he first, anxious to see the person who
had been looked upon by Captain Wallis as the queen of the island, and
at length, a number of people being collected at the tents, Mr
Mollineux, the master, declared that one of the females, who was sitting
quietly among the rest, was the lady herself. She, at the same time,
acknowledged him to be one of the strangers she had before seen. Her
name, they soon learned, was Oberea. She was tall and stout, and must
have been handsome in her youth. Her countenance indicated much
intelligence, and she was also unusually fair. She was thenceforth
treated with great attention, and many presents were offered her. It
was curious that among them all she seemed to value most a child's doll.
On this, Tootahah, who was apparently at that time the principal chief
on the island, jealous of the favours shown to Oberea, was not content
till he also had a doll given to him. For the moment he valued it more
than a hatchet, probably supposing that its possession conferred some
mark of dignity; or perhaps he took it for one of the gods of the white
men. Whatever the position really held by Oberea, her moral conduct was
not superior to that of most of her countrywomen. She seems to have
been the repudiated wife of Oamo, one of the principal chiefs of the
island. There appeared to have been three brothers, chiefs--Whappai,
the eldest, Oamo, and Tootahah. As soon as a son is born to a head
chief, he succeeds as king, and generally the father becomes regent.
Whappai had a son who was thus king, but Tootahah, having distinguished
himself as a leader in battle, was chosen as regent instead of Whappai,
and a son of Oamo and Oberea was the heir-apparent. It was thus
manifest to our voyagers that even among those simple savages--"the
children of nature" as they were sometimes called--ambition for
greatness and jealousy of power were passions not unknown nor unfelt,
any more than they are among civilised and highly cultivated nations and
races of men.

Among the attendants of Oberea was Tupia, who had been her minister in
the days of her power, and was now a priest, and possessed of
considerable influence. He from the first attached himself to the
English, and soon expressed a strong desire to accompany them whenever
they should leave the country. As it was very important to have an
intelligent native of a South Sea island attached to the expedition,
Captain Cook gladly availed himself of this desi