Transcription

                          page number 89

                        GEORGES ISLAND

May 1769

about 4 Miles from the fort returning with the Quadrant this was about Sun set & we all got back to the Fort about 8 o'Clock whose I found Tootaha in Custody & a number of the Natives crowding aboard the Gate of the Fort my going into the Woods with a Party of Arm'd men so alarm'd the Natives that in the evening they began to move off with their Effects & a Double Canoe putting off from the Bottom of the Bay was observ'd by the Ship & a Boat sent after her in this Canoe hapned to be Tootaha & as soon as our Boat came up with her. he & all the People that were in the Canoe Jump'd overboard, & he only was taken up & brought onboard the Ship together with the Canoe, the rest were Permitted to swim to the Shore, from the ship Tootaha was sent to the Fort, where Mr Hicks thought proper to detain him until I return'd The Scheen (scene) between Tooboura [to?] & Tootaha when the former came into the Fort & found the latter in Custody, was realy moving they weept over each other for some time, as for Tootaha he was so far preposessed with the thoughts that he was to be kill'd that he could not be made servicible to the contrary till he was carried out of the Fort to the People many of whom Expressed their joy by embracing him; & after all he would not go away until he had given us 2 Hogs notwithstanding we did all in our Power to hinder him for it is very certain that the Treatment he had meet with from us did not merit such a reward however we had it in our Power to make him a Present of equal value when ever we Pleased-
WEDNESDAY 3d Very early this morning Tootaha sent for the Canoe we had detain'd yesterday. & in the Afternoon sent a man for an Axe & a Shirt in return for the Hogs he gave us last night, but as this man told us that Tootaha would not come near us himself in less than 10 Days, we thought proper not to send them to try if he would not come himself for them sooner-
THURSDAY 4th Some People came to the Fort to day from York Island one of them gave us an account of 22 Islands lying in this Neighbourhood. Set up the 2 Clocks one in the Tent where Mr Green & I lay, & the other in the Observatory. This evening Tootaha sent a man again for the Axe & Shirt, & we sent him word b  the Same man that Mr Banks & I would come & see him tomorrow & bring them along with us, for it now became necessary that we should take some step to reconcile this man to us in order to procure a Sufficient supply of Bread Fruit & Cocoa Nuts which we have not had for these 2 days past owing as we apprehend to Tootaha not being reconciled to us,or otherwise the People takes this method to shew their resentment of the Treatment their Chief meet with-
FRIDAY 5th Early this morning Tootaha sent some of his People to put us in mind of our promise & these seemd very uneasy until we set out, which Mr Banks dr Solander & my self did about 10 o'Clock in the Pinnace having one of these men with us: as soon as we came fo Appara. The place where Tootaha resided we saw a great number of People at the landing place near his House, one among them who had a large Turband about his Head & a long white stick in his Hand drove the others from the landing place by beating them with his Stick & throwing stones at them & at the same time directed us whereabouts to land, after we landed he conducted us to the Chief but in this there was no order everyone crowded upon us crying out Toyo Tootaha, that is Tootaha was our Friend.We found the chief sitting in the Shade under a large Tree with a Circle of old men round him, he made us sit

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