him he had obferved that they kept it long in the mouth, and being defirous of doing the fame, he had chewed it to powder, and fwallowed the spittle. During the examination of the leaf and its contents, he looked up at Mr. Banks with the most piteous aspect, and intimated that he had but a very short time to live. Mr. Banks, however, being now mafter of his disease, directed him to drink plentifully of cocoa-nut milk, which in a fhort time put an end to his sickness and apprehenfions, and he spent the day at the fort with that uncommon flow of cheerfulness and good-humour, which is always produced by a fudden and unexpected relief from pain either of body or mind.

Captain Wallis having brought home one of the adzes which these people, having no metal of any kind, make of ftone, Mr. Stevens, the Secretary to the Admiralty, procured one to be made of iron in imitation of it, which I brought out with me, to fhew how much we excelled in making tools after their own fashion: this I had not yet produced, as it never happened to come into my mind. But on the first of May, Tootahah coming on board about ten o'clock in the forenoon, expreffed a great curiofity to fee the contents of every cheft and drawer that was in my cabbin; as I always made a point of gratifying him, I opened them immediately, and having taken a fancy to many things that he faw, and collected them together, he at last happened to caft his eye upon this adze; he instantly snatched it up with the greatest eagerness, and putting away every thing which he had before felected, he asked me whether I would let him have that: I readily confented; and, as if he was afraid I fhould repent, he carried it off immediately in a transport of joy, without making any other requeft, which whatever had been our liberality was feldom the cafe.

1769.

April.

Sunday 30.

May. Monday 1.

1769. May.

Monday 1.

About noon, a Chief, who had dined with me a few days before, accompanied by some of his women, came on board alone: I had obferved that he was fed by his women, but I made no doubt, that upon occafion he would condefcend to feed himself: in this, however, I found myself mistaken. When my noble guest was feated, and the dinner upon the table, I helped him to fome victuals: as I obferved that he did not immediately begin his meal, I preffed him to eat: but he ftill continued to fit motionless like a ftatue, without attempting to put a fingle morfel into his mouth, and would certainly have gone without his dinner, if one of the fervants had not fed him.

CHAP..

CHA P. XI.

The Obfervatory fet up; the Quadrant folen, and Confequences of the Theft : A Vifit to Tootabah: Defcription of a Wrestling-match: European Seeds fown: Names given to our People by the Indians.

N the afternoon, of Monday the 1ft of May, we fet up the obfervatory, and took the astronomical quadrant, with some other inftruments, on fhore, for the first time.

1769. May.

Monday 1.

The next morning, about nine o'clock, I went on fhore Tuesday 2.. with Mr. Green to fix the quadrant in a fituation for use, when to our inexpreffible furprize and concern it was not to be found. It had been deposited in the tent which was referved for my use, where, as I paffed the night on board, nobody flept: it had never been taken out of the packingcafe, which was eighteen inches fquare, and the whole was of confiderable weight; a fentinel had been posted the whole night within five yards of the tent door, and none of the other inftruments were miffing. We at firft fufpected that it might have been stolen by fome of our own people, who seeing a deal box, and not knowing the contents, might think it contained nails, or fome other fubjects of traffic with the natives. A large reward was therefore offered to any one who could find it, as, without this, we could not perform the service for which our voyage was principally undertaken. Our fearch in the mean time was not confined: to the fort and the places adjacent, but as the cafe might poffibly have been carried back to the ship, if any of our

own:

1769. May.

Tuesday 2.

own people had been the thieves, the most diligent search
was made for it on board; all the parties however returned
without any news of the quadrant. Mr. Banks, therefore,
who upon fuch occafions declined neither labour nor risk,
and who had more influence over the Indians than any of
us, determined to go in fearch of it into the woods; he
hoped, that if it had been ftolen by the natives, he should
find it wherever they had opened the box, as they would
immediately discover that to them it would be wholly ufe-
less: or, if in this expectation he should be disappointed, that
he might recover it by the afcendancy he had acquired over
the Chiefs. He fet out, accompanied by a midshipman
and Mr. Green, and as he was croffing the river he was met
by Tubourai Tamaide, who immediately made the figure of
a triangle with three bits of straw upon his hand.
By this
Mr. Banks knew that the Indians were the thieves; and that,
although they had opened the cafe, they were not difpofed
to part with the contents. No time was therefore to be loft,
and Mr. Banks made Tubourai Tamaide understand, that he
must instantly go with him to the place whither the qua-
drant had been carried; he confented, and they fet out to-
gether to the eastward, the Chief inquiring at every houfe
which they paffed after the thief by name: the people rea-
dily told him which way he was gone, and how long it was
fince he had been there: the hope which this gave them that
they should overtake him, fupported them under their fatigue,
and they preffed forward, fometimes walking, fometimes
running, though the weather was intolerably hot; when
they had climbed a hill at the distance of about four miles,
their conductor fhewed them a point full three miles far-
ther, and gave them to understand that they were not to
expect the inftrument till they had got thither. Here they
paused; they had no arms, except a pair of piftols, which

Mr.

Mr. Banks always carried in his pocket; they were going to a place that was at least seven miles diftant from the fort, where the Indians might be less fubmiffive than at home, and to take from them what they had ventured their lives to get; and what, notwithstanding our conjectures, they appeared defirous to keep: thefe were difcouraging circumftances, and their fituation would become more critical at every step. They determined, however, not to relinquish their enterprize, nor to purfue it without taking the best measures for their fecurity that were in their power. It was therefore determined, that Mr. Banks and Mr. Green should go on, and that the Midshipman should return to me, and defire that I would fend a party of men after them, acquainting me at the fame time, that it was impoffible they fhould return till it was dark. Upon receiving this meffage I fet out, with fuch a party as I thought fufficient for the occafion; leaving orders, both at the fhip and at the fort, that no canoe fhould be fuffered to go out of the bay, but that nonet of the natives fhould be feized or detained.

In the mean time, Mr. Banks and Mr. Green pursued their journey, under the aufpices of Tubourai Tamaide, and in the very spot which he had specified, they met one of his own people, with part of the quadrant in his hand. At this moft: welcome fight they stopped; and a great number of Indians immediately came up, fome of whom preffing rather rudely: upon them, Mr. Banks thought it neceffary to shew one of his pistols, the sight of which reduced them inftantly to order: as the crowd that gathered round them was every moment increasing, he marked out a circle in the grass, and they ranged themselves on the outside of it to the number of feveral hundreds with great quietness and decorum. Into the middle of this circle, the box, which was now arrived,. was ordered to be brought, with several reading glasses, and

other

1769.

May.

Tuesday 2..