been
sent to the people of Eooa to supply the ships with fat hogs, and that
if they would return to their former station the king and a number of
chiefs would, in a couple of days, be with them. As, however, there was
an abundant supply of provisions on board, Captain Cook declined the
offer, and continued his coarse.

It is scarcely necessary to remind the reader that more fearful
massacres of the crews of various ships were perpetrated by the
inhabitants of these islands than by any other natives of the Pacific,
from the time of the visit just recorded till they were formed into a
civilised community under their present government.

After the ships had left the Tonga group they did not see land till
August 8, when they fell in with a small island, having on it hills of
considerable elevation, covered with grass; tall trees, and numerous
plantations on a border of flat land, ran quite round it, edged with a
white sandy beach. A number of people were on the shore, and two canoes
came off with a dozen men in them, but could not be persuaded, by all
Omai's eloquence, to venture alongside. They spoke the language of
Otaheite, and called their island Toobouai. It was at this island that
Christian and the mutineers of the Bounty tried to form a settlement, in
1789. It is the scene, also, of Lord Byron's poem of "The Island,"
though he altered the name to Toobouia. Some of the people were dressed
in native cloth, but the great mass had only girdles. One continued to
blow a conch-shell most of the time the ships lay off their island,
while his companions made signs, inviting the strangers to land. It is
worthy of remark that no weapons were seen among them.

On the 12th Maitea was seen, and soon after Otaheite hove in sight, and
the next day the ships anchored in the Bay of Oheitepeha. Some common
people came off in canoes, but Omai took no notice of them, and they did
not seem to recognise him as a countryman. At length his
brother-in-law, Ootee, appeared, but there was no exhibition of regard
or affection till Omai took the other into the cabin and showed him the
drawers in which he kept his red feathers. This instantly changed the
face of affairs, and Ootee begged that they might be _tayos_, and change
names.

Soon after the ships anchored Omai's sister came on board, and the
meeting was marked with expressions of the most tender affection,
evidently not feigned. Afterwards, on going ashore with Captain Cook