Chapter VIII
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we had heard of so much in Europe; she appeared to be about forty, tall and very lusty, her skin white and her eyes full of meaning; she might have been handsome when young, but now few or no traces of it were left. As soon as her Majesty’s quality was known to us, she was invited to go on board the ship, where no presents were spared that were thought to be agreeable to her in consideration of her services to the ’ Dolphin’. Among other things a child’s doll was given to her, of which she seemed very fond; on her landing she met Hercules (whom for the future I shall call by his real name Dootahah [Tutaha]), and showed him her presents He became uneasy, and was not satisfied till he also had got a doll, which he now seemed to prefer to a hatchet; after this, however, dolls were of no value."
Captain Cook also recorded in his Journal the reappearance of Wallis’s queen:
"She first went to Mr Banks’s tent at the fort, where she was not known till the master happening to go ashore, who knew her and brought her on board with two men and several women who seemed to be all of her family. I made them all some presents or other, but to Oberiea (for that is this woman’s name), I gave several things, in return for which, as soon as I went on shore with her, she gave me a hog and several branches of plaintains These she caused to be carried from her canoes up to the fort in a kind of procession, she and I bringing up the rear. This woman is about forty years of age, and, like most of the other women, very masculine. She is head or chief of her own family or Tribe, but to all appearance hath no authority over the rest of the inhabitants, whatever she might have when the ’Dolphin’ was here. Hercules, whose real name is Tootaha, is to all appearance the chief man of the island;... he was with us at this time, and did not appear very well pleased at the notice we took of Oberiea".
From these two Journals, Hawkesworth compiled the "Voyages", the first volume of which so much irritated Horace Walpole. For the
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© Derived from the revised Paris edition of 1901 page 63, 2004
Published by kind permission of the Library
To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/-marua-063.html