6oB

CAPTAIN COOK’S SECOND VOYAGE.

The vefiels of war confifted of 160 large double canoes, very well equipped, manned,and armed. The chiefs, and all thofe on the fighting ftages, were dreffed in theirwar-habits; that is, in a vaft quantity of cloth, turbans, breaft-plates, and helmets.Some of the latter were of fuch a length as greatly to encumber the wearer. Indeed,their whole drefs feemed to be ill calculated for the day of battle, and to be defignedmore for {hew than ufe. Be this as it may, it certainly added grandeur to the profpecl,as they were fo complaifant as to fhew themfelves to the belt advantage. The vefielswere decorated with flags, ftreamers, &c. fo that the whole made a grand and nobleappearance, fuch as they had never feen before in this fea, and what no one would haveexpected. Their inftruments of war were clubs, fpears, and flones. The vefiels wereranged clofe along-fide of each other with their heads afliore, and their ftern to the fea;the admiral’s veffel being nearly in the centre. Befides the vefiels of war, there werean hundred and feventy fail of fmaller double canoes, all with a little hctufe upon them,and rigged with a maft and fail, which the war canoes had not. Thefe were defignedfor tranfports, victuallers, &c. for in the war canoes was no fort of provifions whatever.In thefe three hundred and thirty vefiels there were no lefs than feven thoufand fevenhundred and fixty men.

Tupia informed them, when they were firft here, that the whole ifland raifed onlybetween fix-and feven thoufand men; but they now faw two diftri£ts only raife thatnumber; fo that he mull have taken his account from fomc old eftablifhment; elfehe only meant tatatous, that is warriors, or men trained from their infancy' toarms, and did not include the rowers, and thole necefiary to navigate the othervefiels-.

While they were viewing this fleet, Tee came and whifpered them in the ear, thatOtoo was gone to Matavia, advifing them to return thither. They accordingly pro-ceeded for the fhip.

They had not been long gone from Oparee, before the whole fleet was in motion tothe weft ward, whence it came. When they got to Matavia, they were told that thisfleet was part of the armament intended to go againft Eimea, whofe chief had thrownofi the yoke of Otaheite , and affumed an independency. They were likewife informed thatOtoo neither was nor had been at Matavia ; fo that they were ftill at a lofs to know whyhe fled from Oparee. This occafioned another trip thither in the afternoon, wherethey found him, and now underflood that the reafon of his not feeing them in themorning, was that fome of his people having ftolen a quantity of their clothes, whichwere on fhore wafhing, he was afraid the captain fhould demand reftitution.repeatedly afked him if he was not angry; and when he affured him that he was not,and that they might keep what they had got, he was fatisfied.

In the morning of the 27th of April, the captain received a prefent from Towba,confiding of two large hogs and fome fruit, fent by two of his fervants, who hadorders not to receive any? thing in return ; nor would they when offered them. Soonafter, he went down to Oparree in his boat, where having found both this chief andthe King, after a fhort flay, he brought them both on board to dinner, together withTarevatoo, the King’s younger brother, and Tee. As foon as they drew near the fh'P>the admiral, who had never feen one before, began to exprefs much furprize at fo newa light. He was conduced all over the fhip, every part of which he viewed with greatattention. On this occafioo Otoo was the principal fhew-man; for, by this time, hewas well acquainted with the different parts of the fhip. After dinner Tovvha put a hogon board, and retired, without the captain’s knowing any thing of the matter, or

this, or the prefent he had in the morning*r Soon

having made him any return either for