92 OTAHITE CHAP. V 
14th. Our friends Dootahah, Oborea, Otheothea, ete., 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, 
