«9® 



A VOYAGE TO 



>777- They nov<7 feemed to take fome pains to feparate us from 



1,^ — >, — J each other; and every one of us had his circle, to furround and 

 gaze at him. For my own part, I was, at one time, above an 

 hour apart from my friends; and when I told the Chief, with 

 whom I fat, that I wanted to fpeak to Omai, he perempto- 

 rily refufed my requeft. At the fame time, I found the 

 people began to fleal feveral trifling things which I had in 

 my pocket ; and when I took the liberty of complaining to 

 the Chief of this treatment, he juftified it. From thefe cir- 

 cumftances/I now entertained apprehenlions, that they might 

 have formed the delign of detaining us amongft them. 

 They did not, indeed, feem to be of a difpolition fo favage, 

 as to make us anxious for the fafety of our perfons ; but it 

 was, neverthelefs, vexing to think, we had hazarded being 

 detained by their curiofity. In this fi tuation, I aflced for 

 fcmething to eat; and they readily brought to me fome 

 cocoa-nuts, bread-fruit, and a fort of four pudding, which 

 was prefented by a woman. And on my complaining much 

 of the heat, occafioned by the crowd, the Chief himfelf con- 

 defcended to fan me, and gave me a fmall piece of cloth, 

 which he had round his waifl. 



Mr. Burney happening to come to the place where I was, 

 I mentioned my fufpicions to him ; and, to put it to the 

 teft, whether they were well-founded, we attempted to get 

 to the beach. But we were flopped, when about half-way, 

 by fome men, who told us, that we mufl: go back to the 

 place which we had left. On coming up, we found Omai 

 .entertaining the fame apprehenfions. But he had, as he 

 fancied, an additional reafon for being afraid ; for he had 

 obferved, that they had dug a hole in the ground for an 

 oven, which they vvere now heating; and he could affign no 

 other reafon for this, than that they meant to roaft, and eat 



us, 



