While we lay in this harbour, we carried ashore the bread, remaining in the bread-room, to clear it of vermin. The number of cock-roaches that infested the ship at this time is incredible. The damage they did us was very considerable; and every method devised by us to destroy them proved ineffectual. These animals, which, at first, were a nuisance, like all other insects, had now become a real pest; and so destructive, that few things were free from their ravages. If food of any kind was exposed only for a few minutes, it was covered with them; and they soon pierced it full of holes resembling a honeycomb. They were particularly destructive to birds, which had been stuffed and preserved as curiosities; and, what was worse, were uncommonly fond of ink; so that the writing on the labels, fastened to different articles, was quite eaten out; and the only thing that preserved books from them, was the closeness of the binding, which prevented these devourers getting between the leaves. According to Mr. Anderson’s observations, they were of two sorts, the blatta orientalis and germanica. The first of these had been carried home in the ship from her former voyage, where they withstood the severity of the hard winter in 1776, though she was in dock all the time. The others had only made their appearance since our leaving New Zealand; but had increased so fast, that they now not only did all the mischief mentioned above, but had even got amongst the rigging; so that when a sail was loosened, thousands of them fell upon the decks. The orientales, though in infinite numbers, scarcely came out but in the night, when they made every thing in the cabins seem as if in motion, from the particular noise in crawling about. And, besides their disagreeable appearance, they did great mischief to our bread, which was so bespattered with their excrement, that it would have been badly relished by delicate feeders.
The intercourse of trade and friendly offices was carried on between us and the natives without being disturbed by any one accident till the evening of the 22d, when a man found means to get into Mr. Bayly’s observatory, and to carry off a sextant unobserved. As soon as I was made acquainted with the theft, I went ashore, and got Omai to apply to the chiefs, to procure restitution. He did so; but they took no steps toward it, being more attentive to a heeva that was then acting, till I ordered the performers of the exhibition to desist. They were now convinced, that I was in earnest, and began to make some enquiry after the thief, who was sitting in the midst of them quite unconcerned, inasmuch that I was in great doubt of his being the guilty person; especially as he denied it. Omai, however, assuring me that he was the man, I sent him on board the ship, and there confined him. This raised a general ferment amongst the assembled natives; and the whole body fled, in spite of all my endeavours to stop them. Having employed Omai to examine the prisoner, with some difficulty he was brought to confess where he had laid the sextant; but, as it was now dark, he could not find it till day-light the next morning, when it was brought back unhurt. After this, the natives recovered from their fright, and began to gather about us as usual. And as to the thief, he appearing to be a hardened scoundrel, I punished him more severely than I had done any culprit before. Besides having his head and beard shaved, I ordered both his ears to be cut off, and then dismissed him.
This, however, did not deter him from giving us farther trouble; for, in the night between the 24th and 25th, a general alarm was spread, occasioned, as was said, by one of our goats being stolen by this very man. On examination, we found that all was safe in that quarter. Probably, the goats were so well guarded, that he could not put his design in execution. But his hostilities had succeeded against another object; and it appeared, that he had destroyed and carried off several vines and cabbage-plants in Omai’s grounds; and he publicly threatened to kill him, and to burn his house, as soon as we should leave the island. To prevent the fellow’s doing me and Omai any more mischief, I had him seized and confined on board the ship, with a view of carrying him off the island; and it seemed to give general satisfaction to the chiefs, that I meant thus to dispose of him. He was from Bolabola; but there were too many of the natives here ready to assist him in any of his designs, whenever he should think of executing them. I had always met with more troublesome people in Huaheine, than in any other of the neighbouring islands; and it was only fear and the want of opportunities that induced them to behave better now. Anarchy seemed to prevail amongst them. Their nominal sovereign, the Earee rahie, as I have before observed, was but a child; and I did not find, that there was any one man, or set of men, who managed the government for him; so that, whenever any misunderstanding happened between us, I never knew, with sufficient precision, where to make application, in order to bring about an accommodation, or to procure redress. The young chief’s mother would, indeed, sometimes exert herself; but I did not perceive that she had greater authority than many others.
