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Koah having placed the Captain under the stand, took down the hog and held it toward him; and after having a second time addressed him in a long speech, pronounced with much vehemence and rapidity, he let it fall on the ground and led him to the scaffolding, which they began to climb together, not without great risk of falling.
He now descended from the platform, and led the captain before a number of other images, each of which he addressed in a sneering tone, snapping his fingers at it until he came to the centre, when he threw himself before it and kissed it, requesting the captain to do the same, who throughout had suffered himself to be directed by the priest Koah.
I had no great objection to being fed by Pareea, who was very cleanly in his person, but Captain Cook, who was served by Koah, recollecting the putrid hog, could not swallow a morsel; and his reluctance, as may be supposed, was not diminished when the old man, according to his own mode of civility had chewed it for him.
Koah and Parea then pulled pieces of the pig and put them into the mouths of the two officers.
Meanwhile Koah again visited the ships, offering a pig as a present, and asking for someone to be sent ashore for the bodies; but he was sent away, and was soon afterwards seen amongst the stone-throwers.
Captain Cook, meanwhile, had considerable difficulty in keeping his seat upon the rotten scaffolding. They then descended, and as Koah passed the images he snapped his fingers at them, and said something in a sneering tone. He, however, prostrated himself before the centre figure, and kissed it, and induced the captain to do the same.
When, therefore, the English ships appeared, their commander was supposed to be the long-absent Rono, come to restore peace and prosperity to the country. The priest Koah having dined on board the Resolution, accompanied Captain Cook and Mr King on shore Mr King being taken for the son of the former.
"Whilst Captain Cook was aloft in this awkward situation, swathed round with red cloth, and with difficulty keeping his hold amongst the pieces of rotten scaffolding, Kaireekeea and Koah began their office, chanting sometimes in concert and sometimes alternately. This lasted a considerable time; at length Koah let the hog drop, when he and the Captain descended together.
Though the boats still kept up a hot fire, the chiefs were seen plunging their daggers in the body of Cook, seemingly with the idea that they were consecrated by the death of so great a man. It was said that old Koah, who had been long suspected, had been seen going about with a dagger hid under his cloak, for the purpose, it was supposed, of killing Captain Cook or some of his officers.
They brought on board a third chief, once a warrior, now a priest, named Koah, a little old man of emaciated figure, his red eyes and scaly skin showing he was a hard drinker of cava. Not far from the shore was a temple, or morai. It was a square, solid pile of stones, about forty yards long, twenty broad, and fourteen in height.
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