•^'\r 



60 AVOYAGETO 



, '777; battle ; the tatc ol: which generally decides the difpute. The 



September. o > 1 



vanqiiiflied fave themfelves by a precipitate flight ; and 

 fuch as reach the fliore fly, with their friends, to the moun- 

 tains; for the viftors, while their fury lafls, fpare neither 

 the aged, nor women, nor children. The next day, they 

 alTemble at the tnorai^ to return thanks to the Eatooa for 

 the vi(5lory, and to offer up the flain as facrifices, and the 

 prifoners alfo, if they have any. After this, a treaty is fet on 

 foot; and the conquerors, for the nioft part, obtain their own 

 terms; by which particular diftri^Tts of land, and, fome- 

 times, whole iflands, change their owners. Omai told us, 

 that he was once taken a prifoner by the men of Bolabola, 

 and carried to that ifland, where he and fome others would 

 have been put to death the next day, if they had not found 

 means to efcape in the night. 



As foon as this mock- fight was over, Omai put on his 

 fuit of armour, mounted a flage in one of the canoes, and 

 was paddled all along the Ihore of the bay ; fo that every 

 one had a full view of him. His coat of mail did not draw 

 the attention of his countrymen fo much as might have 

 been expected. Some of them, indeed, had feen a part of 

 it before ; and there were others, again, who had taken 

 fuch a diflike to Omai, from his imprudent condud at this 

 place, that they would hardly look at any thing, however 

 fingular, that was exhibited by him. 



CHAP. 



