THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
lit 
duous in enticing others to follow them, would juftify any 
ftep I could take to put a flop to fuch proceedings. 
This explanation of the motives upon which I acted, and 
which we found means to make Oreo and his people, who 
were prefent, fully comprehend, feemed to recover them, 
in a great meafure, from that general confternation into 
which they were at firft thrown. But, if relieved from ap~ 
prehenlions about their own fafety, they continued under 
the deepeft concern for thofe who were prifoners. Many 
of them went under the Difcovery’s ftern in canoes, to be¬ 
wail their captivity, which they did with long and loud 
exclamations. Poedooa! for fo the Chief’s daughter was 
called, refounded from every quarter; and the women 
feemed to vie with each other in mourning her fate, with 
more fignificant expreffions of their grief than tears and 
cries; for there were many bloody heads upon the occa- 
fion. 
Oreo himfelf did not give way to unavailing lamenta¬ 
tions, but, inftantly, began his exertions to recover our 
deferters, by difpatching a canoe to Bolabola, with a mef- 
fage to Opoony, the fovereign of that ifland, acquaint¬ 
ing him with what had happened, and requeuing him 
to feize the two fugitives, and fend them back. The 
melfenger, who was no lefs a man than the father of 
Pootoe, Oreo’s fon-in-law, before he fet out, came to re¬ 
ceive my commands. I ftriftly enjoined him not to re¬ 
turn without the deferters; and to tell Opoony, from me, 
that, if they had left Bolabola, he muft fend canoes to 
bring them back ; for I fulpefted that they would not long 
remain in one place. 
The confequence, however, of the prifoners was fo great, 
that the natives did not think proper to truft to the return 
Vol. II. R of 
*777* 
November. 
---- 
