1773 September

The sick being all pretty well recovered, our water-casks repaired, and water completed, as well as the necessary repairs of the ships, I determined to put to sea without farther delay.  Accordingly, on the 1st of September, I ordered every thing to be got off from the shore, and the ships to be unmoored.  On this work we were employed the most of the day.  In the afternoon, Mr Pickersgill returned from Attahourou; to which place I had sent him, two days before, for the hogs he had been promised.  My old friend Pottatou, the chief of that district, his wife, or mistress, (I know not which,) and some more of his friends, came along with Mr Pickersgill, in order to visit me.  They brought me a present of two hogs and some fish; and Mr Pickersgill got two more hogs, by exchange, from Oamo; for he went in the boat as far as Paparra, where he saw old Oberea.  She seemed much altered for the worse, poor, and of little consequence.  The first words she said to Mr Pickersgill were, Earee mataou ina boa, Earee is frightened, you can have no hogs.  By this it appeared that she had little or no property, and was herself subject to the Earee, which I believe was not the case when I was here before.  The wind, which had blown westerly all day, having shifted at once to the east, we put to sea; and I was obliged to dismiss my friends sooner than they wished to go; but well satisfied with the reception they had met with.

Some hours before we got under sail, a young man, whose name was Poreo, came and desired I would take him with me.  I consented, thinking he might be of service to us on some occasion.  Many more offered themselves, but I refused to take them.  This youth asked me for an axe and a spike-nail for his father, who was then on board.  He had them accordingly, and they parted just as we were getting under sail, more like two strangers than father and son.  This raised a doubt in me whether it was so; which was farther confirmed, by a canoe, conducted by two men, coming along-side, as we were standing out of the bay, and demanding the young man in the name of Otoo.  I now saw that the whole was a trick to get something from me; well knowing that Otoo was not in the neighbourhood, and could know nothing of the matter.  Poreo seemed, however, at first undetermined whether he should go or stay; but he soon inclined to the former.  I told them to return me the axe and nails, and then he should go, (and so he really should,) but they said they were on shore, and so departed.  Though the youth seemed pretty well satisfied, he could not refrain from weeping when he viewed the land astern.

CHAPTER XII.

An Account of the Reception we met with at Huaheine, with the Incidents that happened while the Ships lay there; and of Omai, one of the Natives, coming away in the Adventure.

1773 September