pleafed with this declaration, and told it aloud, feveral times,,
to the people about us. In the afternoon, he and the whole
royal family, viz. his father, brother, and three lifters, paid
us a vilit onboard. This was properly his father’s vifit of
ceremony. He brought me, as a prefent, a complete mourning
drefs, a curiofity we moft valued. In return, I gave him
whatever he defired, which was not a little, and having
diftributed red feathers to all the others, conducted them
afliore in my boat. Otoo was fo well pleafed with the reception
he and his friends met with, that he told me, at parting,
I might cut down as many trees as I pleafed, and what fort I
pleafed.
During the night, between the 7th1 and 8th, fome time in
the middle watch, all our friendly connexions received an
interruption, through the negligence of one of the centinels
on Ihore. He, having either flept or quitted his poft, gave
one of the natives an opportunity to carry off his mufquet.
The firft news I heard of it was from Tee, whom Otoo had
rent on board for that purpofe, and to delire that I would go
to him, for that he was mataoued: We were not well enough
acquainted with their language to underftand all Tee’s ftory
but we underftood enough to know that fomething had happened,
which had alarmed the king. In order, therefore, to-
be' fully informed, I went alhore with Tee and Tarevatoo,,
who had flept aboard all night. As foon as we landed, I was
informed of the whole by the ferjeant who commanded the
party. I found the natives all alarmed, and the moft of
them fled. Tarevatoo flipped from me in a moment, and
hardly any remained by me but Tee. With him I went to
look for Otoo; and, as we advanced, I endeavoured to allay
the fears of the people, but at the fame time infilled on the
i mufquet
AND ROUND THE WORLD. 331
mufquet being reftored. After travelling fome diffance into the ‘774»
country, enquiring of every one we faw for Otoo, Tee flopped >——.——>
. all at once and advifed me to return, faying that Otoo was s“nd,i)' 8'
gone to the mountains, and he would proceed and tell him
that I was ftill his friend; a queftion which had been afked mq
fifty times by different people, and if I was angry, &c. Tee
alfo promifed that he would ufe his endeavours to recover
the mufquet, I was now fati^fied it was to no purpofe to go
farther; for, although I was alone and unarmed, Otoo’s fears
were fuch, that he durft not fee me; and therefore I took
Tee’s advice, and returned aboard. After this I fent Oedidee
to Otoo to let him know that his fears were ill-grounded ;
for that I only required the return of the mufquet, which I
knew was in his power.
Soon after Oedidee was gone, we obferved fix large canoes
coming round Point Venus. Some people whom I had fent
out, to watch the conduct of the neighbouring inhabitants,
informed me they were laden with baggage, fruit, hogs, &c.
There being room for fufpeXing that fome perfon belonging
to thefe canoes had committed the theft, I prefently came to
a refolution to intercept them ; and having put off in a boat
for that purpofe, gave orders for another to follow. One of
the canoes, which was fome diftance ahead of the reft, came
diredlly for the fhip. I went along.-fide this, and found two
or three women in her whom I knew. They told me they
were going on board the fliip with fomething for me;
and, on my inquiring of them for Otoo, was told he was
then at the tents. Pleafed with this news, I contradicted the
orders I had given for intercepting the other canoes, thinking
they might be coming on board alfo, as well as this one,
which I left within a few yards of the fhip, and rowed alhore
U u 2 to
I