I found him seated upon a stool, with a circle of people round him, and knew him at first sight, and he me, having seen each other several times in 1769. At that time he was but a boy, and went by the name of Tearee, but, upon the death of his father, Waheatoun, he took upon him that name.
After the first salutation was over, having seated me on the same stool with himself, and the other gentlemen on the ground by us, he began to enquire after several by name who were with me on my former voyage. He next enquired how long I would stay, and when I told him no longer than next day, he seemed sorry, asked me to stay some months, and at last came down to five days, promising, that in that time I should have hogs in plenty; but, as I had been here already a week, without so much as getting one, I could not put any faith in this promise; and yet, I believe, if I had staid, we should have fared much better than at Matavai. The present I made him consisted of a shirt, a sheet, a broad axe, spike-nails, knives, looking-glasses, medals, beads, &c.; in return, he ordered a pretty good hog to be carried to our boat. We staid with him all the morning, during which time, he never suffered me to go from his side, where he was seated. I was also seated on the same stool, which was carried from place to place by one of his attendants, whom he called stool-bearer. At length we took leave, in order to return on board to dinner, after which, we visited him again, and made him more presents, and he, in return, gave Captain Furneaux and me each of us an hog. Some others were got by exchanges at the trading places; so that we got in the whole, to-day, as much fresh pork as gave the crews of both the ships a meal; and this in consequence of our having this interview with the chief.
The 24th, early in the morning, we put to sea with a light land-breeze. Soon after we were out, we got the wind at west, which blew in squalls, attended with heavy showers of rain. Many canoes accompanied us out to sea, with cocoa-nuts and other fruits, and did not leave us till they had disposed of their cargoes.
The fruits we got here greatly contributed towards the recovery of the Adventure's sick people; many of them, who had been so ill as not to be able to move without assistance, were, in this short time so far recovered, that they could walk about of themselves. When we put in here, the Resolution had but one scorbutic man on board, and a marine, who had been long sick, and who died the second day after our arrival, of a complication of disorders, without the least mixture of the scurvy. I left Lieutenant Pickersgill, with the cutter, behind the bay, to purchase hogs, as several had promised to bring some down to-day, and I was not willing to lose them.
On the 25th; about noon, Mr. Pickersgill returned with eight hogs, which he got at Oaiti-piha. He spent the night at Ohedea, and was well entertained by Ereti, the chief of that district. It was remarkable, that this chief never once asked after Aotouroo, nor did he take the least notice when Mr. Pickersgill mentioned his name. And yet M. de Bougainville tells us, this is the very chief who presented Aotourou to him; which makes it the more extraordinary, that he should neither enquire after him now, nor when he was with us at Matavai, especially as they believed that we and M. de Bougainville came from the same country, that is, from Pretane, for so they called our country. They had not the least knowledge of any other European nation, nor probably will they, unless some of those men should return who had lately gone from the isle, of which mention shall be made bye and bye. We told several of them, that M. de Bougainville came from France, a name they could by no means pronounce; nor could they pronounce that of Paris much better; so that it is not likely that they will remember either the one or the other long; whereas Pretane is in every child's mouth, and will hardly ever be forgotten. It was not till the evening of this day that we arrived in Matavai bay.
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