352 cook's second voyage may, 



beset by five or six fellows, who would have stripped 

 him, ifj that moment, one of the party had not come 

 to his assistance ; after which they made off with a 

 hatchet they had got from him. 



On the 17th I went ashore to look for the chief, in 

 order to complain of the outrage committed as above; 

 but he w r as not in the neighbourhood. Being ashore 

 in the afternoon, a person came and told me Oree 

 wanted to see me. I went with the man, and was 

 conducted to a large house, where the chief, and 

 several other persons of note, were assembled, in 

 council, as well as I could understand. After I was 

 seated, and some conversation had passed among 

 them, Oree made a speech, and was answered by 

 another. I understood no more of either, than just 

 to know it regarded the robbery committed the day 

 before. The chief then began to assure me, that nei- 

 ther he, nor any one present (which were the prin- 

 cipal chiefs in the neighbourhood) had any hand in 

 it ; and desired me to kill, with the guns, all those 

 which had. I assured him that 1 was satisfied that 

 neither he, nor those present, were at all concerned 

 in the affair ; and that I should do with the fellows 

 as he desired, or any others who were guilty of the 

 like crimes. Having asked where the fellows were, 

 and desired they would bring them to me that I might 

 do with them as he had said ; his answer was, they 

 were gone to the mountains, and he could not get 

 them. Whether this was the case or not, I will not 

 pretend to say. I knew fair means would never make 

 them deliver them up ; and I had no intention to try 

 others. So the affair dropt, and the council broke up. 



In the evening, some of the gentlemen went to a 

 dramatic entertainment. The piece represented a 

 girl as running away with us from Otaheite ; which 

 was in some degree true ; as a young woman 

 had taken a passage with us down to Ulietea, and 

 happened now to be present at the representation of 

 her own adventures; which had such an effect upon 



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