282 AVOYAGETO 



«777- mat over his cloth ; as we fuppofed, to prevent its being 



Tun?, 



' w ' dirtied when he fat down. On our now aflcing him where 



Mareewagee was, to our great furprize, he faid, he had 

 gone from the place, to the fliip, juft before we arrived. 

 However, he defired us to walk with him to a malaee, or 

 houfe of public refort, which ftood about half a mile up 

 the country. But when we came to a large area before it, 

 he fat down in the path, and defired us to walk up to the 

 houfe. We did fo, and feated ourfelves in front, while the 

 crowd that followed us filled up the reft of the fpace. After 

 fitting a little while, we repeated our inquiries, by means of 

 Omai, Whether we were to fee Mareewagee ? But receiving 

 no fatisfadlory information, and fufpedling that the old 

 Chief was purpofely concealed from us, we went back to 

 our boats, much piqued at our difappointment ; and when 

 I got on board, I found that no fuch perfon had been there. 

 It afterward appeared, that, in this affair, we had laboured 

 under fome grofs miftakes, and that our interpreter Omai 

 had either been mifmformed, or, which is more likely, had 

 mifundcrftood what was told him about the great man, on 

 whofe account we had made this excurfion. 



The place we "went to was a village, moft delightfully 

 iituated on the bank of the inlet, \vhere all, or moft of the 

 principal perfons of the ifland refide ; each having his houfe 

 in the midft of a fmall plantation, with lefTer houfes, and 

 offices for fervants. Thefe plantations are neatly fenced 

 round ; and, for the moft part, have only one entrance. 

 This is by a door, faftened, on the infidc, by a prop of wood j 

 fo that a perfon has to knock, before he can get admittance. 

 Public roads, and narrow lanes, lie between each planta- 

 tion ; fo that no one trefpaffeth upon another. Great part of 

 fome of thefe inclofures is laid out in grafs- plots, and 



planted 



