92 OTAHITE CHAP, v 



Our friends Dootahah, Oborea, Otheothea, etc., at the 

 tents this morning as usual. It being Sunday, Captain 

 Cook proposed that divine service should be celebrated, but 

 before the time most of our Indian friends had gone home 

 to eat. I was resolved, however, that some should be 

 present that they might see our behaviour, and we might 

 if possible explain to them (in some degree at least) the 

 reasons of it. I went, therefore, over the river, and 

 brought back Tubourai and Tamio, and having seated them 

 in the tent, placed myself between them. During the 

 whole service they imitated my motions, standing, sitting, 

 or kneeling as they saw me do ; and so much understood 

 that we were about something very serious, that they called 

 to the Indians without the fort to be silent. Notwith- 

 standing this they did not, when the service was over, ask 

 any questions, nor would they attend at all to any explana- 

 tion we attempted to give them. We have not yet seen 

 the least traces of religion among these people, maybe they 

 are entirely without it. 



15th. In the course of last night one of the Indians 

 was clever enough to steal an iron-bound cask. It was 

 indeed without the fort, but so immediately under the eye 

 of the sentry that we could hardly believe the possibility 

 of such a thing having happened. The Indians, however, 

 acknowledged it, and seemed inclined to give intelligence, 

 in consequence of which I set off in pursuit of it, and 

 traced it to a part of the bay where they told me it had 

 been put into a canoe. It was not of sufficient consequence 

 to pursue with any great spirit, so I returned home. At 

 night Tubourai made many signs that another cask would 

 be stolen before morning ; and thinking, I suppose, that we 

 did not sufficiently regard them, came with his wife and 

 family to the place where the cask lay, and said that they 

 themselves would take care that no one should steal them. 

 On being told this I went to them, and explaining to them 

 that a sentry was this night put over these particular casks, 

 they agreed to come and sleep in my tent, but insisted on 

 leaving a servant to assist the sentry in case the thief came, 



