THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 103 



nity to take the key of the irons out of the binnacle-drawer, »777- 



^ ' ' Oftober. 



where he had feen it put, and fet himfelf at liberty. This 

 efcape convinced me, that my people had been very remifs 

 in their night- duty ; which made it necefTary to punifli thofe 

 who were now in fault, and to eftablifli fome new regula- 

 tions to prevent the like negligence for the future. I was 

 not a little pleafed to hear, afterward, that the fellow who 

 efcaped, had tranfporced himfelf to Ulietea; in this, fecond- 

 ing my views of putting him a fecond time in irons. 



.As foon as Omai was fettled in his new habitation, I be- 

 gan to think of leaving the ifland ; and got every thing off 

 from the fhore, this evening, except the horfe and mare, 

 and a goat big with kid ; which were left in the pofleflion 

 of our friend, with whom we were now finally to part. I 

 alfo gave him a boar and two fows of the hnglilh breed ; 

 and he had got a fow or two of his own. The horfe covered 

 the mare while we were at Otahcitc; fo that I confider 

 the introdu(ftion of a breed of horfes into thefe illands, as- 

 likely to have fucceeded, by this valuable prefent. 



The hiftory of Omai will, perhaps, intcreft a very nu- 

 merous clafs of readers, more than any other occurrence of 

 a voyage, the objeds of which do not, in general, promife 

 much entertainment. Every circumftance, therefore, which 

 may ferve to convey a fatisfadory account of the exaft 

 ficuation in which he was left, will be thought worth pre- 

 ferving; and the following particulars are added, to com- 

 plete the view of his domeflic eftablifhment. He had picked 

 up at Otaheite four or five Tmtous ; the two New Zealand 

 youths remained with him ; and his brother, and fome others, 

 joined him at Huaheine : fo that his family confifted already 

 of eight or ten perfons ; if that can be called a family, to- 



which 



