As soon as the ship was secured I went on shore with the chief Poeeno, and accompanied by a multitude of the natives.  He conducted me to the place where we had fixed our tents in 1777 and desired that I would now appropriate the spot to the same use.  We then went across the beach and through a walk delightfully shaded with breadfruit trees to his own house.  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, to show the picture, and it would be acknowledged as a token of friendship.  The youngest brother of Otoo, named Whydooah, visited me this afternoon:  he appeared stupefied with drinking ava.  At sunset all our male visitors left the ship.