mpanions below and
showed them the breadfruit and other plants, at seeing which they were
greatly surprised. I made each of them a present, and when they had
satisfied their curiosity I invited them to go on shore with me in the
ship's boat.

I took Nelson with me to procure some breadfruit plants, one of our stock
being dead and two or three others a little sickly. When we landed there
were about two hundred people on the beach, most of them women and
children. Tepa showed me a large boat-house which he told me we might
make use of, thinking we should have a party on shore as our ships had
formerly. I went with him in search of water but could find no better
place than where Captain Cook had watered, which is a quarter of a mile
inland from the east end of the beach. I next walked to the west point of
the bay where some plants and seeds had been sown by Captain Cook; and
had the satisfaction to see in a plantation close by about twenty fine
pineapple plants but no fruit, this not being the proper season. They
told me that they had eaten many of them, that they were fine and large,
and that at Tongataboo there were great numbers.

When I returned to the landing-place I was desired to sit down and a
present was brought me which consisted of some bundles of coconuts only.
This fell short of my expectations; however I appeared satisfied and
distributed beads and trinkets to the women and children near me.

Numerous were the marks of mourning with which these people disfigure
themselves, such as bloody temples, their heads deprived of most of the
hair, and what was worse almost all of them with the loss of some of
their fingers. Several fine boys, not above six years old, had lost both
their little fingers; and some of the men besides these had parted with
the middle finger of the right hand.

The chiefs went off with me to dinner, and I found a brisk trade carrying
on at the ship for yams; some plantains and breadfruit were likewise
brought on board but no hogs. In the afternoon more sailing canoes
arrived, some of which contained not less than ninety passengers. We
purchased eight hogs, some dogs, fowls, and shaddocks. Yams were in great
abundance, very fine and large; one yam weighed above forty-five pounds.
Among the people that came this afternoon were two of the name of Tubow,
which is a family of the first distinction among the Friendly Islands;
one of them was chief of the island Lefooga; with him and Tepa I went