TO RADACK. 73 



The tea was ready, and their curiosity was without 

 bounds, when they saw us drink it. I offered 

 Rarick a very sweet cup, which he did not venture 

 to take to his lips till after a great deal of persua- 

 sion. Unfortunately, the tea was very hot ; he 

 burned his mouth, and I but just saved my cup, 

 which he was going to throw from him. The 

 fright spread like an electric shock, and they were 

 all prepared to run off. Rarick, at length, deter- 

 mined to taste it ; the others looked at him with 

 much astonishment, and when he found the tea 

 agreeable, they all wanted to have some, and ex- 

 pressed, by a loud smacking, that they liked it; they 

 were likewise fond of eating biscuits with it, but 

 the sugar carried off the prize. All the islanders 

 are great lovers of sweet things ; and their chief 

 food, which they draw from the sweet pandanus 

 fruit, is probably the reason, that even children of 

 ten years old have not good teeth, and that they have 

 generally lost them all in the prime of life. This 

 was the first time that the islanders had resolved to 

 taste our food ; a proof how much their confidence 

 had increased ; but, unhappily, their propensity to 

 stealing showed itself at the same time, and Rarick 

 himself was the first to give this bad example. The 

 bright silver spoons caught his eye so much, that 

 he attempted to conceal one in his girdle ; but, 

 when we observed it, he was prevented by a joke. 

 A copper measure, which the sailors used in drink- 

 ing water, was missed, and was found, aftei' a long 



