THIRD VOYAGE 289 



of bread-fruit and cocoa-nuts, were put into a canoe and 

 sent on board my ship, followed by myself and all the royal 

 family. 



" In the evening of the 7th, we played off some fireworks 

 before a great concourse of people. Some were highly 

 entertained with the exhibition, but by far the greater 

 number of spectators were terribly frightened, insomuch that 

 it wai 1 with difficulty we could prevail upon them to keep 

 together to see the end of the show. A table-rocket was the 

 last : it Hew off the table and dispersed the whole crowd in 

 a moment ; even the most resolute among them fled with 

 precipitation. 



" Otoo was not more attentive to supply our wants by a 

 succession of presents, than he was to contribute to our 

 amusement by a succession of diversions. A party of us 

 having gone down to Oparreon the 10th, he treated us with 

 what may be called a play. His three sisters were the 

 actresses, and the dresses that they appeared in were new 

 and elegant ; that is, more so than we had usually met with 

 at any of these islands. 



" In the evening we returned from Oparre, where we left 

 Otoo and all the royal family, and I saw none of them till 

 the 12th, when all but the chief himself paid me a visit. 

 He, as they told me, was gone to Attahooroo to assist this 

 day at another human sacrifice, which the chief of Tiaraboo 

 had sent thither to be offered up at the morai. This second 

 instance, within the course of a few days, was too melancholy 

 a proof how numerous the victims of this bloody superstition 

 are amongst this humane people. I would have been present 

 at this sacrifice too, had I known of it in time, for now it 

 was too late. 



" The following evening Otoo returned from exercising 

 this most disagreeable of all his duties as sovereign ; and the 

 next day, being now honoured with his company, Captain 

 Glerke and I, mounted on horseback, took a ride round the 

 plain of Matavai, to the very great surprise of a great train 

 of people who attended on the occasion, gazing upon us 

 with as much astonishment as if we had been centaurs. 

 Omai, indeed, had once or twice before this attempted to 

 get on horseback, but he had as often been thrown off 

 before he could contrive to seat himself, so that this was 

 the first time they had seen anybody ride a horse. What 

 Captain Clerke and I began was after this repeated every 

 day while we stayed by one another of our people ; and 

 yet the curiosity of the natives continued still unabated. 

 They were exceedingly delighted with these animals after 

 they had seen the use that was made of them ; and, as far 

 as I could judge, they conveyed to them a better idea of 



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