THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
47 
filence; but as foon as it was clofed, had made no fcruple 1777. 
in exprefling our fentiments very freely about it, to Otoo, ^ te ” )ben , 
and thofe who attended him; of courfe, therefore, I did 
not conceal my deteftation of it, in this converfation with 
Towha. Befides the cruelty of the bloody cuftom, I ftrongly 
urged the unreafonablenefs of it; telling the Chief, that 
fuch a facrifice, far from making the Eatooa propitious to 
their nation, as they ignorantly believed, would be the 
means of drawing down his vengeance; and that, from 
this very circumftance, I took upon me to judge, that their 
intended expedition againft Maheine would be unfuccefs- 
ful. This was venturing pretty far upon conjecture; but 
ftill, I thought, that there was little danger of being mif- 
taken. For I found, that there were three parties in the 
ifland, with regard to this war; one extremely violent for 
it; another perfectly indifferent about the matter; and the 
third openly declaring themfelves friends to Maheine, and 
his caufe. Under thefe circumftances, of difunion dif- 
tracking their councils, it was not likely that fuch a plan of 
military operations would be fettled, as could infure even 
a probability of fuccefs. In conveying our fentiments to 
Towha, on the fubject of the late facrifice, Omai w r as made 
Life of as our interpreter; and he entered into our argu¬ 
ments with fo much fpirit, that the Chief feemed to be in 
great wrath; efpecially when he was told, that if he had 
put a man to death in England, as he had done here, his 
rank would not have protected him from being hanged 
for it. Upon this, he exclaimed, maeno ! maeno ! [vile! 
vile !] and would not hear another word. During this de¬ 
bate, many of the natives were prefent, chiefly the attend¬ 
ants and fervants of Towha himfelf; and when Omai be¬ 
gan to explain the punifliment that would be inflicfled in 
England, 
