1777- f©r the prefents he had received from me. I was now in-
<. . formed of an accident which had juft happened, the relation
of which will convey fome. idea of the extent of the
authority exercifed here over the common people. While
Feenou was on board my ihip, an inferior Chief, for what
reafon our people on ihore did not know, ordered all the natives
to retire from the poll we occupied. Some o f them
having ventured to return, he took up a large ftick, and
beat them moll unmercifully. He firuck one man, on the
fide of the face, with fo much violence, that the blood
gulhed out of his mouth and nollrils ; and, after lying fome
time motionlefs, he was, at laft, removed from the place,
in convulfions. The perfon who had inflidled the blow,
being told that he had killed the man, only laughed at i t ;
and, it was evident, that he was not in the leaft forry for
what had happened. We heard, afterward, that the poor
fufFerer recovered.
The Difcovery having found again her fmall bower an-
Wedncf. 7. chor, ihifted her birth, on the 7th ; but not before her bell
bower cable had ihared the fate of the other. This day, I
had the company of Feenou at dinner; and alfo the next
Tkurfday s. day, when he was attended by Taipa, Toobou, and fome
other Chiefs. It was remarkable, that none but Taipa
was allowed to fit at table with him, or even to,eat in his
prefence. I-own that I confidered Feenou as a very convenient
gueft, on account of this etiquette. For, before his
arrival, I had, generally, a larger company than I could
well find room for, and my table overflowed with crowds
of both fexes. For it is not the cuftom at the Friendly
Iflands, as it is at Otaheite, to deny to their females the privilege
of eating in company with the men.
The firil day of our arrival at Annamooka, one of the '777-
natives had ilolen, out of the ihip, a large junk axe. I now 1 -,a-X' j
applied to Feenou to exert his authority to get it reftored to
me:; and fo implicitly was he obeyed, that it was brought
on board while we were at dinner. Thefe people gave us
very frequent opportunities of remarking what expert
thieves they were. Even fome of their Chiefs did not think
this profeflion beneath them. On the 9th, one of them was Friday 9.
detected carrying out of the ihip, concealed under his
clothes, the bolt belonging to the fpun yarn winch; for
which I fentenced him to receive a dozen laihes, and kept
him confined till he paid a hog for his liberty. After this,
we were not troubled with thieves of rank. Their fervants
or Haves, however, were ftill employed in this dirty work |
and upon them a flogging feemed to make no greater im-
preflion, than it would have done upon the main-mail.
When any of them happened to be caught in the aft, their
mailers, far from interceding for them, would often advife
us to kill them. As this was a puniihment we did not
choofe to infliil, they generally efcaped without any puniihment
at all; for they appeared to us to be equally infen-
fible of the ihame, and o f the pain of corporal chailifement.
Captain Clerke, at lail, hit upon a mode of treatment, which,
we thought, had fome effedt. He put them under the hands
o f the barber, and completely ihaved their heads; thus
pointing them out as objedls of ridicule to their countrymen,
and enabling our people to deprive them of future
opportunities for a repetition of their rogueries, by keeping
them at a diftance.
Feenou was fo fond of aflociating with us, that he dined
on board every day ; though, fometimes, he did not partake
of our fare. On the 10th, fome of his fervants brought a Saturday ,a.
V o l . I , I I h mefs,