would exterminate the whole of Atoi’s tribe.
A native, however, arrived with the intelligence
that the man was not dead, but only
wounded. This did not seem to allay George’s
feelings of resentment, and he instantly made
great preparations for war. When our anxiety
was wound up to the utmost, we were greatly
astonished to see Atoi and all his friends
approach our settlement, totally unarmed.
George went out to meet them, looking so
full of rage that I thought Atoi stood but a
slight chance for his life. After a great deal
of violent pantomimic action and grimace, the
apology offered by Atoi was accepted, and
the visit was concluded by a grand war-dance
and sham fight performed in their best manner.
King George, in the fulness of his heart at
this complete restoration of friendship, gave a
great feast of cumeras and fish, to which we
added some tobacco; and the whole of the
party seated themselves by each other with
the utmost sociality,—a convincing proof that
animosity is not long an inmate of their
breasts.
I took every opportunity of enquiring into
the nature of their laws and mode of government;
and I found that, in general, their
method of redressing wrongs was very summary,
and that their ideas of what was strictly
just were, for the most part, simple and
equitable. For any theft, or offence of that
sort, committed by one tribe on another, the
parties are called to instant account. If one
native takes from another any part of his possessions,
the party injured has a right to
retaliate, and the party retaliated upon must
not make the slightest resistance. We ourselves
experienced a proof of this. Some
part of our property, which we supposed had
been destroyed by our late fire, we had been
told was to be found in the hut of a neighbouring
chief. We one day took advantage of his
absence, searched the hut ourselves, and discovered
our things carefully deposited therein.
Thus assured of the fact, we laid our complaint
before King George, who, after hearing
our story to the end, replied, “ Well, my
friends, you must go to the hut and take
away all your property, and whatever else
you may find, which you may think sufficient