JULY 1769 HUAHINE 



in 



1 5th. Our Indian often prayed to Tarn for a wind, and 

 as often boasted to me of the success of his prayers, which 

 I plainly saw he never began till he perceived a breeze so 

 near the ship that it generally reached her before his prayer 

 was finished. 



16th. This morning we were very near the island of 

 Huahine; some canoes very soon came off, but appeared 

 very much frightened ; one, however, came to us bringing a 

 chief and his wife, who on Tupia's assurance of our friendship 

 came on board. They resembled the Otahite people in 

 language, dress, tattow, in short, in everything. Tupia has 

 always said that the people of this island and Ulhietea will 

 not steal, in which they indeed differ much from our late 

 friends if they only keep up to their character. 



Soon after dinner we came to an anchor in a very small 

 bay, called by the natives Owalle, and immediately went 

 ashore. As soon as we landed Tupia squatted down on the 

 ground, and ranging us on one side and the Indians on the 

 other, began to pray to the chief who stood opposite to him, 

 answering him in a kind of response ; this lasted about a 

 quarter of an hour, in which time he sent at different inter- 

 vals two handkerchiefs and some beads he had prepared for 

 the purpose for Eatua ; these were sent among many messages 

 which passed backwards and forwards with plantains, etc. 

 In return for this present to their gods, which it seems was 

 very acceptable, we had a hog given for our Eatua, which in 

 this case will certainly be our stomachs. 



1*7 th. We found the productions here almost exactly the 

 same as at Otahite upon the hills the rocks and slag were 

 burnt if anything more than they were in that island. The 

 people also were almost exactly like our late friends, but 

 rather more stupid and lazy, in proof of which I need only 

 say that we should have gone much higher up the hills than 

 we did if we could have persuaded them to accompany us ; 

 their only excuse was the fear of being killed by the fatigue. 

 Their houses are very neat, and their boat-houses particularly 

 very large : one of these I measured was fifty good paces in 

 length, ten in breadth, and twenty-four feet in height. 



