THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 



he kept his red feathers, and eave him a few. Thisbcin? '777- 

 prefently known, amongft the reft of the natives upon deck, 

 the face of affairs was intirely turned, and Ootee, who 

 would hardly fpeak to Omai before, now begged, that they 

 might be tayos*^ and exchange names. Omai accepted of 

 the honour, and confirmed it with a prefent of red feathers ; 

 and Ootec, by way of return, fent afliore for a hog. But it 

 was evident to every one of us, that it was not the man, but 

 his property, they were in love with. Had he not fliewn to 

 them his treafure of red feathers, v/hich is the commodity 

 in greateft eftimation at the ifland, I qucftion much whether 

 they would have beflowed even a cocoa-nut upon him. 

 Such was Omai's firfl reception amongft his countrymen. I 

 own, I never expected it would be otherwife ; but, Itill, I 

 was in hopes, that the valuable cargo of prefents, with 

 which the liberality of his friends in England had loaded 

 him, v>rould be the means of raifing him into confequence, 

 and of making him refpedted, and even courted, by the firfl 

 pcrfons throughout the extent of the Society Iftands. This 

 could not but have happened, had he conducfted himfclf 

 ■with any degree of prudence. But, inftead of it, I am forry 

 to fay, that he paid too little regard to the repeated advice of 

 thofe who wilhed him well, and fufl'ered himfelf to be 

 duped by every deligning knave. 



From the natives who came off to us, in the courfe of this 

 day, we learnt, that two fliips had twice been in Oheitepeha 

 Bay, fince my laft vifit to this illand in 1774, and that they had 

 left animals there, fuch as we had on board. But, on far- 

 ther inquiry, we found, they were only hogs, dogs, goats, 

 one bull, and the male of fome other animal, which, from 



* Friends. 



Vol. II. C the 



