8o OTAHITE CHAP, v 



purchasing four or six bread-fruits and a like number of 

 cocoanuts. My tents were got up before night, and I slept 

 ashore in them for the first time. The lines were guarded 

 by many sentries, but no Indian attempted to come near 

 them during the whole night. 



19th. This morning Lycurgus and his wife came to see 

 us and brought with them all their household furniture, and 

 even houses to be erected in our neighbourhood, a circum- 

 stance which gave me great pleasure, as I had spared no 

 pains to gain the friendship of this man, who seemed more 

 sensible than any of his fellow-chiefs we have seen. His 

 behaviour in this instance makes us sure of having gained 

 his confidence at least. 



Soon after his arrival he took me by the hand and led 

 me out of the lines, signing that I should accompany him 

 into the woods, which I did willingly, as I was desirous of 

 knowing how near us he intended to settle. I followed 

 him about a quarter of a mile, when we arrived at a small 

 house, or rather the awning of a canoe set up on the shore, 

 which seemed to be his temporary habitation. Here he 

 unfolded a bundle of their cloths and clothed me in two 

 garments, one of red cloth, the other of a very pretty matting, 

 after which we returned to the tents. He ate pork and 

 bread-fruit which was brought him in a basket, using salt- 

 water instead of sauce, and then retired into my bed-chamber 

 and slept about half an hour. 



About dinner-time Lycurgus's wife brought a handsome 

 young man of about twenty-two to the tents, whom they 

 both seemed to acknowledge as their son ; at night he and 

 another chief, who had also visited us, went away to the 

 westward, but Lycurgus and his wife went towards the 

 place I was at in the morning, which makes us not doubt 

 of their staying with us for the future. 



20th. Eained hard all this day, at intervals so much so 

 that we could not stir at all : the people, however, went on 

 briskly with the fortification in spite of weather. Lycurgus 

 dined with us, he imitated our manners in every instance, 

 already holding a knife and fork more handily than a French- 



