Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 - No. 0303
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[Page 303]
Georges Land
May 1769
5. This morn Obadée (her majesties bedfellow) came pretty early to visit us or rather himself to take a view of her canoe he carefully overhauld every thing in it & complaind of the Loss of some trifling thing I could not understand what after this he brought every thing out of it & deliverd them into my charge desiring that they might be taken care of after which he left us a very small quantity of Bread fruit brought this morn at breakfast time came two messengers from Dootahah to put the captn in mind of his promise of Visiting him accordingly at 9 the boat set out carrying the Captn Dr Solander & myself we arrivd in about an hour, Eparre his residence being about 4 miles from the tents an immence throng of people met us on the shore crowding us very much tho they were severely beat for so doing by a tall well looking who laid about him with a long stick most unmercifully striking all who did not get out of his way without intermission till he had cleard us a path sufficient to go to Dootahah who was seated under a tree attended by a few grave looking old men with him we sat down & made our presents consisting of an ax & a gown of Broad cloth made after their fashion & trimmd with tape with these he seemd mightily satisfied soon after this Oborea Joind us & with her I retird to a house adjacent where I could be free from the suffocating heat occasiond by so large a crowd of people as were gatherd about us here was prepard for our diversion an entertainment quite new to us a wrestling match at which the other gentlemen soon joind us a large court yard raild round with Bamboo about 3 feet high was the scene of this diversion at one end of this Dootahah was seated & near him was left seats for us but we rather chose to range at large among the spectators than confine ourselves to any particular spot
The diversion began by the combatants some of