1779- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 5 



and was expected to return within three or four days. 

 A few presents from Captain Cook attached him en- 

 tirely to our interests, and he became exceedingly 

 useful to us in the management of his countrymen, 

 as we had soon occasion to experience. For we had 

 not been long at anchor, when it was observed that 

 the Discovery had such a number of people hanging 

 on one side, as occasioned her to heel considerably: 

 and that the men were unable to keep off the crowds 

 which continued pressing into her. Captain Cook, 

 being apprehensive that she might suffer some injury, 

 pointed out the danger to Pareea, who immediately 

 went to their assistance, cleared the ship of its in- 

 cumbrances, and drove away the canoes that sur- 

 rounded her. 



The authority of the chiefs over the inferior peo- 

 ple appeared, from this incident, to be of the most 

 despotic kind. A similar instance of it happened the 

 same day on board the Resolution ; where the crowd 

 being so great, as to impede the necessary business 

 of the ship, we were obliged to have recourse to the 

 assistance of Kaneena, another of their chiefs, who 

 had likewise attached himself to Captain Cook. The 

 inconvenience we laboured under being made known, 

 he immediately ordered his countrymen to quit the 

 vessel ; and we were not a little surprized to see them 

 jump overboard, without a moment's hesitation; all 

 except one man, who loitering behind, and showing 

 some unwillingness to obey, Kaneena took him up in 

 his arms, and threw him into the sea. 



Both these chiefs were men of strong and well- 

 proportioned bodies, and of countenances remarkably 

 pleasing. Kaneena especially, whose portrait Mr. 

 Webber has drawn, was one of the finest men I ever 

 saw. He was about six feet high, had regular and 

 expressive features, w 7 ith lively, dark eyes; his car- 

 riage was easy, firm, and graceful. 



It has been already mentioned, that during our 

 long cruize off this island, the inhabitants had always 



b 3 



