CHAPTER YI 



OTAHITE TO OHETEEOA 

 JULY 13 AUGUST 14, 1769 



Departure from Otahite Huahine Ulhietea God-houses Boats and boat- 

 houses Otahah Bola-Bola Return to Ulhietea Reception by natives 

 Dancing Pearls The King of Bola-Bola Native drama Oheteroa 

 Dress Arms. 



13th July. About ten this morning we sailed from Otahite, 

 leaving our friends, some of them at least, I really believe, 

 personally sorry for our departure. Our nearest friends 

 came on board at this critical time, except only Tubourai 

 and Tamio ; we had Oborea, Otheothea, Taysa, Nuna, Tuanne, 

 Matte, Pottatow, Polothearia, etc., on board. When the 

 anchor was weighed they took their leaves tenderly enough, 

 not without plenty of tears, though entirely without that 

 clamorous weeping made use of by the other Indians, several 

 boats of which were about the ship, shouting out their lament- 

 ations, as vying with each other, not who should cry most, 

 but who should cry loudest, a custom we had often con- 

 demned in conversation with our particular friends, as 

 savouring more of affected than real grief. 



Tupia, who after all his struggles stood firm at last in 

 his resolution of accompanying us, parted with a few heart- 

 felt tears, so I judge them to have been by the efforts I saw 

 him make to hide them. He sent by Otheothea his last 

 present, a shirt, to Potamia, Dootahah's favourite ; he and I 

 went then to the topmast-head, where we stood a long time 

 waving to the canoes as they went off, after which he came 

 down and showed no further signs of seriousness or concern. 



