io8 A VOYAGE TO 



^ '777; fion ; and he formed fuch improper conne<rtions there, that 



November. * ' 



Otoo, who was, at firft, much difpofed to countenance him, 

 afterward openly cxprefTed his diflike of him, on account of 

 his condu<5t. It was not, however, too late to recover his 

 favour; and he might have fettled, to great advantage, in" 

 Otaheite, as he had formerly lived feveral years there, and 

 was now a good deal noticed by Towha, whofc valuable 

 prefent, of a very large double canoe, we have feen above. 

 The objeftion to admitting him to fome rank would have 

 alfo been much leflened, if he had fixed at Otaheite ; as a 

 native will always find it more difRcult to accomplifli fuch 

 a change of fiate amongfl his countrymen, than a firanger, 

 who naturally claims refpecfl. But Omai remained unde- 

 termined to the laft, and would nor, I believe, have adopted 

 my plan of fcttlcment in Huaheine, if I had not fo expli- 

 citly rcfufed to employ force in refloring him to his father's 

 pofleffions. Whether the remains of his European wealth, 

 which, after all his improvident wafle, was ftill confider- 

 able, will be more prudently adminillered by him, or whe- 

 ther the flcps I took, as already explained, to infure him 

 protecflion in Huaheine, fliall have proved efTciflual, muft be 

 left to the decifion of future navigators of this Ocean ; with 

 whom it cannot but be a principal object of curiofity to trace 

 the future fortunes of our traveller. At prefent, I can only 

 conjccT:ure, that his greateft danger will arife from the very 

 impolitic declarations of his antipathy to the inhabitants of 

 Bolabola. For thefc people, from a principle of jcaloufy, 

 will, no doubt, endeavour to render him obnoxious to thofe 

 of Huaheine; as they arc at peace with that ifiand at pre- 

 fent, and may eafily efl"c6t their defigns, many of them 

 living there. This is a circumfiance, which, of all others, 

 he might, the mod eafily, have avoided. For ihey were not 



^ only 



