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To this chief I made a present and soon after I embarked with Tinah, Oreepyah, their wives, and Poeeno.
Tinah showed me a house near the waterside abreast the ship, which he desired I would make use of and which was large enough for all our purposes. He and his brother Oreepyah then desired I would stay and receive a formal address and present which they called Otee. To this I assented and a stool was brought for me to sit on.
Great exertions were used on both sides but the cutter first reached the shore. In their return to the ship Oreepyah stopped them till a large piece of cloth that he had sent for was brought; which he tied to the boat-hook and desired should be carried off as a trophy of their victory. Friday 31.
I sent a message to complain of this theft to Tinah who did not come near me. About two hours elapsed, during which time I went on board to breakfast and returned when I saw Tinah and Oreepyah with a number of people at a house at some distance; and soon after they all marched to the eastward, passing close by our post.
The crowd being ordered to draw back, a piece of cloth about two yards wide and forty-one yards in length was spread on the ground; and another piece of cloth was brought by Oreepyah, which he put over my shoulders and round my waist in the manner the chiefs are clothed.
To guard as much as possible against future attempts of this kind I directed a stage to be built on the forecastle so that the cables should be more directly under the eye of the sentinel; and I likewise gave orders that one of the midshipman should keep watch forward. In the afternoon Oreepyah returned from Tethuroa.
His brother Oreepyah sent on board to me a present of a large hog and a quantity of breadfruit: but these kind of presents are much more expensive than purchasing at the market. Soon after Oreepyah himself came on board. Tinah was with me at the time and whispered me to tell Oreepyah not to bring any more hogs or fruit and to take those back which he had sent.
I told Tinah and the other chiefs that I expected they would get the deserters brought back; for that I was determined not to leave Otaheite without them. They assured me that they would do everything in their power to have them taken and it was agreed that Oreepyah and Moannah should depart the next morning for Tethuroa.
This morning, the weather being more moderate than it had been for some days past, Oreepyah sailed with two canoes for Tethuroa. Wednesday 14. Some business prevented Moannah from accompanying him but he followed the next day with two other canoes.
When he was gone Oreepyah, his brother, and Oedidde, told me a piece of scandal, which had been before hinted to me but which till now I had not heard of with certainty: this was that Iddeah, Tinah's wife, kept a gallant, who was a towtow, or servant, and the very person who always fed Tinah at dinner: and this was so far from being without Tinah's knowledge or consent that they said it was by his desire.
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