18 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
menced this department of labour, they observe* 
<( We have already joined some thousands of words 
together, and believe some thousands yet remain.' 51 
Still their progress was but slow, and one of them, 
who has perhaps made himself most familiar with 
the native tongue, has frequently assured me, he 
was ten years on the island, before he knew the 
meaning of the word ahiri , corresponding to 
the English word if, used only in connexion with 
the past tense of the verb to have, as, “If I had 
seen," &c. 
While the Missionaries were thus employed, the 
chiefs continued friendly and attentive; the people, 
however, began to manifest that propensity to theft, 
which they evinced even on the first visits they 
received. This obliged the Europeans to watch very 
narrowly their property. Clothing and iron tools 
appeared to be most earnestly sought; and, not¬ 
withstanding the measures of security which they 
adopted, their blacksmith's shop was robbed by a 
native, who dug two or three feet into the ground 
on the outside, and, burrowing his way under the 
wall or side of the house, came up through the 
earthen floor within, and stole several valuable 
articles. 
Their increased acquaintance with the people 
had awakened their deepest commiseration, when 
they beheld them, not only wholly given to ido¬ 
latry, and mad after their idols, but sunk to the 
lowest state of moral degradation and consequent 
wretchedness. This furnished a powerful incentive 
to energetic perseverance in the acquisition of the 
language, that they might speedily instruct them 
in the principles of Christianity, and thereby ele¬ 
vate their moral character, and improve their pre¬ 
sent circumstances. 
