10 cook's VOYAGE TO AUG. 



for some time. At length, a chief whom I had 

 known before, named Ootee, and Omar's brother-in- 

 law, who chanced to be now at this corner ofthe island, 

 and three or four more persons, all of whom knew 

 Omai before he embarked with Captain Furneaux, 

 came on board. Yet there was nothing either tender 

 or striking in their meeting. On the contrary, there 

 seemed to be a perfect indifference on both sides, till 

 Omai, having taken his brother down into the cabin, 

 opened the drawer where he kept his red feathers, 

 and gave him a few* This being presently known 

 amongst the rest of the natives upon deck, the face 

 of affairs was entirely turned, and Ootee, who would 

 hardly speak to Omai before, now begged that they 

 might be tayos *, and exchange names. Omai ac- 

 cepted of the honour, and confirmed it with a present 

 of red feathers ; and Ootee, by way of return, sent 

 ashore for a hog. But it was evident to every one of 

 us, that it was not the man, but his property they were 

 in love with. Had he not shown them his treasure of 

 red feathers, which is the commodity in greatest es- 

 timation at the island, I question much whether they 

 would have bestowed even a cocoa-nut upon him. 

 Such was Omai's first reception among his country- 

 men. I own, I never expected it would be other- 

 wise ; but still, I was in hopes that the valuable 

 cargo of presents with which the liberality of his 

 friends in England had loaded him, would be the 

 means of raising him into consequence, and of 

 making him respected, and even courted by the 

 first persons throughout the extent of the Society 

 Islands. This could not but have happened, had 

 he conducted himself with any degree of prudence ; 

 but instead of it, I am sorry to say, that he paid too 

 little regard to the repeated advice of those who 

 wished him well, and suffered himself to be duped by 

 every designing knave. 



* Friends. 



