98 cook's voyage to nov. 



Most of our friends remained on board till the ships 

 were under sail ; when, to gratify their curiosity, I 

 ordered five guns to be fired. They then all took 

 their leave, except Omai, who remained till we were 

 at sea. We had come to sail by a hawser fastened 

 to the shore. In casting the ship, it parted, being 

 cut by the rocks, and the outer end was left behind; 

 as those who cast it off, did not perceive that it was 

 broken ; so that it became necessary to send a boat 

 to bring it on board. In this boat, Omai went ashore, 

 after taking a very affectionate farewell of all the of- 

 ficers. He sustained himself with a manly resolution, 

 till he came to me. Then his utmost efforts to conceal 

 his tears failed ; and Mr. King, who went in the boat, 

 told me, that he wept all the time in going ashore. 



It was no small satisfaction to reflect, that we had 

 brought him safe back to the very spot from which 

 he was taken. And yet, such is the strange nature 

 of human affairs, that it is probable we left him in a 

 less desirable situation, than he was in before his con- 

 nexion with us. I do not by this mean, that, because he 

 has tasted the sweets of civilised life, he must be- 

 come more miserable from being obliged to abandon 

 all thoughts of continuing them. I confine myself to 

 this single disagreeable circumstance, that the advan- 

 tages he received from us, have placed him in a more 

 hazardous situation, with respect to his personal 

 safety. Omai, from being much caressed in England, 

 lost sight of his original condition ; and never con- 

 sidered in what manner his acquisitions, either of 

 knowledge or of riches, would be estimated by his 

 countrymen at his return ; which were the only 

 things he could have to recommend him to them now, 

 more than before, and on which he could build either 

 his future greatness or happiness. He seemed even 

 to have mistaken their genius in this respect ; and, 

 in some measure, to have forgotten their customs ; 

 otherwise he must have known the extreme difficulty 

 there would be in getting himself admitted as a per- 



