82 FROM THE SANDWICH ISLANDS 



who, at the end of a very long conversation, sprung 

 up, and ran into the bushes. " This is the thief,'* 

 said Rarick ; " he will immediately fetch the pail." 

 I observed with great joy the expression of disap- 

 probation on the faces of all present, and par- 

 ticularly Lagediack. In ten minutes, the thief 

 returned with his prize, and though his obstinate 

 physiognomy displeased me, he was excused from 

 punishment. After declaring, that every future 

 thefl should be severely punished, I returned to 

 the Rurick, where we were just sitting down to 

 table, when Labugar and Rarick, with a very 

 talkative old woman, who belonged to his family, 

 came on board. She, the most unamiable of her 

 sex, was the first woman of these islands who had 

 ventured on board. We invited our guests to 

 dinner. The two men readily went into the cabin, 

 but the old woman took her seat on the quarter- 

 deck by the window, through which she looked 

 down upon us. The merry Labugar ate every 

 thing that was given him, and at every different 

 dish, asked. What is that ? but had swallowed it 

 before he could be answered, and took care to 

 promote digestion by laughing heartily j even the 

 salt meat, which we told him was of such animals 

 as the two they had on land, pleased his palate. 

 Rarick was at first moderate ; but when he saw 

 how much Labugar relished it, he took care to eat 

 heartily. The old woman carefully preserved 

 every thing that was handed to her through the 



