crew, who could not attend to the necessary business of the ships. To get rid of this incumbrance, recourse was had to the authority of the chiefs, two of whom, Pareea and Kaneena, attached themselves to Captain Cook; and these, at his request, soon cleared the vessels of such troublesome intruders; who, at the command of their chiefs, jumped overboard: one fellow who lingered behind, was taken up by Kaneena in his arms, and cast into the sea. The chiefs, however, did not altogether put a stop to pilfering; for this good. reason, that they themselves partook of the plunder, and when any thing of value was missing, it was generally traced into their possession. Koah, a little old chief, sometimes introduced common persons as chiefs, with a view to get possession of the presents made to them.
This Koah, who was said to be a priest as well as a warrior, seems to have been the first that honoured Capt. Cook with a kind of divine adoration. When he was conducted into the cabin of the Resolution, he approached the Captain with great veneration, threw over his shoulders a piece of red cloth, the sacred cloth in which the idols of this country were arrayed; then stepping back a few paces, he made an offering of a small pig, which he held in his hand, while he uttered a prayer of considerable length. After dinner, when Captain Cook, with Messrs. King and Bayley, accompanied Koah on shore, four men carrying wands tipt with dog's hair, the sacred wands that were used in tabooing, marched before him, making loud proclamation respecting Orono: upon which, the whole crowd on the shore retired, except a few, who fell prostrate on the ground. The procession.
