CHAPTER XVII. 
Madison’s island—animals—insects—fish—fruit— de¬ 
parture FROM THE ISLAND—ARRIVAL AT VALPARAISO. 
The only quadrupeds we found on the island were hogs s 
rats, cats, and dogs. Cats I did not see, but I was informed they 
were to be found wild in the woods, where they had retired from 
the dwellings of the natives. Of dogs I only saw two, and they 
belonged to Mr. Maury and the people with him; but I was in¬ 
formed there were one or two more on the east side of the island; 
neither of these animals appeared to be held in any kind of esti¬ 
mation by the natives. The cats appeared familiar to them; and 
they were much afraid of the dogs, particularly the two large 
mastiffs belonging to us. 
Agreeable to the tradition of Gattanewa, who is, perhaps, 
the greatest historian among them, cats were first brought to St. 
Christiana about forty years since by a god called Hitahita , and. 
thence some of the breed were brought in canoes to this island. 
The people in the canoes, which brought the cats, said that Hita¬ 
hita came in a canoe, as large as a small island; they had never 
seen a vessel of that description before, nor had they ever heard 
of one. This god they said killed a man, and from that circum¬ 
stance I am induced to believe that he could have been no other 
than captain Cook,* who anchored at that island with the Resolu¬ 
tion in 1773, in the bay which he named after his ship, (but which 
had before, in 1595, been called by Mendana La Madre de Dios ) 
the day after he anchored, one of the natives endeavoured to carry 
off one of the gang-way stanchions, and was shot in the act. This 
circumstance is related in the account of captain Cook’s voyage,, 
and the time since his being there agreeing so exactly with the 
* Cook was at this time bound to Otahita, and it is not improbable that 
the frequent use of the nam e of that island, among the crew of his ships, the 
sound of which approaches so near to Hitahita, may be the cause of his 
having this name. 
