^ 9' felves when they do that to others, which they would con-
demn others for doing to them. That Tuctuny p ~ . Tubourai Tamaide
felt the force of moral obligation, is> certain; for the imputa-
tion of an action which he conlidered as indifferent, would
not, when it appeared to be groundlefs, have moved him
with fuch excefs of paflion. We. muft indeed eftknate the
virtue of thefe people, by the only ftandard of morality,, the
conformity of their conduit to what intheir opinion is right-;
but we mult not haftily conclude that theft is a.teftimony of
the fame depravity in them that it is in us, in the inftances
in which our people were fufferers by, their difhanefty, for
t-heir temptation was fuch, as to furmount would be confi—
dered as a proof of uncommon integrity among thofe who
have more knowlege, better principles, and llronger motives
to refill the temptations, of illicit advantage,: an Indian,
among penny knives, and beads, or even nails and broken
glafs,. is' in the fame ftate of trial with, the meaneft fervant
in Europe among unlocked coffers of jewels and gold:
w«]nef. z6._ ©n the 26th, 1 mounted fix fwivel guns upon the fort;
which I was forry to feeflruek the natives with dread: fome
fifhermen who lived upon the point removed farther off, and;
Owhaw-told us, by figns, that in four days we. fhould fire-
great guns.
■ Tharfday^i On the 27th, Tub'ourafTamaide, with a friend, who eat?
with a voracity that I never faw before, and the three women
that ufually attended him, wfiofe names were T erafo
T irao, and Qmie, dined at the fort: in the evening they
took their leave, and fet out for the houfe which Tubourai
Tamaide had'fet up in tlie fkirts of the wood, but in lefs-
than a quarter of an hour he returned in great emotion,
and haftily feizing-Mr. Banks's arm, made figns that he
fhould follow him- Mr. Banks immediately complied, and
they foon came up to a place where they found the fhip’s
butcher, with a reaping-hook in his hand: here the Chief
flopped, and, in a tranfport of rage which rendered his fignS;
fcarcely intelligible, intimated that the butcher had threatened,
or attempted, to cut his wife’s throat with the reaping-
Thurfday.27«.-
hook. Mr. Banks then fignified to him, that i f he could fully
explain the offence^the man fhould be punifhed; Upon this;
he became more calm, and made Mr. Banks underftand that:
the offender, having taken a-fancy to a-ftone hatchet which»
lay in his houfe, had offered to purchafe it of- his wife for
a nail: that fhe having refufed to part with it upon any
terms,, hethad catched it up, and throwing doyrn the: nail,-
threatened to cut her throat if fhe made any. refinance: to
prove this charge, the hatchet and the nail were produced,-
and the; butcher had fo little to fay-in his defence that there-'
was not the leaft reafon to doubt-of its truth. -
Mr. Banks having reported-this matter to me, I took an"
opportunity, when the Chief andhis women, with other Indians,
were-on board the fhip, to call-up-the butcher, and"
after a recapitulation o f the charge and the proof, I gave
orders that he fhould, be punilhed, as well to prevent other
offences of the fame, kind, as to acquit Mr. Banks of his prendre;
the Indians faw him ftripped and tied up to the rigging
with-a fixed attention, waiting in-filent fufpence for the
event; but as. foon - as the firft ftroke was given, they interfered
with great agitation, earneftly intreating that the reft:
of the punifhment might be remitted: to this, however, for
many reafons, I could not confent, and when they found-
that they could not prevail by their interceflion, they gave
vent to their pity by tears.
Their tears indeed, like thofe of children, were always -
ready to exprefs any paflion that was ftrongly. excited, and!
like-'