CHAPTER II 



The Discovery of Tahiti — Marvelous isles and people — Hailed by a wind- 

 jammer — Middle of the voyage — Tahiti on the horizon — Ashore in 

 Papeete. 



WHAT did Tahiti hold for me? I thought 

 vaguely of its history. The world first 

 knew its existence only about the time that 

 the American colonies were trying to separate them- 

 selves from Great Britain. An English naval captain 

 happened on the island, and thought himself the first 

 white man there, though the Spanish claim its discovery. 

 The Englishman called it King George Island, after 

 the noted Tory monarch of his day; but a Frenchman, 

 a captain and poet, the very next spring named it the 

 New Cytherea, esteeming its fascinations like the fabled 

 island of ancient Greek lore. It remained for Captain 

 James Cook, who, before steam had killed the wonder of 

 distance and the telegraph made daily bread of adven- 

 ture and discovery, was the hero of many a fireside 

 tale, to bring Tahiti vividly before the mind of the 

 English world. That hardy mariner's entrancing diary 

 fixed Tahiti firmly in the thoughts of the British and 

 Americans. Bougainville painted such an ecstatic pic- 

 ture that all France would emigrate. Cook set down 

 that Otaheite was the most beautiful of all spots on the 

 surface of the globe. He praised the people as the 

 handsomest and most lovable of humans, and said they 



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