In the other instance the girl was the lover and the man unwilling.  A belle of Huahine became exceedingly fond of the society of a young man who was temporarily staying on the island and living in the same house.  It was soon intimated to him that she wished to become his companion for life.  The intimation, however, was disregarded by the young man, who expressed his intention to prosecute his voyage.  The young woman became unhappy, and made no secret of the cause of her distress.  She was assiduous in redoubling her efforts to please the individual whose affection she was desirous to retain.  At this period Ellis never saw him either in the house of his friend or walking abroad without the young woman by his side.  Finding the object of her attachment, who was probably about eighteen years of age, unmoved by her attentions, she not only became exceedingly unhappy, but declared that if she continued to receive the same indifference and neglect, she would either strangle or drown herself.  Her friends now interfered, using their endeavors with the young man.  He relented, returned the attentions he had received, and the two were married.  Their happiness, however, was of short duration.  The attachment which had been so ardent in the bosom of the young woman before marriage was superseded by a dislike as powerful, and though he seemed not unkind to her, she not only treated him with insult but finally left him.

“The marriage tie,” says Ellis (I., 213),

“was probably one of the weakest and most brittle that existed among them; neither party felt themselves bound to abide by it any longer than it suited their convenience.  The slightest cause was often sufficient to occasion or justify the separation.”

CAPTAIN COOK ON TAHITIAN LOVE

It has been said of Captain Cook that his maps and topographical observations are characterized by remarkable accuracy.  The same may be said in general of his observations regarding the natives of the islands he visited more than a century ago.  He, too, noted some cases of strong personal preference among Tahitians, but this did not mislead him into attributing to them a capacity for true love: 

“I have seen several instances where the women have preferred personal beauty to interest, though I must own that, even in these cases, they seem scarcely susceptible of those delicate sentiments that are the result of mutual affection; and I believe that there is less Platonic love in Otaheite than in any other country.”

Not that Captain Cook was infallible.  When he came across the Tonga group he gave it the name of “Friendly Islands,” because of the apparently amicable disposition of the natives toward him; but, as a matter of fact, their intention was to massacre him and his crew and take the two ships—­a plan which would have been put in execution if the chiefs had not had a dispute as to the exact mode and