The cattle and other new objects that presented themselves to him there, did not strike him with so much surprise as one might have expected. Perhaps his mind was too much taken up about his own safety to allow him to attend to other things. It is certain that he seemed very uneasy; and the ship, on our getting on board, happening to be standing off shore, this circumstance made him the more so. I could get but little new information from him; and, therefore, after he had made a short stay, I ordered a boat to carry him in toward the land. As soon as he got out of the cabin, he happened to stumble over one of the goats: his curiosity now overcoming his fear, he stopped, looked at it, and asked Omai what bird this was? and not receiving an immediate answer from him, he repeated the question to some of the people upon deck. The boat having conveyed him pretty near to the surf, he leaped into the sea and swam ashore. He had no sooner landed, than the multitude of his countrymen gathered round him, as if with an eager curiosity to learn from him what he had seen; and in this situation they remained when we lost sight of them. As soon as the boat returned, we hoisted her in, and made sail from the land to the northward.
Thus were we obliged to leave unvisited, this fine island, which seemed capable of supplying all our wants. It lies in the latitude of 21° 57ʹ S. and in the longitude of 201° 53ʹ E. Such parts of the coast as fell under our observation, are guarded by a reef of coral rock, on the outside of which the sea is of an unfathomable depth. It is full five leagues in circuit, and of a moderate and pretty equal height; though in clear weather it may be certainly seen at the distance of ten leagues; for we had not lost sight of it at night when we had run above seven leagues, and the weather was cloudy. In the middle it rises into little hills, from whence there is a gentle descent to the shore, which at the south-west part is steep, though not above ten or twelve feet high; and has several excavations made by the beating of the waves against a brownish sand-stone of which it is composed. The descent here is covered with trees of a deep green colour, very thick, but not high, which seem all of one sort, unless nearest the shore, where there are great numbers of that species of dracæna found in the woods of New Zealand, which are also scattered in some other places. On the north-west part, the shore, as we mentioned above, ends in a sandy beach; beyond which the land is broken down into small chasms or gullies, and has a broad border of trees resembling tall willows; which, from its regularity, might be supposed a work of art, did not its extent forbid us to think so. Farther up on the ascent, the trees were of the deep green mentioned before. Some of us supposed these to be the rima, intermixed with low cocoa palms, and a few of some other sorts. They seemed not so thick as on the south-west part, and higher; which appearance might be owing to our nearer approach to the shore. On the little hills were some trees of a taller sort, thinly scattered; but the other parts of them were either bare and of a reddish colour, or covered with something like fern. Upon the whole, the island has a pretty aspect, and might be made a beautiful spot by cultivation.
As the inhabitants seemed to be both numerous and well fed, such articles of provision as the island produces must be in great plenty. It might, however, be a matter of curiosity to know, particularly, their method of subsistence; for our friend Mourooa told us, that they had no animals, as hogs and dogs, both which, however, they had heard of; but acknowledged they had plantains, bread-fruit, and taro. The only birds we saw, were some white egg-birds, terns, and noddies; and one white heron, on the shore.
The language of the inhabitants of Mangeea is a dialect of that spoken at Otaheite; though their pronunciation, as that of the New Zealanders, be more guttural. Some of their words, of which two or three are perhaps peculiar to this island, are here subjoined, as taken, by Mr. Anderson, from Omai, who had learnt them in his conversations with Mourooa. The Otaheite words, where there is any resemblance, are placed opposite.
| English. | Mangeea. | Otaheite. |
|---|---|---|
| A cocoa-nut, | Eakkaree, | Aree. |
| Bread-fruit, | Kooroo, | Ooroo. |
| A canoe, | Ewakka, | Evaa. |
| Friend, | Naoo, mou. | |
| A man, | Taata, or Tangata, | Taata. |
| Cloth, or cloth-plant, | Taia, taia aoutee, | Eoute. |
| Good, | Mata, | Myty. |
| A club, | Pooroohee. | |
| Yes, | Aee, | Ai. |
| No, | Aoure, | Aoure. |
| A spear, | Heyhey. | |
| A fight, or battle, | Etamagee, | Tamaee. |
| A woman, | Waheine, | Waheine. |
| A daughter, | Maheine, | Maheine. |
| The sun, | Heetaia matooa. | |
| I, | Ou, | Wou. |
| The shore, | Euta, | Euta. |
| What is that? | Ehataieee? | Owytaieeoa? |
| There, | Oo. | |
| A chief, | Ereekee, | Eree. |
| Great or powerful, | Manna (an adjunct to the last.) | |
| To kiss, | Ooma. |
The natives of Mangeea seem to resemble those of Otaheite and the Marquesas in the beauty of their persons, more than any other nation I have seen in these seas; having a smooth skin, and not being muscular. Their general disposition also corresponds, as far as we had opportunities of judging, with that which distinguishes the first mentioned people. For they are not only cheerful, but, as Mourooa showed us, are acquainted with all the lascivious gesticulations which the Otaheiteans practise in their dances. It may also be supposed, that their method of living is similar. For, though the nature of the country prevented our seeing many of their habitations, we observed one house near the beach, which much resembled, in its mode of construction, those of Otaheite. It was pleasantly situated in a grove of trees, and appeared to be about thirty feet long, and seven or eight high, with an open end, which represented an ellipse divided transversely. Before it, was spread something white on a few bushes; which we conjectured to be a fishing-net, and, to appearance, of a very delicate texture.
They salute strangers much after the manner of the New Zealanders, by joining noses; adding, however, the additional ceremony of taking the hand of the person to whom they are paying civilities, and rubbing it with a degree of force upon their nose and mouth.[[167]]
CHAP. II.
THE DISCOVERY OF AN ISLAND CALLED WATEEOO.—ITS COASTS EXAMINED.—VISITS FROM THE NATIVES ON BOARD THE SHIPS.—MESS. GORE, BURNEY, AND ANDERSON, WITH OMAI, SENT ON SHORE.—MR. ANDERSON’S NARRATIVE OF THEIR RECEPTION.—OMAI’S EXPEDIENT TO PREVENT THEIR BEING DETAINED.—HIS MEETING WITH SOME OF HIS COUNTRYMEN, AND THEIR DISTRESSFUL VOYAGE.—FARTHER ACCOUNT OF WATEEOO, AND OF ITS INHABITANTS.
After leaving Mangeea, on the afternoon of the 30th, we continued our course northward all that night, and till noon on the 31st; when we again saw land, in the direction of N. E. by N., distant eight or ten leagues.