»777- promifed to fend fome people to procure food for the cattle;
< but it was not till pretty late in the afternoon, that we faw
them return with a few plantain-trees, which they carried
to our boats.
In the mean time, Mr. Burney and I attempted again to
go to the beach ; but when we arrived, found ourfelves
watched by people, who, to appearance, had been placed
- there for this purpofe. For when I tried to wade in upon
the reef, one of them took hold of my clothes, and dragged
me back. I picked up fome fmall pieces of coral, which
they required me to throw down again ; and, on my refu-
fal, they made no fcruple to take them forcibly from me.
I had gathered fome fmall plants ; but thefe alfo I could not
be permitted to retain. And they took a fan from Mr.
Burney, which he had received as a prefent on coming
aihore. Omai faid, we had done wrong in taking up any
thing ; for it was not the cuftom here to permit freedoms Of
that kind to ftrangers, till they had, in fome meafure, naturalized
them to the country, by entertaining them with
feftivity for two or three days.
Finding that the only method of procuring better treatment
was to yield implicit obedience to their will, we went
up again to the place we had left ; and they now promifed,
that we fhould have a canoe to carry us off to our hoats,
after we had eaten of a repaft which had been prepared
for us.
Accordingly, the fécond Chief, to whom we had been introduced
in thé morning, having feated himfelf upon a low
broad ftool of blackifh hard wood, tolerably poliihed, and
direiling the multitude to make a pretty large ring, made
us fit down by him. A confiderable number of cocoa-nuts
9 were
mere now brought j and, ihortly after, a long green bafket,
with a fufficient quantity of baked plantains to have ferved 1
a dozen perfons. A piece of the young hog, that had
been drelfed, was then fet before each of us, o f which we
were defired to eat. Our appetites, however, had failed,
from the fatigue of the day ; and though we did eat a little
to pleafe them, it was without iatisfaftion to ourfelves. -
It being now near fun-fet, we told them it was time to go
on board. This they allowed; and fent down to the beach
the remainder of the viiluals that had been dreiled, to
be carried with us to the fhips. But, before we fet out,
Omai was treated with a drink he had been ufed to in. his
own Country; which, we obferved, was made here, as at other
iflands in the South Sea, by chewing the root of a fort of
pepper. We found a canoe ready to pu t us off to our boats ;
which the natives did, with the fame caution as when we
landed. But, even here, their thieviih difpofition did not
leave them. Tor a perfon of fome confequence among them,
who came with us, took an opportunity, juft as they were
pufhing the canoe into the furf, to fnatch a bag out of her,
which I had, with the greateil difficulty, preferved all the
day; there being in it a fmall pocket-piilol, which I was
unwilling to part with. Perceiving him, I .called out, expreiT-
ing as much difpleafure as I could. On which he thought
proper to return, and fwim with the bag to the canoe; but denied
he had ftolen it, though dete&ed in the very ail:. They
put us on board our boats, with the cocoa-nuts, plantains,
and other provifions, which they had brought; and we
rowed to the fhips, very well pleafed that we had at Jail got
out of the hands of our troublefome mailers.