PUNISHMENT OF THEFY. 195 
me and a Missionary of the circumstance. On 
reaching the spot, I already found the Judge 
of the district and the Missionaries Wilson 
and Tyrman standing beside the thief, who 
was still bound to the tree. Mr. Tyrman, 
who was especially bitter, could not refrain 
from abuse: he called the criminal a brute, 
who was not worthy to be treated as a hu- 
man creature, and acted altogether as if the 
affair were his. This would have surprised me, 
as the judge of the district was present, and 
Mr. Tyrman had no official appointment on the 
island, but he was a member of the Missionary 
Society,—et tout est dit. I was now asked if I 
wished the offender to be whipped, as he had 
not the means of paying the forfeit of three 
pigs to the person robbed, which the law de- 
mands, in addition to the punishment of igno- 
minious labour. I forgave him the equivalent 
for the pigs, and begged that he might be dis- 
missed with a severe admonition upon the dis- 
grace of theft, and an earnest warning for the 
future. This request, however, was not granted, 
and the unfortunate offender was taken away, 
still tied, to work on the highway: the Judge 
BQ 
