Early in the morning of the 9th, the boats were sent as usual for water; and, just as they were coming off, but not before, some of the natives made their appearance. After breakfast, I landed some little time before the guard, when the natives crowded round me in great numbers; but as soon as the guard landed, I had enough to do to keep them from running off. At length their fears vanished, and a trade was opened for fruit and pigs. I believe the reason of the natives flying from our people the day before, was their not seeing me at the head of them; for they certainly would have done the same to-day had I not been present. About noon, a chief of some consequence, attended by a great number of people, came down to the landing-place. I presented him with such articles as I had with me; and, in return, he gave me some of his ornaments. After these mutual exchanges, a good understanding seemed to be established between us; so that we got by exchanges as much fruit as loaded two boats, with which we returned on board to dinner; but could not prevail on the chief to accompany us.
In the afternoon, the watering and trading parties were sent on shore; though the latter got but little, as most of the natives had retired into the country. A party of us went to the other, or southern cove of the bay, where I procured five pigs, and came to the house, which, we were told, did belong to the man we had killed. He must have been a person of some note, as there were six pigs in and about his house, which, we were told, belonged to his son, who fled on our approach. I wanted much to have seen him, to make him a present, and by other kind treatment to convince him and the others, that it was not from any bad design against the nation, that we had killed his father. It would have been to little purpose, if I had left any thing in the house, as it certainly would have been taken by others; especially as I could not sufficiently explain to them my meaning. Strict honesty was seldom observed when the property of our things came to be disputed. I saw a striking instance of this in the morning, when I was going ashore. A man in a canoe offered me a small pig for a six-inch spike, and another man being employed to convey it, I gave him the spike, which he kept for himself, and, instead of it, gave to the man who owned the pig a sixpenny nail. Words of course arose, and I waited to see how it would end; but as the man who had possession of the spike seemed resolved to keep it, I left them before it was decided. In the evening, we returned on board with what refreshments we had collected, and thought we had made a good day’s work.
On the 10th, early in the morning, some people from more distant parts came in canoes along side, and sold us some pigs; so that we had now sufficient to give the crew a fresh meal. They were in general so small that forty or fifty were hardly sufficient for this purpose. The trade on shore for fruit was as brisk as ever. After dinner I made a little expedition in my boat along the coast to the southward, accompanied by some of the gentlemen; at the different places we touched at, we collected eighteen pigs; and, I believe, might have gotten more. The people were exceedingly obliging wherever we landed, and readily brought down whatever we desired.
Next morning I went down to the same place where we had been the preceding evening; but, instead of getting pigs as I expected, found the scene quite changed. The nails and other things they were mad after but the evening before they now despised; and instead of them wanted they did not know what; so that I was obliged to return with three or four little pigs, which cost more than a dozen did the day before. When I got on board I found the same change had happened there, as also at the trading place on shore. The reason was, several of the young gentlemen having landed the preceding day, had given away in exchange various articles which the people had not seen before, and which took with them more than nails or more useful iron tools. But what ruined our market the most was, one of them giving for a pig a very large quantity of red feathers he had got at Amsterdam. None of us knew, at this time, that this article was in such estimation here; and if I had known it, I could not have supported the trade, in the manner it was begun, one day. Thus was our fine prospect of getting a plentiful supply of refreshments from these people frustrated; which will ever be the case so long as every one is allowed to make exchanges for what he pleases; and in what manner he pleases. When I found this island was not likely to supply us, on any conditions, with sufficient refreshments, such as we might expect to find at the Society Isles, nor very convenient for taking in wood and water, nor for giving the ship the necessary repairs she wanted, I resolved forthwith to leave it, and proceed to some other place where our wants might be effectually relieved. For, after having been nineteen weeks at sea, and living all the time upon salt diet, we could not but want some refreshments; although I must own, and that with pleasure, that on our arrival here, it could hardly be said we had one sick man; and but a few who had the least complaint. This was undoubtedly owing to the many antiscorbutic articles we had on board, and to the great attention of the surgeon, who was remarkably careful to apply them in time.
CHAP. X.
DEPARTURE FROM THE MARQUESAS.—A DESCRIPTION OF THE SITUATION, EXTENT, FIGURE, AND APPEARANCE OF THE SEVERAL ISLANDS; WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE INHABITANTS, THEIR CUSTOMS, DRESS, HABITATIONS, FOOD, WEAPONS, AND CANOES.
