THIRD VOYAGE 295 



manner. For that purpose it was necessary that he 

 should be on good terms with those who now were masters 

 of the island, but he was too great a patriot to listen to any 

 such thing, and was vain enough to suppose that I would 

 reinstate him in his forfeited lands by force. This made 

 it impossible to fix him at Ulietea, and pointed out to me 

 Huaheine as the proper place. I therefore resolved to 

 avail myself of the presence of the chief men of the island, 

 and to make this proposal to them. 



" After the hurry of the morning was over, we got ready 

 to pay a formal visit to Taireetareea, the sovereign, meaning 

 then to introduce this business. Omai dressed himself very 

 properly on the occasion, and prepared a handsome present 

 for the chief himself, and another for his Eatooa. Indeed, 

 after he had got clear of the gang that surrounded him at 

 Otaheite, he behaved with such prudence as to gain respect. 

 We waited some time for Taireetareea, as I would do 

 nothing till the Earee rahie came ; but when he appeared I 

 found that his presence might have been dispensed with, 

 as he was not above eight or ten years of age. Omai, who 

 stood at a little distance from this circle of great men, 

 began with making his offering to the gods, consisting of 

 red feathers, cloth, etc. Each article was laid before one 

 of the company, who, I understood was a priest, and was 

 delivered with a set speech or prayer, spoken by one of 

 Omai's friends who sat by him, but mostly dictated by 

 himself. In these prayers he did not forget his friends in 

 England, nor those who had brought him safe back. 

 The Earee rahie no Pretane, Lord Sandwich, Toote, Tatee,* 

 were mentioned in every one of them. When Omai's 

 offerings and prayers were finished, the priest took each 

 article, in the same order in which it had been laid before 

 him, and after repeating a prayer, sent it to the morai, 

 which as Oinai told us, was at a great distance, otherwise 

 the offerings would have been made there. 



" These religious ceremonies having been performed, 

 Omai sat down by me and we entered upon business. Omai's 

 establishment was then proposed to the assembled chiefs. 



" He acquainted them ' That he had been carried by us 

 into our country, where he was well received by the great 

 king and his Earees, and treated with every mark of regard 

 and affection while he stayed amongst us ; that he had been 

 brought back again enriched by our liberality with a variety 

 of articles which would prove very useful to his country- 

 men ; and that, besides the two horses which were to 

 remain with him, several new and valuable animals had 

 been left at Otaheite, which would soon multiply and 

 * Cook and Clerke. 



