Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ive barge. Soon Wallis's men reckoned they could count about 300
boats and 2000 men, rapidly closing on their ship. Wallis had no al-
ternative but to order a salvo. One shot, more by luck than judge-
ment, swamped the chief's canoe. The Tahitians rapidly withdrew.
It took a few days for Wallis to persuade the islanders that he
came in friendship but once they understood this, their eagerness
to trade knew no bounds. They were desperate for iron, which they
could turn into tools or, more likely, weapons and were willing to
give anything in exchange for nails, pots and implements. Soon the
visitors were living sumptuously on fruit, vegetables, and the meat
of fowls and pigs. But it was not only food that the Polynesians had to
offer. As had been noticed at the first encounter, many young women
(doubtless egged on by their seniors) were prepared to offer sexu-
al favours in return for much-prized metal. The sailors, of course,
entered readily into this commerce - too readily. Those who had
no iron goods to offer took to stealing tools and prising nails from
various parts of the ship. As a result there was a breakdown in dis-
cipline which almost led to mutiny. Wallis tried without success to
track down the culprits. He became frustrated and angry and the
men grew surly at repeated questioning. Worse was to follow. The
insatiable sailors began defrauding their bedfellows by such tricks
as paying them with lead cut to resemble nails. This threatened the
good relations Wallis's officers were carefully building up with the
Tahitians. On the other hand, when culprits were caught and publicly
punished, the whole crew felt humiliated and resentful. After about
three weeks the situation was getting out of hand and Wallis seemed
unable to bring it under control.
... it was discovered that Francis Pinckney, one of the seamen, had
drawn the cleats to which the main sheet was belayed, and, after steal-
ing the spikes, thrown them over-board. Having secured the offender,
I called all the people together upon the deck, and after taking some
