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[Page 388]

Oheteroa

very shrill voice, which we understood from Tupia was a defiance sent from the people we rowd along shore & he attended us sometime we found it however impracticable to land & as for the gentlemans tricks we gave ourselves very little concern about them we therefore resolvd to return to the bay & try if it would be practicable to land where the Canoe did hoping that if we should not the people would at least come & make peace either on the shoal or in their Canoes of which we saw only two in the Island which was one more than Tupia allowd them who said they had but one

As we rowd gently along shore our defying champion was joind by another likewise armd with a lance & dressd with a large cap of the tail feathers of tropick birds & his body coverd as indeed many of them were with stripes of different coulourd cloths yellow red & brown he (who we now calld Harlequin) danc'd as the other had done only with much more nimbleness & dexterity These two were soon after Joind by an older looking man likewise armd who came gravely down to the beach & hailing us askd from whence we came Tupia answerd him from Otahite The three then went peaceably along shore till the boat came to a shoal upon which a few people were collected they talkd together & soon after began to poórah or pray very loud to which Tupia made his responses but continued
 

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