136 Transactions. 



were agreed in confirming the fact that it is the prayer addressed to the 

 grand atua of heaven when the sacred food is offered on the field of battle. 

 [Rather is it a dirge sung over the great dead.] 



Young Rau-Tangui appeared to be intimately connected with Shaki, 

 but it was impossible for me to learn whether she was his slave or his sister. 

 Their responses to my questions varied at each instant and left me 

 in incertitude. With the system of adoption prevailing amongst them, it 

 seems possible that both were correct, and that in fact the father of Shaki 

 had espoused one of his prisoners, mother of Rau-Tangui. That little 

 girl was extraordinarily lively ; her body was in constant movement, and 

 her imagination was equally active, for we sav/ her laugh, then cry, and 

 often do both almost at the same moment. Many of hex companions offered 

 their favours indiscriminately to the officers and sailors for any kind of 

 trifle ; but it is well to be on one's guard, for the :-e ladies, following their 

 constant practice, not content with voluntary tributes given to them, added 

 all they could steal. Thus one of our gallant chevaliers saw his watch 

 disappear all at once, to his great consternation, and subsequently found it 

 in the hands of the honest Shaki, for it is ordinarily to the supreme chief 

 all these objects accrue. 



Our two passengers from Tera-Witi [Palliser Bay] had made acquaintance 

 with the inhabitants of Houa-Houa [Uawa], and Tehi-Noui had decided 

 to remain with them. I confirmed him in that resolution, and gave him, 

 at his request, a cartridge of powder, in order to satisfy the rangatira 

 under whose protection he pretended to be, and who was to furnish 

 him with a canoe to enable him to return home. As a fact, after muskets 

 (pou) [pu], more precious than gold or diamonds amongst us, powder is 

 the object most essential in their eyes. 



Koki-Hore appeared little satisfied with this determination, preferring 

 to remain on board, but honour prescribed that he should follow his chief. 



All the morning it had been nearly calm, and I hoped to pass the night 

 tranquilly at anchor, when at 6 p.m., with a light breeze from the W.N.W., 

 we found that our anchor was dragging. Twenty fathoms of chain that 

 ■were paid out instantly did not stop us. I concluded that our anchor was 

 foul. We were rapidly approaching the breakers of Moui-Tera (Sporing Isle 

 of Cook), and I could not hope to let go a second anchor, for fear of exposing 

 our cable to become fouled with the chain at the turn of tide. I decided, 

 therefore, to get under sail and out of the bay. At the same moment our 

 two boats came off, and my decision was without doubt the safest. 



There remained on board fifteen Natives, of whom five or six were females, 

 who had allowed their canoe to depart, with the intention of passing the 

 night with us. They were at first very much alarmed, and thought we were 

 going to carry them off. I endeavoured to reassure them by explaining 

 the reasons that forced me to quit the anchorage so hastily ; then they 

 resumed their confidence and gave us a representation of one of their dances 

 and passed the night in gaiety. 



Shaki, Rau-Tangui, and tM^o other rangatiras gave me very minutely 

 the names of the different parts of the coast from Cape Gable (Pa-noui-Tera) 

 [Pari-nui-te-ra] up to the East Cape (Wai-Apou). [Wai-apu River is about 

 eight miles south of the cape in reality.] Sporing Island is Moui-Tera, 

 and White Island, on the right of the bay in entering, is Motou-Heka. 

 It is worthy of remark that the names of Tologa and Tegadou are quite 

 unknown to the Natives ; but it has long since been averred that Cook, so 

 full of sagacity otherwise, had little aptitude in acquiring the names of 



