e. Here we found two women at work staining a piece of cloth red.
These I found were his wife and her sister. They desired me to sit down
on a mat which was spread for the purpose, and with great kindness
offered me refreshments. I received the congratulations of several
strangers who came to us and behaved with great decorum and attention.
The people however thronged about the house in such numbers that I was
much incommoded by the heat, which being observed they immediately drew
back. Among the crowd I saw a man who had lost his arm just above the
elbow; the stump was well covered and the cure seemed as perfect as could
be expected from the greatest professional skill.
I made enquiries about the cattle that had been left here by Captain
Cook, but the accounts I received were very unfavourable and so various
that for the present I shall forebear speaking of them. After staying
about an hour I got up to take leave, when the women in a very obliging
manner came to me with a mat and a piece of their finest cloth, which
they put on me after the Otaheite fashion. When I was thus dressed they
each of them took one of my hands, and accompanied me to the waterside,
and at parting promised that they would soon return my visit.
In this walk I had the satisfaction to see that the island had received
some benefit from our former visits. Two shaddocks were brought to me, a
fruit which they had not, till we introduced it. And among the articles
which they brought off to the ship and offered for sale were capsicums,
pumpkins, and two young goats.
On my return to the ship I found that a small disturbance had been
occasioned by one of the natives making an attempt to steal a tin pot;
which, on being known to Oreepyah, he flew into a violent rage, and it
was with some difficulty that the thief escaped with his life. He drove
all his countrymen out of the ship; and when he saw me he desired if at
any time I found a thief that I would order him to be tied up and
punished with a severe flogging.
This forenoon a man came on board with Captain Cook's picture which had
been drawn by Mr. Webber in 1777 and left with Otoo. It was brought to me
to be repaired. The frame was broken but the picture no way damaged
except a little in the background. They called it Toote (which has always
been their manner of pronouncing Captain Cook's name) Earee no Otaheite,
chief of Otaheite. They said Toote had desired Otoo, whenever any English
ship came,
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