416 cook's voyage to july, 



vided myself with a present for Taoofa, in return for 

 what he had given me. As it was early, there were 

 but few people at the landing-place, and those few 

 not without their fears. But on my desiring Omai 

 to assure them that we meant no harm ; and, in con- 

 firmation of this assurance, having restored the 

 canoes and released the offender, whom they had 

 delivered up to me, they resumed their usual gaiety ; 

 and, presently, a large circle was formed, in which 

 the chief and all the principal men of the island took 

 their places. The remainder of the clothes were 

 now brought in ; but, as they had been torn off the 

 man's back by pieces, they were not worth carrying 

 on board. Taoofa, on receiving my present, shared 

 it with three or four other chiefs, keeping only a 

 small part for himself. This present exceeded their 

 expectation so greatly, that one of the chiefs, a 

 venerable old man, told me that they did not deserve 

 it, considering how little they had given to me, and 

 the ill treatment one of my people had met with. I 

 remained with them till they had finished their bowl 

 of /cava ; and having then paid for the hog which I 

 had taken the day before, returned on board with 

 Taoofa, and one of Poulaho's servants, by whom I 

 sent, as a parting mark of my esteem and regard for 

 that chief, a piece of bar iron ; being as valuable a 

 present as any I could make to him. 



Soon after we weighed, and, with a light breeze at 

 south-east, stood out to sea ; and then Taoofa, and 

 a few other natives that were in the ship, left us. On 

 heaving up the anchor, we found that the cable had 

 suffered considerably by the rocks ; so that the 

 bottom in this road is not to be depended upon. 

 Besides this, we experienced that a prodigious swell 

 rolls in there from the south-west. 



We had not been long under sail, before we 

 observed a sailing canoe coming from Tongataboo, 

 and entering the creek before which we had anchor- 

 ed. Some hours after, a small canoe conducted by 



