ls, beads, &c.; in return, he ordered a pretty good
hog to be carried to our boat. We staid with him all the morning, during
which time, he never suffered me to go from his side, where he was seated.
I was also seated on the same stool, which was carried from place to place
by one of his attendants, whom he called stool-bearer. At length we took
leave, in order to return on board to dinner, after which, we visited him
again, and made him more presents, and he, in return, gave Captain Furneaux
and me each of us an hog. Some others were got by exchanges at the trading
places; so that we got in the whole, to-day, as much fresh pork as gave the
crews of both the ships a meal; and this in consequence of our having this
interview with the chief.[3]
The 24th, early in the morning, we put to sea with a light land-breeze.
Soon after we were out, we got the wind at west, which blew in squalls,
attended with heavy showers of rain. Many canoes accompanied us out to sea,
with cocoa-nuts and other fruits, and did not leave us till they had
disposed of their cargoes.
The fruits we got here greatly contributed towards the recovery of the
Adventure's sick people; many of them, who had been so ill as not to be
able to move without assistance, were, in this short time so far recovered,
that they could walk about of themselves. When we put in here, the
Resolution had but one scorbutic man on board, and a marine, who had been
long sick, and who died the second day after our arrival, of a complication
of disorders, without the least mixture of the scurvy. I left Lieutenant
Pickersgill, with the cutter, behind the bay, to purchase hogs, as several
had promised to bring some down to-day, and I was not willing to lose them.
On the 25th; about noon, Mr Pickersgill returned with eight hogs, which he
got at Oaiti-piha. He spent the night at Ohedea, and was well entertained
by Ereti, the chief of that district. It was remarkable, that this chief
never once asked after Aotouroo, nor did he take the least notice when Mr
Pickersgill mentioned his name. And yet M. de Bougainville tells us, this
is the very chief who presented Aotourou to him; which makes it the more
extraordinary, that he should neither enquire after him now, nor when he
was with us at Matavai, especially as they believed that we and M. de
Bougainville came from the same country, that is, from _Pretane_, for
so they called our country. They had not the least knowledge of any other
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