Joseph Banks - Endeavour Journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 - No. 0350
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[Page 350]
Otahite
July 1769
2. All our freinds crouded this morn to See us & tell us that they were rejoicd at our return nor were they empty handed most of them brought something or other. The Canoes were still in the river Captn Cooke finding that there was no likelihood now of any of the stolen goods being restord resolvd to let them go as soon as he could his freind Potattow sollicited for one which was immediately as it was imagind the favour was askd for some of his freinds but no sooner did he begin to move the boat than the real owners & a number of Indians opposd him telling him & his people very clamorously that it did not belong to them he answerd that he had bought it of the Captn & given a pig for it The people were by this declaration satisfied & had we not luckily overheard it he would have taken away this & probably soon after have sollicited for more on being detected he became so sulky & ashamd that for the rest of the day neither he or his wife would open their mouths or look streight at any of us.
3. This morn very early Mr Monkhouse & myself set out resolving to follow the coure of the valley down which our river comes in order to see how far up it was inhabited &c. &c. When we had got about 2 miles up it we met several of our neighbours coming down with loads of breadfruit upon their backs we had often wonderd from whence the small supplys of breadfruit we had came as there was none to be seen upon the flats but they soon explaind the mystery shewing us breadfruit trees planted on the sides of the hills &