CHAPTER V 
OTAHITE 
APRIL 13—JuxLy 12, 1769 
Reception by natives—Peace offerings and ceremonies—Thieving—Natives 
fired upon—Death of Mr. Buchan, the artist—Lycurgus and Hercules— 
Tents erected—An honest native—Flies—Music—A foreign axe found 
— Thefts— Names of the natives—The Dolphin’s queen — Quadrant 
stolen —Dootahah made prisoner—Visit to Dootahah — Wrestling — 
Tubourai offended—Natives at divine service—Cask stolen—Natives 
swimming in surf—Jmao—Transit of Venus—Nails stolen by sailors— 
Mourning—Previous visit of foreign ships—Banks takes part in a native 
funeral ceremony—Travelling musicians—Canoes seized for thefts—Dogs 
as food—Circumnavigation of the island—Image of man made of basket- 
work—Gigantic buildings (marat)—Battlefield—Return to station—Bread- 
fruit—Excursion inland—Volcanic nature of the island—Seeds planted 
—Dismantling the fort—Banks engages a native to go to England. 
13th. This morning early we came to an anchor in 
Port-royal by King George-the-Third’s Island. Before the 
anchor was down we were surrounded by a large number of 
canoes, the people trading very quietly and civilly, chiefly 
for beads, in exchange for which they gave cocoanuts, bread- 
fruit both roasted and raw, some small fish and apples. 
They had one pig with them which they refused to sell for 
nails upon any account, but repeatedly offered it for a 
hatchet ; of these we had very few on board, so thought it 
better to let the pig go than to give one of them in exchange, 
knowing, on the authority of those who had been here be- 
fore, that if we did so they would never lower their price. 
As soon as the anchors were well down the boats were 
hoisted out, and we all went ashore, where we were met by 
some hundreds of the inhabitants, whose faces at least gave 
