Wmt of their property. Of the two extremes I always chofe that
—i---' which appeared the moft equitable and mild. A trifling preefday
io. .
lent to the chief always fucceeded to my wifh, and very
often put things upon a better footing than they had been
before. That they were the firft aggreflors had very little
influence on my conduct in this refpedt, becaufe no difference
happened but when it was fo. My people very rarely
or never broke through the rules I thought it neceflary t&
prefcribe. Had I obferved a different conduct, I muff have
been the lofer by it in the end; and all I could expedt, after
deftroying fome part of their property, would have been the
empty honour of obliging them to make the firfl: overture
towards an accommodation. But who knows if this, would
have been the event .' Three things made them our fall
friends. Their own good nature and benevolent difpofition ,*
gentle treatment on our part; and the dread of our fire-arms.
By our ceafing to obferve the fecond, the firfl would have
worn out of courfeand the too frequent ufe of the latter
would have excited a fpirit of revenge, and perhaps have
taught them that fire-arms were not fuch terrible things as
they had imagined. They were very fenfible of the fuperi-
ority of their numbers j and no one knows what an enraged
multitude might do..
CHAP .
C H A P . XIII.
Preparations to leave the IJland. Another N a va l Review,
and various other Incidents; with fome Account o f the
I f and, its naval Force, and Number o f Inhabitants.
IN the morning of the nth, a very large fqpply of fruit ,77+.
was brought us from all parts. Some of it came from Mly‘
Towha the admiral, fent as ufual by his fervants, with orders Wednel-11
to receive nothing in return. But he defired I would go and
fee him at Attahourou, as he was ill and could not come to
me. As I could not well undertake this journey, I fent
Oedidee, along with Towha’s fervants, with a prefent fuit-
able to that which I had, in fo genteel a manner, received
from him. As the moft efiential repairs of the fhip were
nearly finifhed, I refolved to leave Otaheite in a few days ;
and accordingly ordered every thing to be got off from the
fhore, that the natives might fee we were about to depart.
On the 12th, old Oberea, the woman, who, when the Dol- Thl,rfday l2w
phin was here in 1767, was thought to be queen of the ifland,
and whom Iliad not feen fince 1769, paid us a vilit, and
brought a prefent of hogs and fruit. Soon after, came Otoo
with a great retinue, and a large quantity of provifions. I
was pretty liberal in my returns, thinking it might be the
laft time I fhould fee thefe good people, who had fo liberally
relieved our wants ; and, in the evening, entertained them
with fire-works. ill
X x 2 On