238 CAPTAIN COOK'S VOYAGES 



difficult to prevent them carrying off everything they could 

 lay their hands upon. At length, when they perceived 

 that we were returning to the ships, they all left us, except 

 our original visitor Mourooa. He, though not without 

 evident signs of fear, kept his place in my boat, and accom- 

 panied me on board the ship. 



" The cattle, and other new objects that presented them- 

 selves to him there, did not strike him with so much 

 surprise as one might have expected. Perhaps his mind 

 was too much taken up about his own safety, to allow 

 him to attend to other things. I could get but little new 

 information from him ; and therefore, after he had made a 

 short stay, I ordered a boat to carry him in toward the 

 land. As soon as he got out of the cabin, he happened 

 to stumble over one of the goats. His curiosity now over- 

 coming his fear, he stopped, looked at it, and asked Omai 

 what bird this was ? and not receiving an immediate answer 

 from him, he repeated the question to some of the people 

 upon deck. The boat having conveyed him pretty near 

 to the surf, he leapt into the sea, and swam ashore. He 

 had no sooner landed than the multitude of his countrymen 

 gathered round him, as if with an eager curiosity to learn 

 from him whnt he had seen ; and in this situation they 

 remained when we lost sight of them. 



" After leaving Mangeea, as this island was called, on 

 the afternoon of the 30th, we continued our course north- 

 ward all that night, and till noon on the 31st, when we 

 again saw land in the direction of north-east by north, 

 distant eight or ten leagues, and next morning we got 

 abreast of its north end. I sent three armed boats to look 

 for anchoring-ground and a landing-place. In the mean- 

 time, we plied up under the island with the ships. 



" Just as the boats were putting off, we observed several 

 single canoes coming from the shore. They went first to 

 the Discovery, she being the nearest ship. It was not 

 long after when three of the canoes came alongside of 

 the Resolution, each conducted by one man. They are 

 long and narrow, and supported by out-riggers. Some 

 knives, beads, and other trifles, were conveyed to our 

 visitors, and they gave us a few cocoa-nuts, upon our asking 

 for them. But they did not part with them by way of 

 exchange for what they had received from us. For they 

 seemed to have no idea of bartering, nor did they appear 

 to estimate any of our presents at a high rate. 



" With a little persuasion, one of them came on board ; 

 and the other two, encouraged by his example, soon 

 followed him. Their whole behaviour marked that they 

 were quite at their ease. 



