THIRD VOYAGE 291 



boat with no other view than to get a passage to Matavai. 

 But when we arrived at the ship they told me they intended 

 passing the night on board for the express purpose of under- 

 taking the cure of the disorder I had complained of, which 

 was a pain of the rheumatic kind. I accepted the friendly 

 offer, had a bed spread for them upon the cabin floor, and 

 submitted myself to their directions. They began to 

 squeeze me with both hands from head to foot, but more 

 particularly on the parts where the pain was lodged, till 

 they made my bones crack, and my flesh became a perfect 

 mummy. In short, after undergoing this discipline about 

 a quarter of an hour, I was glad to get away from them. 

 However, the operation gave me immediate relief, which 

 encouraged me to submit to another rubbing down before I 

 went to bed, and it was so effectual that I found myself 

 pretty easy all the night after. My female physicians re- 

 peated their prescription the next morning before they went 

 ashore, and again in the evening when they returned on 

 board ; after which I found the pains entirely removed, and 

 the cure being perfected, they took their leave of me the 

 following morning. This they call romee ; an operation 

 which, in my opinion, far exceeds the flesh-brush or any- 

 thing of the kind that we make use of externally. It is 

 universally practised amongst these islanders, being 

 sometimes performed by the men, but more generally by 

 the women. 



" The war with Eimeo being finally closed, all our friends 

 paid us a visit on the 26th ; and as they knew that we were 

 upon the point of sailing, brought with them more hogs 

 than we could take off their hands. For, having no salt 

 left to preserve any, we wanted no more than for present 

 use. 



" Our friend Omai got one good thing at this island for 

 the many good things he gave away. This was a very fine 

 double-sailing canoe, completely equipped, and fit for the 

 sea. Some time before I had made up for him a suit of 

 English colours, but he thought these too valuable to be 

 used at this time, and patched up a parcel of colours, such 

 as flags and pendants, to the number of ten or a dozen, 

 which he spread on different parts of his vessel, all at the 

 same time, and drew together as many people to look at 

 her as a man-of-war would, dressed in a European port. 

 These streamers of Omai were a mixture of English, French, 

 Spanish, and Dutch, which were all the European colours 

 that he had seen. 



" Omai had also provided himself with a good stock of 

 cloth and cocoa-nut oil, which are not only in greater plenty, 

 but much better at Otaheite than at any of the Society 



