Februa they afterwards proved to be) highly acceptable to the whole party.
!—v— J Permiffion was now requefted for the friends and relations, who were
alongfide in their canoes, to be fuffered to vifit the fhip. I eafily compre-.
hended what was the real objeft of the requeft, which foon became evident
by the behaviour of thefe new vifitors, who, of both fexes,; and
different, ages, ihffantly found their way aft, and' nearly filled the cabin ;
until Tamaahmaah defired that no more fhould be admitted into the fhip ;
and then demanded of me, if it were my intention to make thofe now on
board any prefents ? . On his being anfwered in the affirmative, he undertook
the diftribution himfelf, and was fo (economical; as to give me fe-
veral opportunities to make fome addition to his difpenfations, which
' were more bountifully bellowed on fome of the men, than on the generality
of the women.. The ladies however-were no lofers on this oeca-
fiori. The deficiency of Tamaahmaah’s attention being otherways amply
fupplied, produced no fmall degree of mirth, in which Tamaahmaah bore
a very , confiderable part. This-diftribution being finifhed, and . the
whole party made very happy, the king, in addition to what he had -before
received, was prefented with a fcarlet cloak, that reached from his
neck to the ground, adorned with tinfel lace, trimmed with various coloured
gartering tape, with blue ribbons to tie it .down the front: The
looking glaffes being placed oppofite to each other difplayed at once
the whole of his royal perfon ; this filled him with rapture, and fo
delighted him that the cabin could fcarcely contain him. His extafy
produced capering, and he foon cleared the cabin of many of our vifitors,
whofe numbers had rendered it very hot and unpleafant. He himfelf
foon followed, and after ftrutting fome little time upon deck, he expo-
fed himfelf in the moft confpicuous places, feeminglÿ with the greateft
indifference, though in reality for the foie purpofe of attrafting the admiration
and applaufe of his fubjefts. The acclamations that his appearance
produced from the furrounding multitude were evidently gratifying
to his vanity ; yet his joy and fatisfaftion were incomplete until
two in the afternoon, when Mr. Whidbey returned, and reported, that
although the anchorage at Tyahtatooa feemed convenient, yet it was
infinitely
infinitely more expofed than any part of the anchorage at Karaka- ‘ 793-
kooa. . ■
- I had; by-this time underftood that the account of Tamaahmaah''s cannon
and fortification was intirely void of truth ; and as there could be no
hefitation,' which of the two fituations to prefer, from Mr. Whidbey’s
reprefentation, we fleered immediately for Karakakooa. Tamaahmaah
foon1 became acquainted with my determination! The high degree of
fatisfadlion he e-xpreffed on this occafion was not eafily to be deferibed,
as I could not- recolleft in any former inftance, ever to have noticed
fenfations like his, in the countenance or behaviour of any perfon.
The breeze was too gentle, and the day was too far advanced to reach
Karakakooa before night; when the general happinefs of our party received
fome fmall degree of check.
Notwithftanding the prefent harmony, and. the profpedl of its continuance,
I confidered it highly important not to relax in any of the precautions
I had taken on former occafions; but to be moft vigilantly on
Our guard, and to watch with a jealous eye over the behaviour of thefe
ambitious chiefs. Had I permitted any of them to have flept on board,
which they are very fond of doing, our caution would naturally havelef-
fened, by a continuance of their then docile behaviour, and had, one been -
admitted to this indulgence, many others could, not, without giving great
offence, have been refufed. 1 Their numbers might thus have increafed
beyond expeftation, and by-,.,diftributing. themfelyes; unobferved in different
parts of the fhip, a favorable opportunity might have been feized,
had they been fo inclined, when we leaft expected danger, to carry
any ambitious projeft into execution. Having uniformly adhered to.
the maxim, that “ prevention is better than punifhment-,” I determined
in no inftance whatever, fo far as it Was in our power, to fuffer
the leaft temptation to be laid in their way, either in and about the
fhip, or in any of our tranfaftions with them on Ihore. On this, occafion
however a difficulty arofe, by Kahotmiotob having remained on
board three nights fuccelfively., After explaining that this! would not
have happened, had not the fhip been unavoidably driven to' a great
.diftance