THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
were made with a regularity, more like the difcharge of a 1779. 
religious duty, than the effedt of mere liberality ; and when , ^ anuary * 
we inquired at whofe charge all this munificence was dif- 
played, we were told, it was at the expence of a great man 
called Kaoo, the chief of the priefts, and grandfather to 
Kaireekeea, who was at that time abfent attending the king 
of the ifland. 
As every thing relating to the character and behaviour 
of this people mull be interefting to the reader, on account 
of the tragedy that was afterward aCted here, it will be 
proper to acquaint him, that we had not always fo much rea- 
fon to be fatisfied with the conduct of the warrior chiefs, 
or Earees , as with that of the priefts. In all our dealings 
with the former, we found them fufficiently attentive to 
their own interefts; and befides their habit of ftealing, 
which may admit of fome excufe, from the univerfality of 
the practice amongft the iflanders of thefe feas, they made 
ufe of other artifices equally difhonourable. I fhall only 
mention one inftance, in which we difcovered, with regret, 
our friend Koah to be a party principally concerned. As the 
chiefs, who brought us prefents of hogs, were always fent 
back handfomely rewarded, we had generally a greater fup- 
p]y than we could make ufe of. On thefe occafions, Koah, 
who never failed in his attendance on us, ufed to beg fuch 
as we did not want, and they were always given to him. 
It one day happened, that a pig was prefented us by a man 
whom Koah himfelf introduced as a chief, who was de- 
firous of paying his refpedts, and we recollected the pig 
to be the fame that had been given to Koah juft before. 
This leading us to fufpeCt fome trick, we found, on further 
inquiry, the pretended chief to be an ordinary perfon ; and 
on connecting this with other circumftances, we had reafon 
to 
