PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 223 



the climate, and were in every respect stout and chap 

 healthy ; there was therefore no immediate necessity ^-^v^ 

 for removing them, though I offered to take them S*. 

 as far as the next island, which was larger and inha- 

 bited, and where — concluding, from what we saw, 

 that these people were auxiliary missionaries — they 

 would have an opportunity of prosecuting their 

 pious intentions in the conversion of the natives. 

 This* proposal, however, after a little consultation, 

 was declined, from an apprehension of being killed 

 and eaten, as they supposed the greater part of the 

 inhabitants of the eastern islands of Polynesia to be 

 cannibals. 



We very soon discovered that our little colony 

 were Christians : they took an early opportunity of 

 convincing us of this, and that they had both Tes- 

 taments, hymn-books, &c. printed in the Otaheitan 

 language : they also shewed us a black-lead pencil, 

 and other materials for writing. Some of the girls 

 repeated hymns, and the greater part evinced a 

 reverence and respect for the sacred books, which 

 reflects much credit upon the missionaries, under 

 whose care we could no longer doubt they had at 

 one time been. 



Tuwarri, to whom I offered a passage, we found 

 was not the principal person on the island, but that 

 their chief was a man who accompanied him in the 

 boat, with his legs dreadfully enlarged with the 

 elephantiasis : it was he who directed their course, 

 rebuilt their canoe after it had been stranded, and 

 who appeared also to be their protector, being the 

 only one who possessed fire-arms. His importance 

 in this respect was, however, a little diminished by 

 the want of powder and shot, and by an accident 



