Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0034
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[Page 34]
30.
Taoneroa
go towards the boats when on a sudden one of the boys calld out that the people there were their freinds & desird us to stay and talk with them, we did & much conversation past but neither would the boys swim over to them nor they to the boys. The bodys both of the man who was killd yesterday, & he who was killd the day before, were left upon the beach. the first lay very near us, to it the boys went & coverd it with part of the cloths we had given them, soon after a single man unarmd swam over to us, (the uncle of Maracouete, the younger boy) he brought in his hand a green bough, probably emblem of peace, we made him many presents after having receivd his bough which he presented to Tupia our interprter. we askd him to go onboard of the ship but he refusd so we left him, but all the 3 boys chose rather to return with us than stay with him.
as soon as we had retird & left him to himself he went & gatherd a green bough with this in his hand he aproachd the body with great ceremony walking sideways he then threw the bough towards it & returnd to his companions who immediately sat down round him and remaind above an hour hearing probably what he said without taking the least notice of us who soon returnd to the ship