shower of rain, 

 which made every one run for shelter but himself, 

 who seemed not to regard it. He remained squeak- 

 ing by us about half an hour, and then retired. No 

 one paid any attention to what he uttered ; though 

 some laughed at him. I asked the Chief, what he 

 was, whether an Earee, or Towtow ? and the answer 

 I received was, that lie was taato eno ; that is, a bad 

 man. And yet, notwithstanding this, and the little 

 notice any of the natives seemed to take of the mad 

 prophet, superstition has so far got the better of their 

 reason, that they firmly believe such persons to be 



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