Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 - No. 0327
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[Page 327]
Otahite
June 1769
the procession should visit that place but they dare not to do it without the sanction of some of us indeed it was not till many assurances of our consent that they venturd to perform any part of their ceremonies. To the fort then we went to the surprize of our freinds & affright of the Indians who were there for they every where fly before the Heiva like sheep before a wolf we soon left it & proceeded along shore towards a place where above 100 Indians were collected together we the Ninevehs had orders from the Heiva to disperse them we ran towards them but before we cam within 100 yards of them they dispers'd every way running to the first shelter hiding themselves under grass or whatever else would conceal them we now crossd the river into the woods & passd several houses all were deserted not another Indian did we see for about ½ an hour that we spent in walking about we the Ninevehs then came to the Heiva & said imatata there are no people after which we repaird home the Heiva undressd & we went into the river & scrubbd one another till it was dark before the blacking would come off
11. This Evening Tubourai came to the tents bringing a bow & arrows in consequence of a challenge Mr Gore had given him sometime ago to shoot this challenge was however misunderstood Tubourai meant to try who could shoot the farthest Mr Gore to shoot at a mark & neither was at all practisd in what the other valued himself upon Tubourai to please us shot in his way he knelt down & drew the bow & as soon as he let slip the string droppd the bow from his hand