i'OKTER's -JUBENAL. 



stapidit/, and requested to be put on shore. If e^ howeverj 

 previous to his departure, wished me to exchange names 

 with him, and requested me to assist him in his war witii 

 the Happahs. To the first I immediately consented, but 

 told him I had come to be at peace with all on the island 5 

 that I wished to see him at peace with the Happahs ; and 

 that I should not engage in any hostilities, unless the Hap- 

 pahs came into the valley ; in which case I should protect 

 him and his people. He told me they had cursed the 

 bones of his mother, who had died but a short time since j 

 that as we had exchanged names, she was now my mother, 

 and I was bound to espouse her cause. I told him I would 

 reflect on the subject, and did not think it necessary to 

 make any farther reply to the old man's sophistry. 



Next morning he sent me a present, consisting of hogs 

 and several boat loads of cocoa-nuts and plantains, which 

 were distributed among the crews of the different vessels. 



I now unbent my sails, and sent them on shore, and land- 

 ed my water-casks, with which I formed a complete enclo- 

 sure, sufficiently spacious to answer all our purposes. The 

 ship was hauled close in with the beach, and we began in 

 good earnest to make our repairs. A tent was pitched 

 within the enclosure, and the place put under the protec- 

 tion of a guard of marines. In the afternoon several offi- 

 cers went on shore to visit the villages, when I perceived 

 a large body of the Happahs descending from the moun- 

 tains into the valley among the bread-fruit trees, which 

 they soon began to destroy. 1 immediately fired guns, and 

 made a signal for every person to repair on board, appre- 

 hensive that some might be cut off by them, as the friendly 

 natives had not seemed to notice this descent. The firing 

 of the guns soon occasioned the main body to halt, and 

 shortly afterwards the whole returned up the mountains, 

 as the friendly tribes had turned out to oppose them» 

 Those who were on shore, had returned on board ; and 

 as the Happahs had descended to within half a mile of our 

 camp, and had succeeded in destroying two hundred bread- 

 fruit trees, it became necessary to be more on our guard 

 against their enterprise. My messenger shortly afterwards 

 returned from among them, to say, that notwithstanding my 

 injunctions, they had come into the valley and destroyed 

 the bread-fruit trees, and we had not oppose^ them : tliat 



VOL. II. 4 