Omai’s house being nearly finished, many of his moveables were carried ashore on the 26th. Amongst a variety of other useless articles, was a box of toys, which, when exposed to public view, seemed greatly to please the gazing multitude. But as to his pots, kettles, dishes, plates, drinking-mugs, glasses, and the whole train of our domestic accommodations, hardly any one of his countrymen would so much as look at them. Omai himself now began to think that they were of no manner of use to him; that a baked hog was more savoury food than a boiled one; that a plantain-leaf made as good a dish or plate as pewter; and that a cocoa-nut shell was as convenient a goblet as a black-jack. And, therefore, he very wisely disposed of as many of these articles of English furniture for the kitchen and pantry, as he could find purchasers for, amongst the people of the ships; receiving from them, in return, hatchets, and other iron tools, which had a more intrinsic value in this part of the world, and added more to his distinguishing superiority over those with whom he was to pass the remainder of his days.
In the long list of the presents bestowed upon him in England, fire-works had not been forgot. Some of these we exhibited in the evening of the 28th, before a great concourse of people, who beheld them with a mixture of pleasure and fear. What remained, after the evening’s entertainment, were put in order, and left with Omai, agreeably to their original destination. Perhaps we need not lament it as a serious misfortune, that the far greater share of this part of his cargo had been already expended in exhibitions at other islands, or rendered useless by being kept so long.
Between midnight and four in the morning of the 30th, the Bolabola man, whom I had in confinement, found means to make his escape out of the ship. He carried with him the shackle of the bilboo-bolt that was about his leg, which was taken from him, as soon as he got on shore, by one of the chiefs, and given to Omai; who came on board very early in the morning, to acquaint me that his mortal enemy was again let loose upon him. Upon enquiry, it appeared, that not only the sentry, placed over the prisoner, but the whole watch upon the quarter-deck where he was confined, had laid themselves down to sleep. He seized the opportunity to take the key of the irons out of the binnacle-drawer, where he had seen it put, and set himself at liberty. This escape convinced me, that my people had been very remiss in their night-duty; which made it necessary to punish those who were now in fault, and to establish some new regulations to prevent the like negligence for the future. I was not a little pleased to hear afterward, that the fellow who escaped, had transported himself to Ulietea; in this, seconding my views of putting him a second time in irons.
As soon as Omai was settled in his new habitation, I began to think of leaving the island; and got every thing off from the shore this evening, except the horse and mare, and a goat big with kid; which were left in the possession of our friend, with whom we were now finally to part. I also gave him a boar and two sows of the English breed; and he had got a sow or two of his own. The horse covered the mare while we were at Otaheite; so that I consider the introduction of a breed of horses into these islands, as likely to have succeeded by this valuable present.
The history of Omai will, perhaps, interest a very numerous class of readers, more than any other occurrence of a voyage, the objects of which do not, in general, promise much entertainment. Every circumstance, therefore, which may serve to convey a satisfactory account of the exact situation in which he was left will be thought worth preserving; and the following particulars are added, to complete the view of his domestic establishment. He had picked up at Otaheite four or five Toutous; the two New Zealand youths remained with him; and his brother, and some others, joined him at Huaheine; so that his family consisted already of eight or ten persons; if that can be called a family, to which not a single female as yet belonged; nor, I doubt, was likely to belong, unless its master became less volatile. At present, Omai did not seem at all disposed to take unto himself a wife.
The house which we erected for him, was twenty-four feet by eighteen; and ten feet high. It was composed of boards, the spoils of our military operations at Eimeo; and, in building it, as few nails as possible, were used, that there might be no inducement, from the love of iron, to pull it down. It was settled, that immediately after our departure, he should begin to build a large house after the fashion of his country; one end of which was to be brought over that which we had erected, so as to enclose it entirely for greater security. In this work, some of the chiefs promised to assist him; and, if the intended building should cover the ground which he marked out, it will be as large as most upon the island.
His European weapons consisted of a musket, bayonet, and cartouch-box; a fowling-piece; two pair of pistols; and two or three swords or cutlasses. The possession of these made him quite happy; which was my only view in giving him such presents. For I was always of opinion, that he would have been happier without fire-arms, and other European weapons, than with them; as such implements of war, in the hands of one, whose prudent use of them I had some grounds for mistrusting, would rather encrease his dangers than establish his superiority. After he had got on shore every thing that belonged to him, and was settled in his house, he had most of the officers of both ships, two or three times, to dinner; and his table was always well supplied with the very best provisions that the island produced.