THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
73 
The frequent vifits we had lately paid to this ifland, feem 
to have created a full perfualion, that the intercourfe will 
not be difcontinued. It was ftriftly enjoined to me by Otoo, 
to requeft, in his name, the Earee rahie no Pretane , to fend 
him, by the next fhips, red feathers, and the birds that pro¬ 
duce them ; axes; half a dozen mufquets, with powder and 
fhot; and, by no means, to forget horfes. 
I have occalionally mentioned my receiving con fiderable 
prefents from Otoo, and the reft of the family, without fpe- 
cifying what returns I made. It is cuftomary for thefe 
people, when they make a prefent, to let us know what 
they expeft in return; and we find it neceflary to gratify 
them; fo that, what we get by way of prefent, comes 
dearer than what we get by barter. But as we were 
fometimes prefted by occafional fcarcity, we could have 
recourfe to our friends for a prefent, or fupply, when we 
fcould not get our wants relieved by any other method; 
and, therefore, upon the whole, this way of traffic was 
full as advantageous to us as to the natives. For the moft 
part, I paid for each feparate article as I received it, except 
in my intercourfe with Otoo. His prefents, generally, came 
fo faft upon me, that no account was kept between us. 
Whatever he afked for, that I could fpare, he had whenever 
lie afked for k; and I always found him moderate in his 
demands. 
If I could have prevailed upon Omai to fix himfelf at 
Otaheite, I fliould not have left it fo foon as I did. For 
there was. not a probability of our being better or cheaper 
fupplied with refrefhments at any other place, than we 
continued to be here, even at the time of our leaving it. 
Befides, fuch a cordial friendfliip and confidence lubfifted 
between us and the inhabitants, as could hardly be expected 
V ql, II. L, any 
1 777 * 
September. 
mm inw^gonrni,^,/ 
