mi- his l i f e ; for Omai, the moment he faw him, aiked me i f he
O a o b e r . 1
.— S— j ihould ihoot h im ; fo fu lly was he perfuaded, that I was
go in g to carry his advice into execution. I immediately ordered
both him and ou r guide to make it known, that I
did not intend to hurt, much lefs to k ill, a fingle native.
T h e fe glad tidings flew before us lik e ligh tn in g, and flopped
the flight o f the inhabitants’ ; fo that no one quitted his
houfe, or employment, afterward.
As w e began to afcend the ridge o f hills over which lay
our road, we got intelligence, that the goat had been
carried that w ay before us ; and, as w e underftood," could
not, a j yet, have pafled the h i l l s ; fo that we marched up,
in great filence, in hopes o f furprifing the party who were
bearing o ff the prize. But when we had got to the upper-
moft plantation on the fide o f the ridge, the people there
told us, that what we were in fearch o f had, indeed, been
kept there the firfl: n ight, but had been carried, the next
morning, to Watea, by Hamoa. We then eroded the ridge
without m akin g any further inquiry, till we came within
.fight o f Watea, where fome people ihewed us Hamoa’s
houfe, and told us, that the goat was th e re ; fo that I made
no doubt o f ge tting it immediately upon my arrival. But
w hen I reached the houfe; to my very great furprize, the
few people we met with denied that they had ever feen it, or
kn ew any thing about i t ; even Hamoa h im fe lf came, and
made the fame declaration.
¡On our firft coming to the place, I obferved feveral men
running to and fro in the woods, with clubs and bundles o f
darts in their h a n d s ; and Omai, who followed them, had
fome Hones thrown at h im ; fo that it feerned as i f they had
intended to oppofe any ftep I Ihould take, by fo rc e ; but on
feeing
feeing m y party was too ftrong, had dropped the defign. I >7n -,
was confirmed in this notion, by obferving, that all their , ofl°ber-_
houfes w ere empty. A fe r ge ttin g a few o f the people o f
the place together, I defired Omai to expoftulate with them
on the abfurdity o f the conduit they were, p u rfu in g ; and to
te.ll them, that, from the teilimony o f many on whom I
could depend, I was w e ll allured, that the goat was in their
pofleffion, and, therefore, infilled upon its be in g delivered
up, otherwife I wou ld burn their houfes and canoes. But,
notwithftanding a ll that I or Omai could fay, they continued
to deny their ha vin g any kn ow led g e o f it. The con-
fequence was, that I fet fire to fix or eight houfes, w hich
were prefently confirmed, w ith two or three war-canoes that
la y contiguous to them. This done, 1 marched o ff to jo in
the boats, w hich were about feven Or eight miles from us -r
and, in our way, we burnt fix more war-canoes, without any
one attempting to oppofe us ; on the contrary, many aflilt-
ed, though, probably, more out o f fear than good-will. In-
one place, Omai, who had advanced a little before,, came
back with information, that a great many men were getting,
together to attack us. W e made ready to receive th em ;
but, inftead o f enemies, w e found petitioners with plantain
trees in their hands, w hich they laid down at my feet,
and begged that I would fpare a canoe that la y clofe hy j.
which I readily complied with .
At length, about four in the afternoon; we got to the
boats, that were waiting at Wharrarade, the diftricft belong,
m g to Tiarataboonoue; but this Chief, as well as all the
principal people o f the place, had fled to the hills ; though
touched not a fingle thing that was their property,
as they were the friends o f Otoo. A fte r refting ourfelves
ere about an hour, we fet out for the flrips, where we ar-
5 rived