124 A V O Y A G E T O. 



^'77- nion, that fuch an intercourfe is one of our greatefl; fccurities- 



February, , i i • i j.- 



amongft favages ; and perhaps they who, either trom ne- 

 ceffity or choice, are to remain and fettle with them, may 

 find it fo. But with travehers and tranfient vifuers, fuch as 

 we were, it is generally otherwife ; and, in our firuation, a 

 connecflion with their women betrays more men th.an it 

 faves. What elfe can be reafonably expected, fmce all their 

 views are felfifh, without the lead mixture of regard or at- 

 tachment ? My own experience, at leaf!, which hath been 

 pretty extenfive, hath not pointed out to me one inflance tO' 

 the contrary. 



Amongft our occafional vifiters, was a chief named Ka- 

 hoora, who, as I was informed, headed the party that cut 

 off Captain Furneaux's people, and himfelf killed Mr. Rowe» 

 the officer who commanded. To judge of the characfler of 

 Kahoora, by what I heard from many of his countrymen, 

 he feemed to be more feared than beloved amongft them. 

 Not fatisfied with telling me that he was a very bad man, 

 fome of them even importuned me to kill him: and, I be- 

 lieve, they were not a little furprifed that I did not liften to 

 them ; for, according to their ideas of equity, this ought to ^ 



have been done. But if I had followed the advice of all our 

 pretended friends, I might have extirpated the whole race; 

 for the people of each hamlet or village, by turns, applied 

 to me to deftroy the other. One would have almoft thought 

 it impoffible, that fo ftriking a proof of the divided ftate in 

 which this miferable people live, could have been affigned. 

 And yet 1 was fure that I did not mifconceive the meaning 

 of thole who made thefe ftrange applications to me; for 

 Omai, whofe language v/as a dialedt of their own, and per- 

 fedly underilood all that they faid, was our interpreter. 



1 On 



