Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/145

Rh proper that while Mr. Green and myself proceeded, the midshipman should return, and desire Captain Cook to send a party of men after us, telling him at the same time that it was impossible that we could return till night. This done we proceeded, and at the very spot Tubourai had mentioned, were met by one of his people bringing part of the quadrant in his hand: we now stopped, and many Indians gathered about us rather rudely; the sight of one of my pistols, however, instantly checked them, and they behaved with all the order imaginable, though we quickly had some hundreds surrounding a ring we had marked out on the grass. The box was now brought to us, and some of the small matters such as reading glasses, etc., which in their hurry they had put into a pistol-case. This I knew belonged to me; it had been stolen from the tents with a horse-pistol in it, which I immediately demanded, and had immediately restored. Mr. Green began to overlook the instrument to see if any part, or parts, were wanting; several small things were, and people were sent out in search of them, some of whom returned, and others did not: the stand was not there, but that, we were informed, had been left behind by the thief, and we should have it on our return, an answer which, coming from Tubourai, satisfied us. Nothing else was wanting but what could easily be repaired, so we packed up all in grass as well as we could, and proceeded homewards. After walking about two miles we met Captain Cook with a party of marines coming after us, all not a little pleased at the event of our excursion.

The captain on leaving the tents left orders, both for the ship and shore, that no canoes should be suffered to go out of the bay, but that nobody's person should be seized or detained, as we rightly guessed that none of our friends had any hand in the theft. These orders were obeyed by the first lieutenant, who was ashore; but the second aboard, seeing some canoes going along shore, sent a boat to fetch them back. The boatswain commanding it did so, and with them brought Dootahah; the rest of the crew leaped overboard. Dootahah was sent ashore prisoner; the first