Apni! They now fcemed to take fome pains to Separate us from
p| .each other; and every one of us had his circle, to furtound and
.gaze at him. For my own part, I was, at one time, above an
hour apart from my friends; and .when I told the Chief, with
■whom I fat, that I wan ted to fpcak to Omai, he peremptorily
refu fed my requeft. At the fame time, I found the
people began to fteal feveral trifling things which I had in
my pocket; and when I took the liberty of complaining to
the Chief of this treatment, he juftified it. From thefe cir-
..cumftances, I now entertained apprehenfions, that they might
have formed the defign of detaining us amongft them.
They did not, indeed, feem to be of a difpoiition io favage,
.as to make .us anxious for the fafety of our perfons; but it
was, neverthelefs, vexing to think, we had hazarded being
-detained by their eurioficy. In this fituation, I afked for
fomething to eat; and they readily brought to me fome
.-Cocoa-nuts, bread-fruit, and a fort o f four pudding, which
was prefented by a woman. And on my complaining much
o f the heat, occafioned by the crowd, the Chief himfelf con-
defcended to fan me, and gave me a finall piece of cloth,
which he had round his waift.
Mr. Burney happening to come to the place where I was,
:I mentioned my fufpicions to him ; and, to put it to the
teft, whether they were well-founded, we attempted to get
to the beach. But we were flopped, when about half-way,
by fome men, who told us, that we mull go back to the
place which we had left. On coming up, we found Omai
entertaining the fame apprehenfions. But he had, as he
fancied, an additional reafon for being afraid; for he had
obferv.ed, that they had dug a hole in the ground for an
.oven, which they were now heating.; and he could affignno
-other reafon for this, than that they meant to roaft, and eat
us,
us, as is pradiifed by the inhabitants of New Zealand. Nay, f?7?-
he went fo far as to aik them the queftion ;. at which they —
were greatly furprifed, aflting, in return, whether that was
a cuftom with us i Mr. Burney and I were rather angry
that they ihould be thus fufpccted by him; there having,
as yet, been no appearances, in their conduit toward us, o f
their being capable of fuch brutality.
In this manner we were detained the greateff part o f the
day, being fometimes together, and fometimes feparated;
but always in a crowd; who, not fatisfied with gazing at
us, frequently defired U3 to uncover parts of our ikin; the
fight of which commonly produced a general murmur o f
admiration. At the fame time, they did not omit thefe opportunities
of rifling our pockets ; and, at laft, one of them
fnatched a finall bayonet from Mr. Gore, which hung'in its-
fheath by his fide. This was reprefented to the Chief,
who pretended to fend fome perfon in fearch of it. But,
in all probability, he countenanced the theft; for, foon
after, Omai had a dagger ftolen from his fide, in the fame
manner; though he did not mifs it immediately.
Whether they obferved any figns of uneafinefs in us, or
that they voluntarily repeated their emblems of friendihip
when we exprefled a defire to go, I cannot tell; but, at this
time, they brought fome green boughs, and, flicking their
ends in the ground, defired we might hold them as we
fat. Upon our urging again the bufinefs we came upon,
they gave us to underftand, that we muft flay and eat with
them ; and a pig which we faw, foon after, lying near the
oven, which they had prepared and heated, removed Omai’s
apprehenfion of being put into it himfelf; and made us
think it might be intended for our repaft. The Chief alfo
promifed