360 
A VOYAGE TO 
1777- me to flay a day or two longer, to receive a prefent he had 
t _ J ' L1 ' 7 ' . prepared for me. This reafon, and the daily expectation of 
feeing fome of our friends from Tongataboo, induced me 
to defer my departure. 
Wednef. 16 . Accordingly, the next day, I received the Chief’s pre¬ 
fent ; conlilting of two fmall heaps of yams, and fome fruit, 
which feemed to be collected by a kind of contribution, 
as at the other ifles. On this occafion, molt of the people 
of the ifiand had afiembled at the place; and, as we had 
experienced on fuch numerous meetings amongft their 
neighbours, gave us not a little trouble to prevent them 
from pilfering whatever they could lay their hands upon. 
We were entertained with cudgelling, wreftling, and box¬ 
ing-matches ; and in the latter, both male and female 
combatants exhibited. It was intended to have finifbed the 
Ihew with the bomai , or night-dance; but an accident 
either put a total flop to it, or, at leaft, prevented any of us 
from haying alhore to fee it. One of my people, walk¬ 
ing a very little way, was furrounded by twenty or thirty 
of the natives, who knocked him down, and ftripped him 
of every thing he had on his back. On hearing of this, 
I immediately leized two canoes, and a large hog; and 
infilled on Taoofa’s caufing the clothes to be reftored, 
and on the offenders being delivered up to me. The 
Chief feemed much concerned at what had happened; 
and forthwith took the neceffary Heps to fatisfy me. This 
affair fo alarmed the afiembled people, that moll of them 
fled. However, when they, found that I took no other 
meafures to revenge the infult, they returned. It was not 
long before one of the offenders was delivered up to 
me, and a fhirt and a pair of trowfers reftored. The re¬ 
mainder of the ftolen goods not coming in before night, 
I was 
