Mar 13, 1789 Home Logbook Mar 15, 1789
Revised Jun 29 2021
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Light Winds and Cloudy Wr Wind Variable and the Therr 80° to 83¼°. Employed watering and bringing off Wood. Armourer at the Forge. Sailmakers repairing Awnings, Cooper Casks. Tarred the mast heads and yards. Supplies plentifull. Sick List three Venereals and two men recovering from a Cold.
Nothing material occurred to day. I was cheifly employed watching opportunities to make observations to find the rate of the Time Keeper but the weather turned out so cloudy I had no success.
Otow and Oberreeroah Tynahs Father and Mother who have been absent since the theft of the water Cask returned to day and made me a present of a large Hog with a quantity of Bread fruit and Cocoa nutts. These poor people had absented themselves out of fear of my resentment and not till now could I get them back. Poeeno is also come from Matavai to reside here during my Stay, and I have numerous solicitations to stay another month with them. Tynah with all the Otoo family have apparent Sorrow at my determination of sailing and I hope it will prove sincere at my taking leave of them.
A very old man paid me a Visit to day who is an uncle to Tubai the person Captn. Cook carried with him in the Endeavor to Batavia where he died. He was first said to be Tubai's Father because they called him Medooah but it signifies an uncle as well as a parent, and happpend to be so in this instance. He is about 65 years old and a person much esteemed. At this moment he seemed to mourn for the loss of his nephew, and requested when I came here again that I would bring him his Hair. This perhaps is the greatest satisfaction these people can have after the death of a
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Friend, and is kept as a most sacred relic. When Tynah talked of going with me to England, about which he is still very anxious, I stated the chance of his dying, and in such a case I told him perhaps his friends woud never wish to see me again. But he assures me that if he did die, I only had to cut his Hair off and bring it to Otahiete, and they would all be perfectly satisfied. It is a common custom among themselves, for after a certain time that the body has been carried to the Toopapow, the Hair is cut off and hung up in their house made into the form of a false curl.
I made the old man a present of Nails which seemed perfectly to satisfy him for the trouble of his Visit.
Mar 13, 1789 Home Logbook Mar 15, 1789