THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
9 
on board. Yet there was nothing either tender or ftriking 
in their meeting. On the contrary, there feemed to he a 
perfect indifference on both fides, till Omai, having taken 
his brother down into the cabin, opened the drawer where 
he kept his red feathers, and gave him a few. This being 
prefently known, amongft the reft of the natives upon deck, 
the face of affairs was intirely turned, and Ootee, who 
would hardly fpeak to Omai before, now begged, that they 
might be tayos % and exchange names. Omai accepted of 
the honour, and confirmed it with a prefent of red feathers; 
and Ootee, by way of return, fent afliore for a hog. But it 
was evident to every one of us, that it was not the man, but 
his property, they were in love with. Had he not fhewn to 
them his treafure of red feathers, which is the commodity 
in greateft eftimation at the ifland, I queftion much whether 
they would have beftowed even a cocoa-nut upon him. 
Such was Omai’s firft reception amongft his countrymen. I 
own, I never expedted it would be otherwife; but, ftill, I 
was in hopes, that the valuable cargo of prefents, with 
which the liberality of his friends in England had loaded 
him, would be the means of railing him into conlequence, 
and of making him refpedted, and even courted, by the firft 
perfons throughout the extent of the Society Iflands. This 
could not but have happened, had he conduced himfelf 
with any degree of prudence. But, inftead of it, I am forry 
to fay, that he paid too little regard to the repeated advice 
of thofe who wiftied him well, and fuffered himfelf to be 
duped by every defigning knave. 
From the natives who came off to us, in the courfe of 
this day, we learnt, that two fhips had twice been in Ohei- 
tepeha Bay, fince my laft vifit to this iff and in 1774? and 
% Friends. 
G 
VOL. II. 
that 
