124 cook's voyage to dec. 



fly in battle, and that they always beat an equal num- 

 ber of the other islanders. But, besides these ad- 

 vantages, their neighbours seem to ascribe a great 

 deal to the superiority of their god, who, they believ- 

 ed, detained us at Ulietea by contrary winds, as be- 

 ing unwilling that we should visit an island under his 

 special protection. 



How high the Bolabola men are now in estimation 

 at Otaheite, may be inferred from Monsieur de Bou- 

 gainville's anchor having been conveyed to them. To 

 the same cause we must ascribe the intention of trans- 

 porting to their island the Spanish bull. And they 

 had already got possession of a third European curi- 

 osity, the male of another animal, brought to Otaheite 

 by the Spaniards. We had been much puzzled, by 

 the imperfect description of the natives, to fguess 

 what this could be. But Captain Clerke's deserters, 

 when brought back from Bolabola, told me, that the 

 animal had been there shown to them, and that it was 

 a ram. It seldom happens but that some good arises 

 out of evil ; and if our two men had not deserted, I 

 should not have known this. In consequence of 

 their information, at the same time that I landed to 

 meet Opoony, I carried ashore a ewe, which we had 

 brought from the Cape of Good Hope ; and I hope 

 that, by this present, I have laid the foundation for 

 a breed of sheep at Bolabola. I also left at Ulietea, 

 under the care of Oreo, an English boar and sow, 

 and two goats. So that, not only Otaheite, but all 

 the neighbouring islands will, in a few years, have 

 their race of hogs considerably improved ; and, pro- 

 bably, be stocked with all the valuable animals which 

 have been transported hither by their European 

 visitors. 



When once this comes to pass, no part of the world 

 will equal these islands in variety and abundance of 

 refreshments for navigators. Indeed, even in their 

 present state, I know no place that excels them, 

 After repeated trials, in the course of several voyages^ 



