the afternoon, Mr Pickersgill returned from Attahourou; to which place I
had sent him, two days before, for the hogs he had been promised. My old
friend Pottatou, the chief of that district, his wife, or mistress, (I know
not which,) and some more of his friends, came along with Mr Pickersgill,
in order to visit me. They brought me a present of two hogs and some fish;
and Mr Pickersgill got two more hogs, by exchange, from Oamo; for he went
in the boat as far as Paparra, where he saw old Oberea. She seemed much
altered for the worse, poor, and of little consequence. The first words she
said to Mr Pickersgill were, _Earee mataou ina boa_, Earee is
frightened, you can have no hogs. By this it appeared that she had little
or no property, and was herself subject to the Earee, which I believe was
not the case when I was here before. The wind, which had blown westerly all
day, having shifted at once to the east, we put to sea; and I was obliged
to dismiss my friends sooner than they wished to go; but well satisfied
with the reception they had met with.

Some hours before we got under sail, a young man, whose name was Poreo,
came and desired I would take him with me. I consented, thinking he might
be of service to us on some occasion. Many more offered themselves, but I
refused to take them. This youth asked me for an axe and a spike-nail for
his father, who was then on board. He had them accordingly, and they parted
just as we were getting under sail, more like two strangers than father and
son. This raised a doubt in me whether it was so; which was farther
confirmed, by a canoe, conducted by two men, coming along-side, as we were
standing out of the bay, and demanding the young man in the name of Otoo. I
now saw that the whole was a trick to get something from me; well knowing
that Otoo was not in the neighbourhood, and could know nothing of the
matter. Poreo seemed, however, at first undetermined whether he should go
or stay; but he soon inclined to the former. I told them to return me the
axe and nails, and then he should go, (and so he really should,) but they
said they were on shore, and so departed. Though the youth seemed pretty
well satisfied, he could not refrain from weeping when he viewed the land
astern.

CHAPTER XII.

_An Account of the Reception we met with at Huaheine, with the Incidents
that happened while the Ships lay there; and of Omai, one of the Natives,
coming away in the Adventure._

1773 September