THE PA CI F rC OCEAN. 



133 



guefs at the time of its commencement and its conclufion, '777- 



/- ,1 , . ri f • ^ , . December. 



from collateral circumltances, furniflaed by our own obfcr- ->— -v~^ 

 vation, as the natives could not fatisfy our inquiries with any 

 precifion. The final conqueft of Ulietea, which clofcd the 

 war, we know, had been made before I was there in tlie 

 Endeavour, in 1769; but we may infer, that peace had not 

 been very long reftored, as we could then fee marks of re- 

 cent hoflilities* having been committed upon that ifland;. 

 Some additional light may be thrown upon this inquiry, by 

 attending to the age of Teereetareea, the prefcnt Chief of 

 Huaheine. His looks fliewed, that he was not above ten or 

 twelve years old ; and we were informed, that his father 

 had been killed in one of the battles. As to the time when 

 the war began, we had no better rule for judging, than 

 this, that the young people of about twenty years of age, 

 of whom we made inquiries, could fcarcely remember the 

 firll: battles ; and I have already mentioned, that Omai's 

 countrymen, whom we found at Wateeoo, knew nothing of 

 this war ; fo that its commencement was fubfequent to their 

 voyage. 



Ever fince the conqueft of Ulietea and Otalia, the Bola- 

 bola men have been confidered, by their neighbours, as in- 

 vincible; and fuch is the extent of their fame, that even at' 

 Otaheite, which is almoft out of their reach, if they are not 

 dreaded, they are, at leaft, refpecfled for their valour. It is 

 faid,^ that they never fly in battle, and that they always beat 

 an equal number of the other iflanders. But, befides thefe 

 advantages, their neighbours feem to afcribe a great deal 

 to the fuperiority of their god, who, they believed, detained 

 lis at Ulietea by contrary winds, as being unwilling that we 

 fiiould vifit an ifland under his fpecial protedlion. 



* Thefe are taken notice of in Haivkefivorth's ColU^ion, Vol. ii. p. 256, 5:c. 



4 How 



