As soon as our fleet came to an anchor, the boats were lowered and manned, and a strong party of us landed. The inhabitants, not liking our appearance, hid themselves in their houses. We immediately marched to the nearest village, which we surrounded, and entering house after house, dragged off the people, and sent them, with their hands bound behind their backs, to the boats. They did not attempt to resist, for as we had firearms and they had none, it would have been of no use. As soon as the boats were loaded they took them off to the vessel, and then returned for more. We, meantime, kept watching the village, so that no one could escape. Having carried off all the inhabitants, men, women, and children for even the youngest children were of some use to us we proceeded to the next village. These we treated in the same way, leaving a few old men and women who were not worth carrying off.
Before evening we had shipped nearly every human being we found on the island. None escaped us, for they had no mountains
to fly to, and no caves or other places where they could hide themselves. We then collected all the pigs, poultry, and such other provisions as we could find, and sent them on board.
Before returning to our vessels, we burned down a considerable number of the houses.
We stowed away all our captives on board two of our larger vessels, which at once returned to land them on the coast of Chili, while we proceeded on our voyage.
The first land we made was one of the Society Islands, to the north of Tahiti. We could not venture to that island itself, because the French were there, who might have objected to our carrying off the people. For the same reason we avoided the Hervey, and other islands to the south, where we knew a number of English missionaries were stationed, and they might have complained of our proceedings, and taken means to put a stop to them. Here, however, we hoped to make a good haul, and be away before we were discovered.
The schooner did not bring up, but stood off and on the land under English colours, while a boat was sent on shore to invite the natives on board. I went in her. As soon as we landed, I, with another man, who pretended to be the supercargo, proceeded to the house of the principal chief. It was a large hut, the framework formed of slight poles placed at intervals, bending somewhat inwards, and joined with horizontal poles of the same thickness secured to them, the whole being covered with a neat thatch. We found the chief reclining at his ease on one of several mats which covered the floor, with his wife and other females of the family seated near him. He had thrown aside his robe of native cloth, and was dressed only in his maro or girdle round his waist. We told him that the vessel in the offing was an English trader, and had on board a quantity of goods which were likely to suit him and his people, and we invited him, and as many as he liked to bring with him, to come and inspect them, hinting that the captain was of a generous disposition, and would be glad, at all events, to make them presents to gain their good will. We were in no hurry, we said, for payment, and would call again for the cocoa-nut oil which he might agree to collect for us. He seemed mightily pleased with the proposal, and promised to come off the next morning. We then went to the house of other chiefs and principal people, telling them the same tale.
In our rambles we saw a curious spectacle. Having reached another district governed by a different chief, we found him seated on a mat in front of his house, while a number of people were approaching bearing hogs, and fowls, and breadfruit, and other articles of food. Among them were three young women, whose bodies were swathed in a prodigious quantity of native cloth made out of the paper mulberry tree. This cloth and the food were being brought as presents to the chief, who had had, we understood, a child just born to him by one of his wives. How the girls could ever have got the cloth round them was a puzzle to me, but my companion, who had been on these islands and acted as interpreter, explained the matter. He said that the cloth being made ready, the girl lies down on the ground and rolls herself over and over, till the whole of the cloth is wound round her. She is then put on her feet, and taking the end over her shoulder, is able to proceed on her way.
The food having been presented, one of the damsels was led forward, when she lay down before the chief, and began to unroll herself, while one of his attendants gathered up the cloth; and thus she kept turning round and round till the whole of the cloth was unwound, and she remained in her own somewhat scanty garments. The next girl went through the same process.
We pretended to be delighted with the cloth, and told the chief that, if he would bring it on board, we would exchange it for all sorts of articles. The news of the rich cargo the vessel contained spread among the people, and large numbers promised to come off to us the following morning.