Oaoüer. t^ at they were ° f no manner o f ufe to him j that a baked
' was more favory food than a boiled one ; that a planta
in -lea f m ade as good a difh or plate as pewter ; and that a
cocoa-nut ihe ll was as convenient a goblet as a black-jack.
And, therefore, he ve ry wife ly difpofgd o f as many o f thefç
articles o f'E n g liih furniture fo r the kitchen and pantry, as
he could find purchafers for, amongft the people o f the
ihips -, rece ivin g from them, in return, hatchets, and other
iron tools, which had a more imrinfic value in this part o f the
world, and added more to his diftihgiiifliing fuperionty over
thofe w ith whom he was to pafs the remainder o f his days.
Tucfday 28. in the long lift o f the prefents bellowed upon him in E n g land,
fire-works had not been forgor. Some o f thefe we exhibited,
in the evening o f the 28th, before a great concourfe
o f people, who beheld them with a mixture o f pleafure and
fear. What remained, after the evenin g’s entertainment,
were put in order, and le ft with Omai, agreeably to their
o tig in a l deftination. Perhaps we need not lament if as a
ferious misfortune, that the far greater ihare o f this part o f
hjs cargo, had been already expended in exhibitions at other
illands, or rendered ufelefs by being kept fo long.
TKurfdayjo. Between midnight and fo u r in the morning o f the 30th,
the Bolabola man, whom I had in confinement, found means
to make his efcape out o f the fhip. He carried with him
the ihackle o f the bilboo-bolt that was about his leg , which
was taken from him, as foon as he got on ihore, by one o f
the Chiefs, and given to Qmai ; who came on board, very
early in the morning, to acquaint me that his mortal enemy
was again let loofe upon him. Upon enquiry, it appeared,
that not only the fentry placed over the prifoner, but the.
w hole watch, upon the quarter-deck where he was confined,
had laid themfelves down to lleep. He feized the opporttinity
---------- r - - . ^ m u u u i dt iiDerty. 1111s
efcape convinced me, that m y people had been very remifs
in their n ight-d u ty ; w hich made it neceflary topunifh thofe
w ho were now in fau lt, and to eftablifh fome new régu la-
tions to prevent the lik e n eg lig en ce fo r the future. I was
not a little pleafed to hear, afterward, that the fe llow who
efcaped, had tranfported h im fe lf to Ulietea ; in this, fecondm
g m y views o f p u ttin g him a fécond time in iron s.
As foon as Omai was fettled in his n ew habitation, I began
to think o f lea v in g the iflan d ; and got every thing o f f ’
from the lhore, this evening, except the horfe and mare,
and a goat b ig with k id ; which were left in the poiTeffion
o f our friend, w ith whom w e were now finally to part, I
a fo- gave him a boar and two fows o f the Engliih breed 1
and he had got a fow or two o f his own, T h é horfe covered
the mare while we were at Otahèite; fo that I confider
the introduction o f a breed o f horfes into thefe iflands, as*
lik e ly to have fucceeded, by this valuable pre fen t.
T h e hiftory o f Omai w ill, perhaps, intereft a. ve ry numerous
clafs o f readers, more than any other occurrence o f
a voyage, the objects o f which do not, fin general; promife-
much entertainment. Every circumilance, therefore, which-
ma y fcrve to convey a fatisfaclory account of: the exaft
fituation m which he was left, w ill be thought worth pre-
e rv in g ; and the fo llow in g particulars are added, to complete
the view o f his domeftic eftabliihmerit. He had picked
u p a tO ta h e ite fou r or five Toutous, the two New Z e S an d
youths remained w ith him ; and his brother, and Tome others
joined him at Hu ahe ine , fo that his fam ily con filled ahead w
o f e ig h t o r t e n Ee r fo n s ; ; if that c a n .b e called a f j ™ %
•v whichi