The chief, and his friends, did not leave me till we were under sail, and before he went away, pressed me much to know, if I would not return, and when?  Questions which were daily put to me by many of these islanders.  My Otaheitean youth’s leaving me proved of no consequence, as many young men of this island voluntarily offered to come away with us.  I thought proper to take on board one, who was about seventeen or eighteen years of age, named Oedidee, a native of Bolabola, and a near relation of the great Opoony, chief of that island.  Soon after we were out of the harbour, and had made sail, we observed a canoe following us, conducted by two men; whereupon I brought-to, and they presently came alongside, having brought me a present of roasted fruit and roots from Oreo.  I made them a proper return before I dismissed them, and then set sail to the west, with the Adventure in company.

CHAPTER XIV.

An Account of a Spanish Ship visiting Otaheite; the present State of the Islands; with some Observations on the Diseases and Customs of the Inhabitants; and some Mistakes concerning the Women corrected.

1773 September

I shall now give some farther account of these islands; for, although I have been pretty minute in relating the daily transactions, some things, which are rather interesting, have been omitted.

Soon after our arrival at Otaheite, we were informed that a ship about the size of the Resolution, had been in at Owhaiurua harbour, near the S.E. end of the island, where she remained about three weeks; and had been gone about three months before we arrived.  We were told that four of the natives were gone away with her, whose names were Debedebea, Paoodou, Tanadooee, and Opahiah.  At this time, we conjectured this was a French ship, but, on our arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, we learnt she was a Spaniard, which had been sent out from America.  The Otaheiteans complained of a disease communicated to them by the people in this ship, which they said affected the head, throat, and stomach, and at length killed them.  They seemed to dread it much, and were continually enquiring if we had it.  This ship they distinguished by the name of Pahai no Pep-pe (ship of Peppe), and called the disease Apa no Pep-pe, just as they call the venereal disease Apa no Pretane (English disease), though they, to a man, say it was brought to the isle by M. de Bougainville; but I have already observed that they thought M. de Bougainville came from Pretane, as well as every other ship which has touched at the isle.