130 cook's first voyage may, 



actions, which are allowed on all sides to be in them- 

 selves innocent, is implanted in nature, or superin- 

 duced by custom ? If it has its origin in custom, it 

 will, perhaps, be found difficult to trace that custom, 

 however general, to its source ; if in instinct, it will 

 be equally difficult to discover from what cause it is 

 subdued, or at least over-ruled among these people, 

 in whose manners not the least trace of it is to be 

 found. 



On the 14th and 15th, we had another opportu- 

 nity of observing the general knowledge which these 

 people had of any design that was formed among 

 them. In the night between the 13th and 14th, one 

 of the water-casks was stolen from the outsideof the 

 fort : in the morning, there was not an Indian to be 

 seen w^ho did not know that it was gone ; yet they 

 appeared not to have been trusted, or not to have 

 been worthy of trust ; for they seemed all of them 

 disposed to give intelligence where it might be found. 

 Mr. Banks traced it to a part of the bay where he 

 was told it had been put into a canoe, but as it was 

 not of great consequence he did not complete the dis- 

 covery. When he returned, he was told by Tubou- 

 rai Tamaide, that another cask would be stolen be- 

 fore the morning : how he came by this knowledge 

 it is not easy to imagine ; that he was not a party in 

 the design is certain, for he came with his wife and 

 his family to the place where the water-casks stood, 

 and placing their beds near them, he said he would 

 himself be a pledge for their safety, in despight of 

 the thief: of this, however, we would not admit; 

 and making them understand that a sentry would be 

 placed to watch the casks till the morning, he re- 

 moved the beds into Mr. Banks's tent, where he and 

 his family spent the night, making signs to the sen- 

 try when he retired, that he should keep his eyes 

 open. In the night this intelligence appeared to be 

 true ; about twelve o'clock the thief came, but dis- 

 covering that a watch had been set, he went away 

 without his booty. 



