70 cook's VOYAGE TO SErT. 



Indeed, this point I settled at the first interview with 

 their chiefs, after my arrival. For, observing the 

 great plenty that was in the island, and the eagerness 

 of the natives to possess our various articles of trade, 

 I resolved to make the most of these two favourable 

 circumstances, and explained myself, in the most de- 

 cisive terms, that I would not suffer them to rob us, 

 as they had done upon many former occasions. In 

 this Omai was of great use, as I instructed him to 

 point out to them the good consequences of their 

 honest conduct ; and the fatal mischiefs they must 

 expect to suffer by deviating from it. 



It is not always in the power of the chiefs to pre- 

 vent robberies ; they are frequently robbed them- 

 selves ; and complain of it as a great evil. Otoo left 

 the most valuable things he had from me in my pos- 

 session, till the day before we sailed ; and the reason 

 he gave for it was, that they were no where so safe. 

 Since the bringing in of new riches, the inducements 

 to pilfering must have increased. The chiefs, sensi- 

 ble of this, are now extremely desirous of chests. 

 They seemed to set much value upon a few the 

 Spaniards had left amongst them ; and they were 

 continually asking us for some. I had one made for 

 Otoo, the dimensions of which, according to his own 

 directions, were eight feet in length, five in breadth, 

 and about three in depth. Locks and bolts were not 

 a sufficient security ; but it must be large enough for 

 two people to sleep upon, by way of guarding it in 

 the night. 



It will appear a little extraordinary, that we, who 

 had a smattering of their language, and Omai, be- 

 sides, for an interpreter, could never get any clear 

 account of the time when the Spaniards arrived, how 

 long they stayed, and when they departed. The 

 more we inquired into this matter, the more we were 

 convinced of the inability of most of these people to 

 remember, or note the time, when past events hap- 

 pened j especially if it exceeded ten or twenty months. 



4 



