bay called Hidea, some leagues to the eastward of Matavie, where our ship now lies; that during their stay they sent tents ashore, and some slept in them; that they were chiefly connected with a chief whose name was Orette, and whose younger brother they carried away with them, promising to return in nine months; that they had on board their ships a woman; and that on their departure they stood to the westward as long as they were seen from the island. I was very particular in these inquiries, as the knowledge got by them may be of some consequence. The methods by which I gained this account would be much too tedious to mention. One of my greatest difficulties was to determine the nationality of the ships: for this purpose I pointed to our colours and asked whether the two ships had the same or not. "No," was the answer, when the question was thoroughly understood. I then opened a large sheet of flags, and asked which of them they had. Tubourai looked steadfastly over them, and at last pitched upon the Spanish ensign, and to that he adhered, although we tried him over and over again.[1]
9th. Yesterday and to-day the Heiva no Metua, or chief mourner, walked. My curiosity was raised by his most singular dress, and being desirous of knowing what he did during his walk, I asked Tubourai, at the same time desiring leave to attend him to-morrow, which was readily granted upon my consenting to act a character.
Bread-fruit has for some time been scarce with us; about ten days ago, when there had been a great show of fruit, the trees were thinned all at once, and every one was employed in making mahie for about a week. Where the bread-fruit we now have comes from we cannot tell, but we have more than the woods around us can supply us with; probably our consumption has thinned the trees in this neighbourhood, as the Dolphin, which came here about this time, found great plenty during the whole of her stay. If this is the case, what we now get may be brought from
- ↑ As will appear later (see p. 370), the ships were French, under Bougainville.
