Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 - No. 0305
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[Page 305]
Georges Land
May 1769
& was calld his Tomite.
The wrestling over the gentlemen informed me that they understood that 2 hoggs & a large quantity of Bread fruit &c. was cooking for our dinners news which pleasd me very well as my stomach was by this time sufficiently prepard for the repast I went out & saw the ovens in which they were now buried which these the Indians readily shewd me telling me at the same time that they would soon be ready & how good a dinner we should have in about half an hour all was taken up but now Dootahah began to repent of his intended generosity he thought I suppose that a hog would be lookd upon as no more than a dinner & consequently no present made in return he therefore changd his mind & ordering one of the pigs into the boat sent for us who soon collected together & getting our Knives prepard to fall too saying that it was civil of the old gentleman to bring the provisions into the boat where we could with ease keep the people at a proper distance who in the house would have crouded us almost to death his intention was however very different from ours for instead of asking us to eat he ask'd to go on board of the ship a measure we were forcd to comply with & row 4 miles with the pig growing cold under our noses before he would give it to us aboard however we dind upon this same pig & his majesty eat very heartily with us after dinner we went ashore the sight of Dootahah reconcild to us acted like a charm upon the people & before night bread fruit & cocoa nuts were brought to sell in tolerable plenty
6. Plenty of bread-fruit at market this morn but few cocoa nuts after dinner Dootahah visited the tents bringing 5 baskets of bread-fruit & some cocoa nuts he went to the eastward & slept tonight at the long house