At three o’clock in the afternoon we weighed, and stood over from St. Christina for La Dominica, in order to take a view of the west side of that isle; but, as it was dark before we reached it, the night was spent in plying between the two isles. The next morning we had a full view of the south-west point, from which the coast trended north-east, so that it was not probable we should find good anchorage on that side, as being exposed to the easterly winds. We had now but little wind, and that very variable, with showers of rain. At length we got a breeze at east north-east, with which we steered to the south. At five o’clock in the afternoon, Resolution Bay bore E. N. E. 1⁄2 E. distant five leagues, and the island Magdalena south-east about nine leagues, distant. This was the only sight we had of this isle. From hence I steered S. S. W. 1⁄2 W. for Otaheite, with a view of falling in with some of those isles discovered by former navigators, especially those discovered by the Dutch, whose situations are not well determined.
But it will be necessary to return to the Marquesas; which were, as I have already observed, first discovered by Mendana, a Spaniard, and from him obtained the general name they now bear, as well as those of the different isles. The nautical account of them, in Mr. Dalrymple’s Collection of Voyages to the South Seas[[5]], is deficient in nothing but situation. This was my chief reason for touching at them: the settling this point is the more useful, as it will, in a great measure, fix the situations of Mendana’s other discoveries.
The Marquesas are five in number, viz. La Magdalena, St. Pedro, La Dominica, Santa Christina, and Hood’s island, which is the northernmost, situated in latitude 9° 26ʹ S., and N. 13° W., five leagues and a half distant, from the east point of La Dominica, which is the largest of all the isles, extending east and west six leagues. It hath an unequal breadth, and is about fifteen or sixteen leagues in circuit. It is full of rugged hills rising in ridges directly from the sea; these ridges are disjoined by deep valleys, which are clothed with wood, as are the sides of some of the hills; the aspect is, however, barren; but it is, nevertheless, inhabited, latitude 9° 44ʹ 30ʺ S. St. Pedro, which is about three leagues in circuit, and of a good height, lies south, four leagues and an half from the east end of La Dominica: we know not if it be inhabited. Nature has not been very bountiful to it. St. Christina lies under the same parallel, three or four leagues more to the west. This island stretches north and south, is nine miles long in that direction, and about seven leagues in circuit. A narrow ridge of hills of considerable height extends the whole length of the island. There are other ridges, which, rising from the sea, and, with an equal ascent, join the main ridge. These are disjoined by deep narrow valleys, which are fertile, adorned with fruit and other trees, and watered by fine streams of excellent water. La Magdalena, we only saw at a distance. Its situation must be nearly in the latitude of 10° 25ʹ, longitude 138° 50ʹ. So that these isles occupy one degree in latitude, and near half a degree in longitude, viz. from 138° 47ʹ to 139° 13ʹ W. which is the longitude of the west end of La Dominica.
The port of Madre de Dios, which I named Resolution Bay, is situated near the middle of the west side of St. Christina, and under the highest land in the island, in latitude 9° 55ʹ 30ʺ, longitude 139° 8ʹ 40ʺ W.; and N. 15ʹ W. from the west end of La Dominica. The south point of the bay is a steep rock of considerable height, terminating at the top in a peaked hill, above which you will see a path-way leading up a narrow ridge to the summits of the hills. The north point is not so high, and rises with a more gentle slope. They are a mile from each other, in the direction of north by east, and south by west. In the bay, which is near three-quarters of a mile deep, and has from thirty-four to twelve fathoms’ water, with a clean sandy bottom, are two sandy coves, divided from each other by a rocky point. In each is a rivulet of excellent water. The northern cove is the most commodious for wooding and watering. Here is the little waterfall mentioned by Quiros, Mendana’s pilot; but the town or village is in the other cove. There are several other coves or bays on this side of the island, and some of them, especially to the northward, may be mistaken for this; therefore, the best direction is the bearing of the west end of La Dominica.
The trees, plants, and other productions of these isles, so far as we know, are nearly the same as at Otaheite and the Society Isles. The refreshments to be got are hogs, fowls, plantains, yams, and some other roots; likewise bread-fruit and cocoa-nuts, but of these not many. At first these articles were purchased with nails. Beads, looking-glasses, and such trifles, which are so highly valued at the Society Isles, are in no esteem here; and even nails at last lost their value for other articles far less useful.