1777- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 61 



fancied, an additional reason for being afraid, for he 

 had observed that they had dug a hole in the ground 

 for an oven, which they were now heating ; and he 

 could assign no other reason for this, than that they 

 meant to roast and eat us, as is practised by the 

 inhabitants of New Zealand. Nay, he went so far 

 as to ask them the question ; at which they were 

 greatly surprised, asking in return, whether that was 

 a custom with us? Mr. Burney and I were rather 

 angry that they should be thus suspected by him, 

 there having as yet been no appearances in their 

 conduct toward us, of their being capable of such 

 brutality. 



"In this manner we were detained the greatest part 

 of the day, being sometimes together, and some- 

 times separated ; but always in a crowd ; who, not 

 satisfied with gazing at us, frequently desired us to 

 uncover parts of our skin, the sight of which com- 

 monly produced a general murmur of admiration. 

 At the same time, they did not omit these opportu- 

 nities of rifling our pockets ; and at last, one of 

 them snatched a small bavonet from Mr. Gore, 

 which hung in its sheath by his side. This was 

 represented to the chief, who pretended to send 

 some person in search of it. But in all probability, 

 he countenanced the theft ; for soon after, Omai 

 had a dagger stolen from his side in the same man- 

 ner, though he did not miss it immediately. 



"Whether they observed any signs of uneasiness in 

 us, or that they voluntarily repeated their emblems 

 of friendship when we expressed a desire to go, 

 I cannot tell ; but, at this time, they brought some 

 green boughs, and sticking their ends in the ground, 

 desired we might hold them as we sat. Upon our 

 urging again the busines we came upon, they gave 

 us to understand that we must stay and eat with 

 them ; and a pig which we saw soon after lying near 

 the oven, which they had prepared and heated, 

 removed Omai's apprehensions of being put into 



s a 



