party had gone, a man arrived in a canoe, bringing a
bunch of plantains as a present to Captain Cook, whose name he had
learned from Omai. This present had been sent by the principal chief.
The bearer went away, well contented, with an axe and a piece of red
cloth. Not long after a double canoe approached the Resolution, with
twelve men in her, who chanted in chorus, and when their song was
finished they came alongside and asked for the chief. On the captain's
showing himself a pig and some cocoanuts were handed up the side, and
the natives coming on board presented some pieces of matting in
addition. Though the natives expressed surprise at some of the things
they saw, nothing seemed to fix their attention. They were afraid of
the horses and cows, and inquired, when they saw the goats, as the
native of Mangaia had done, what sort of birds they were.

The following day Mr Gore and Mr Barney, with Mr Anderson and Omai,
went on shore in hope of obtaining food for the cattle. The boats
approached the surf, when some canoes came off and took the party
through it. The day passed on, and as they did not return Captain Cook
became somewhat uneasy; his only comfort being that the natives
continued to come off to the ship as before, bringing cocoanuts, and
taking anything given them in return. Late in the day the boats
returned; it then appeared that the party had been conducted, amid a
vast crowd, up an avenue of cocoa palms, till they reached a body of men
drawn up in two rows, armed with clubs resting on their shoulders. In
the middle row was a chief, sitting cross-legged on the ground, and
having bunches of red feathers in his ears. They were then introduced
to two other chiefs, one, though a young man, excessively corpulent,
also distinguished by the red feathers, and they were then entertained
by a dance, performed by twenty girls, all of whom wore red feathers.
The dancers did not leave the spot where they stood, for though their
feet moved up and down the dance consisted of various motions of the
body and hands. The visitors were next entertained by a sham fight
between the men armed with clubs. They now found themselves separated
from each other, and pressed on by the crowd, while they had their
pockets picked of every article they possessed, the chiefs not
interfering. Their position was sufficiently embarrassing, for whenever
they tried to get back to the boats they were stopped. Omai, meantime,
who was