26 cook's voyage to aug. 



as a proof of the strong propensity natural to man, 

 of returning to habits acquired at an early age, and 

 only interrupted by accident. And, perhaps, it may 

 be concluded, that even Omai, who had imbibed al- 

 most the whole English manners, will, in a very 

 short time after our leaving him, like Oedidee, and 

 the visitor of Lima, return to his own native gar- 

 ments. 



In the morning of the 27th, a man came from 

 Oheitepeha, and told us that two Spanish ships had 

 anchored in that bay the night before ; and, in con- 

 firmation of this intelligence, he produced a piece of 

 coarse blue cloth, which he said he got out of one 

 of the ships ; and which, indeed, in appearance, was 

 almost quite new. He added, that Mateema was in 

 one of the ships ; and that they were to come down 

 to Matavai in a day or two. Some other circum- 

 stances which he mentioned, with the foregoing ones, 

 gave the story so much the air of truth, that I dis- 

 patched Lieutenant Williamson in a boat, to look 

 into Oheitepeha bay ; and, in the mean time, I put the 

 ships into a proper posture of defence. For, though 

 England and Spain were in peace when I left Europe, 

 for aught J knew, a different scene might, by this 

 time, have opened. However, on farther inquiry, 

 we had reason to think that the fellow who brought 

 the intelligence had imposed upon us ; and this was 

 put beyond all doubt, when Mr. Williamson returned 

 next day ; who made his report to me, that he had 

 been at Oheitepeha, and found that no ships were 

 there now, and that none had been there since we left 

 it. The people of this part of the island, where we 

 now were, indeed, told us, from the beginning, that 

 it was a fiction invented by those of Tiaraboo. But 

 what view they could have, we were at a loss to con- 

 ceive, unless they supposed, that the report would 

 have some effect in making us quit the island, and, 

 by that means, deprive the people of Otaheite-nooe 

 of the advantages they might reap from our ships 



