THEPACIFICOCEAN. 19 



whom they call Eatooas, from a pcrfuafion that they are »777« 



Auguft. 



pofleiTed with the fpirit of the divinity, came and flood be- 

 fore us. He had all the appearance of a man not in his 

 right fenfes ; and his only drefs was a large quantity of 

 plantain leaves, wrapped round his waift. He fpoke in a 

 low, fqueaking voice, fo as hardly to be underftood ; at 

 lead, not by me. But Omai faid, that he comprehended 

 him perfectly, and that he was advifing Waheiadooa not to 

 go with me to Matavai; an expedition which I had never 

 heard that he intended, nor had I ever made fuch a propofal 

 to him. The Eatooa aifo foretold, that tlie fliips would not 

 get to Matavai that day. But in this he was miflaken ; 

 though appearances now rather favoured his predidlion, 

 there not being a breath of wind in any direction. While 

 he was prophefying, there fell a very heavy lliower of rain, 

 which made every one run for flicker, but himfelf, who 

 feemed not to regard ir. He remained fqueaking, by us, 

 about half an hour, and then retired. No one paid any at- 

 tention to what he uttered ; though fomc laughed at him. 

 I alked the Chief, what he was, whether an Bares, or a 7bw- 

 totv ? and the anfwer I received was, that he was taata eno ; 

 that is, a bad man. And yet, notwithilanding this, and the 

 little notice any of the natives feemed to take of the mad 

 prophet, fuperilition has fo far got the better of their reafon, 

 that they firmly believe fuch perfons to be pofTefied with the 

 fpirit of the Eatooa. Omai feemed to be very well inflrufled 

 about them. He faid, that, during the fits that come upon 

 them, they know nobody, not even their moil intimate ac- 

 quaintances ; and that, if any one of them happens to be a 

 man of property, he will very often give away every move- 

 able he is poirefFed of, if his friends do not put them out of 

 his reach j and, when he recovers, will inquire what had 



D 2 become 



