230 CAPTAIN COOK 



good the young Tahiti an who had always shown 

 himself so faithful and full of gratitude, and 

 whose services had so often been of the greatest 

 benefit to the travellers. Cook thought that 

 Omai, having lived in London amid the cream 

 of London society, would be a precious ambas- 

 sador with his own countrymen. He could de- 

 scribe the splendours of London and make the 

 great island of Europe, where he had been so 

 happy, loved in this corner of the ocean. That, 

 certainly, was not to be under-valued. 



Cook, continuing his visits to the islands of 

 the Society group, went to Ulietea, where his 

 old friend Oreo, the chief of the island, loaded 

 him, as he was wont, with marks of the sincerest 

 friendship. Unfortunately this last stay of the 

 Englishmen at Ulietea, where they remained five 

 weeks, was marred by three desertions. 



In the night of November 12th and 13th, 

 John Harrison, a private of marines, who was 

 posted as sentry before the tents, ran away. For 

 two days Cook himself went in search of him. 

 He found him at last, seated between two 

 women, who wept and asked for his pardon. 

 Cook was pitiless and had the man taken back 

 on board. There, Harrison being contrite, he 

 pronounced a light sentence. 



Some days after this incident Cook was in- 



