1769- ROUND THE WORLD. 91 



her : his princess, though she was somewhat morti- 

 fied at the preference that was given to her rival, did 

 not discontinue her civilities, but still assiduously 

 supplied him with the milk of the cocoa-nut, and 

 such other dainties as w^ere in her reach. This scene 

 might possibly have become more curious and inte- 

 resting, if it had not been suddenly interrupted by 

 an interlude of a more serious kind. Just at this 

 time, Dr. Solander and Mr. Monkhouse complained 

 that their pockets had been picked. Dr. Solander 

 had lost an opera-glass in a shagreen case, and 

 Mr. Monkhouse his snuff-box. This incident un- 

 fortunately put an end to the good humour of the 

 company. Complaint of the injury was made to 

 the chief ; and, to give it. weight, Mr. Banks 

 started up, and hastily struck the but-end of his 

 firelock upon the ground : this action, and the noise 

 that accompanied it, struck the whole assembly with 

 a panic ; and every one of the natives ran out of the 

 house with the utmost precipitation, except the chief, 

 three women, and two or three others, who appeared 

 by their dress to be of a superior rank. 



The chief, with a mixture of confusion and concern, 

 took Mr. Banks by the hand, and led him to a large 

 quantity of cloth, which lay at the other end of the 

 house : this he offered to him piece by piece, intimat- 

 ing by signs, that if that would atone for the wrong 

 which had been done, he might take any part of 

 it, or, if he pleased, the whole. Mr. Banks put 

 it by, and gave him to understand, that he wanted 

 nothing but what had been dishonestly taken away. 

 Toubourai Tamaide then went hastily out, leaving 

 Mr. Banks with his wife Tomio, who, during the 

 whole scene of terror and confusion, had kept 

 constantly at his side, and intimating his desire 

 that he should wait there till his return. Mr. Banks 

 accordingly sat down, and conversed with her, as 

 well as he could by signs, about half an hour. 

 The chief then came back with the snuff-box and 

 the case of the opera-glass in his hand, and, with 



