*777- 'at day-break, in the morning o f the 12th, w e faw the ifland
•1 o f Maitea. Soon after, Otaheite made its appearance; and,
¡ j i g ,2' noon, it extended fromSou th Weft by Weft, to Weft North
"Weft; the point o f Oheitepeha Bay bearing Weft, about
fo u r leagues diftant. I fleered for this bay, intending to
anchor there, in order to draw w hat refreihments I could
-from the South Eaft part o f the ifland, before I went down
to M a ta v a i; from the neighbourhood o f w hich ftatipn I expected
m y principal fupply. We had a frefh gale Eafterly,
till two o ’clock in the afternoon; when, be in g about a
le a g u e from the bay, the wind fuddenly died away, and
was fucceeded b y baffling, ligh t airs, from every direction,
and calms, by turns. This lafted about two hours. T hen
w e had fudden fqualls, with rain, from the Eaft. Thefc
carried us before the bay, where we got a breeze from the
land, and attempted, in vain, to w o rk in, to gain the an-
choring-place. So that, at laft, about nine o ’clock, we
w ere obliged to ftand out, and to fpend the n ight at fea.
W h en we firft drew near the 'ifland, feveral canoes came
o ff to the ihip, each con d u c ed by two or three men. But,
as they were common fellows, Omai took no particular notice
o f them, nor they o f him. T h e y did not, even, Teem
•to perceive, that he was one o f their countrymen, a lthou gh
they converted with him for fome time. At length, a Chief,
whom I had known before, named Ootee, and Omai’s brother
in-law, who chanced to be now at this corner o f the
ifland, and three or four more perfons, all o f whom kn ew
Omai, before he embarked with Ca'ptain Furneaux, came
on board- Y e t there was nothing either tender or ftriking
in their meeting. On the contrary, there feemed to be a
peffedt indifference on both fides, till Omai, h a vin g taken
his brother down, into the cabin, opened the drawer where
6 he
h e kept his red feathers, and gave him a few. T h is b e in g A'7
prefently kn own , amo’ngft the reft o f the natives upon deck, »—
the face o f affairs was in tirely turned, and Ootee, who
would hardly fpeak to Omai before, now begged, that they
m igh t be tayds*, and exchange names. Omai accepted o f
the honour, and confirmed it w ith a prefent o f red feathers ;
and Ootee, b y w a y o f return, fent aihore for a hog. But it
was evident to every one o f us, that it was not the man, but
his property, they were in love with. Had he not fhewn to
them his treafure o f red feathers, w h ich is the commodity
in greateft eftimation at the ifland, I queftion much whether
they would have beftowed even a cocoa-nut upon him.
Such was Omai’s firft reception amongft his countrymen. I
own, I never expected it would be o th e rw ife ; biit, ftill, I
was in hopes, that the va lu ab le cargo o f prefents, with
w h ich the liberality o f his friends in England had loaded
him, would be the means o f railing him into confequence,
’ and o f m a k in g h im refpeCted, and even courted, b y the firft
perfons throughout the extent o f the Society Iilands. This
could not buc have happened, had he co n d u c ed him fe lf
w ith any degree o f prudence. But, inftead o f it, I am forry
to fay, that he paid too little regard to the repeated advice o f
thofe w h o wiffled him w e ll, and fuffered h im fe lf to be
duped b y every defigning knave.
From the natives who came o ff to us, in the courfe o f this
day, w e learnt, that two fhips had twice been in Oheitepeha
Bay, fince m y laft vifit to this ifland in i 7 7 4>an<^ that they had
le ft animals there, fuch as we had on board. But, on farther
inquiry, we found, they were only hogs, dogs, goats,
one bull, and the male o f fome other animal, which, from
Vox,. II.
* Friends,
c the