1777- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 98 



their excrement, that it would have been badly re- 

 lished by delicate feeders. 



The intercourse of trade and friendly offices was 

 carried on between us and the natives without beins: 

 disturbed by any one accident till the evening of the 

 22d, when a man found means to get into Mr. Bay- 

 ly's observatory, and to carry off a sextant unobserved. 

 As soon as I was made acquainted with the theft, I 

 went ashore, and got Omai to apply to the chiefs, to 

 procure restitution. He did so ; but they took no 

 steps toward it, being more attentive to a heeva that 

 was then acting, till I ordered the performers of the 

 exhibition to desist. They were now convinced, that 

 I was in earnest, and began to make some enquiry 

 after the thief, who was sitting in the midst of them 

 quite unconcerned, inasmuch that I was in great 

 doubt of his being the guilty person ; especially as 

 he denied it. Omai, however, assuring me that he 

 was the man, I sent him on board the ship, and there 

 confined him. This raised a general ferment amongst 

 the assembled natives ; and the whole body fled, in 

 spite of all my endeavours to stop them. Having 

 employed Omai to examine the prisoner, with some 

 difficulty he was brought to confess where he had 

 laid the sextant ; but, as it was now dark, he could 

 not find it till day-light the next morning, when it 

 was brought back unhurt. After this, the natives 

 recovered from their fright, and began to gather 

 about us as usual. And as to the thief) he appearing to 

 be a hardened scoundrel, I punished him more se- 

 verely than I had done any culprit before. Besides 

 having his head and beard shaved, I ordered both his 

 ears to be cut off, and then dismissed him. 



This, however, did not deter him from giving us 

 farther trouble ; for, in the night between the 24th 

 and 25th, a general alarm was spread, occasioned, as 

 was said, by one of our goats being stolen by this 

 very man. On examination, we found that all was safe 

 in that quarter. Probably, the goats were so well 



