Saturday 10.

One of the officers this morning on shore inadvertently plucked a branch from a tree called Tutuee, that bears the oil nut, which was growing at a Morai.  On entering with it into the house occupied by our people all the natives, both men and women, immediately went away.  When I went on shore I found this branch tied to one of the posts of the house, although the effect it had on the natives was known.  I was much displeased at this piece of wantonness and ordered the branch to be taken away; but the natives notwithstanding would not come near the place.  They said the house was taboo, which I understand to signify interdicted, and that none of them might approach it till the taboo was taken off, which could only be done by Tinah.  To take anything away from a Morai is regarded as a kind of sacrilege and, they believe, gives great offence to the Eatua.  At my request Tinah took off the taboo, but not before the afternoon.  This was performed by an offering of a plantain leaf at the Morai, and a prayer made to the Eatua.  After this ceremony the house was resorted to by the natives as usual.

I had not yet given up the hope of obtaining the bull from Itteah, though I had hitherto received no satisfactory answer to the messages which Tinah had sent at my desire:  I therefore spoke to Poeeno who undertook to negotiate this business, and I commissioned him to make very liberal offers.  He left me after dinner to return to Matavai.  In the evening a messenger arrived from him to acquaint me that, in his absence, the sheep which I had trusted to his care had been killed by a dog; and that he had sent the culprit, hoping that I would kill him for the offence he had committed.  This poor sheep had been so much diseased that I could not help suspecting he died without the dog’s assistance, and that the story of the dog was invented to prevent my attributing it to want of care.  This doubt did not appear in my answer; as for the dog I told the messenger to do with him what he pleased.

Tuesday 13.

This morning, the weather being more moderate than it had been for some days past, Oreepyah sailed with two canoes for Tethuroa.

Wednesday 14.

Some business prevented Moannah from accompanying him but he followed the next day with two other canoes.  The wood that we had got at Matavai being expended I applied to Tinah, who sent three trees down to the waterside before night, which when cut up made a good launch load.

I saw two instances of jealousy today one of which had nearly produced fatal consequences.  A man was detected with a married woman by the husband, who stabbed him in the belly with a knife:  fortunately the intestines escaped and the wound did not prove dangerous.  The other instance was a girl, who had constantly lived with my coxswain, beating another girl that she discovered to have been too intimate with him.

Friday 16.