Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 - No. 0381
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[Page 381]
Ulhietea
August 1769
sometimes rested) the men acted a kind of interlude in which they spoke as well as dancd acting a kind of short interlude & dancing all the time We were not however sufficiently vers'd in their language to be able to give an account of the Drama
4. We had often heard Tubia speak of Lands belonging to him which had been taken away by the bola bola men: these he tells us now, are situate in the very bay where the now ship lies on going ashore this morning the inhabitants confirmd What he has told us & shewd us several different Whennuas which they all acknowledged belong of right to him The largest number of the people here are it seems the so much feard Bola Bola men & we are told that tomorrow Opoony the King of that Island will come to visit us We are much inclind to receive him civily as we have met with so civil a reception from his subjects
Dr Solander & myself go upon the hills accompanied by several Indians who carried us by excellent paths so high that we plainly saw the other side of the Island & the passage through which the ship went out of the reef between the Islets of Opoorooroo & Tamou our walk did not turn out very profitable as we found only two plants that we had not seen before
in coming down again we saw the game that the Indians call Erowhaw which is no more than pitching a kind of light lances headed with hard wood at a mark: of this amusement they seem to be very fond but none that we saw now excelld in doing it not above one in 12