THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
I09 
he might, the moft eafily, have avoided. For they were not 
only free from any averfion to him, but the perfon, men¬ 
tioned before, whom we found at Tiaraboo as an ambaffa- 
dor, prieft, or God, abfolutely offered to reinflate him in the 
property that was formerly his father’s. But he refufed this 
peremptorily; and, to the very lafl, continued determined 
to take the firft opportunity that offered of fatisfying his 
revenge in battle. To this, I guefs, he is not a little fpurred 
by the coat of mail he brought from England; clothed in 
which, and in poffeffion of fome fire-arms, he fancies that 
he fliall be invincible. 
Whatever faults belonged to Omai’s character, they were 
more than overbalanced by his great good-nature and do¬ 
cile difpofition. During the whole time he was with me, I 
very feldom had reafon to be ferioufly difpleafed with his 
general condu6l. His grateful heart always retained the 
highefl fenfe of the favours he had received in England; 
nor will he ever forget thofe who honoured him with their 
protection and friendfliip, during his flay there. He had a 
tolerable fliare of underflanding, but wanted application 
and perfeverance to exert it; fo that his knowledge of things 
was very general, and, in many inflances, imperfeCt. He 
was not a man of much obfervation. There were many 
ufeful arts, as well as elegant amufements, amongfl the 
people of the Friendly Iflands, which he might have con¬ 
veyed to his own; where they probably would have been 
readily adopted, as being fo much in their own way. But 
I never found that he ufed the leaft endeavour to make 
himfelf mailer of any one. This kind of indifference is* 
indeed, the charadleriftic foible of his nation. Europeans 
have vifited them, at times, for thefe ten years pafl; yet 
we could not difcover the flighteil trace of any attempt to 
profit 
1777. 
November. 
