Page:Voyage of discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and round the world in the years 1791-95, volume 3.djvu/32

Rh '79^• hmm V. tageoufly (ituated, in being enabled to puichafe fiich commodities of their own produce or manufafture which were brought to us for falc, as attra6led their attention, with the prefents which they received from time to time. Notwithftanding this indulgence, M-liich I thought coidd not have failed to keep them honefl, fuch is their irrcfillible propenfity to thieving, that five of my table knives were miffing. The whole par- ty floutly denied having any knowledge of the theft ; hut as it was evident the knives were ftolen by fome of them, I ordered diem all, except die king, inflandy to quit the fhip, and gave pofitive direftions that no one of them fliould be re-admitted. Befide this, I deemed it expedient to make a point with Tamaahmaah that the knives (hould be reftored. tic faw the propriety of my infilling on this demand, and before noon three of the knives were returned.

The taboo, which had been poftponed in confequence of Whokaa's death, was obferved this evening, though not without holding out a fentiment of refentment to their deity for having fuffered him to die ; for instead of its continuing the usual time of two nights and one whole day, this was only to be in force from fun-fet to the rifing of the fijn the fol- lowing morning ; which th.e king having obferved, returned to us as foon Sunday a&. as the ceremonies were finidied.

Being very much difpleafed with the ungrateful behaviour of his attendants, 1 demanded of Tamaakmaah, in a ferious tone, the two knives that had not yet been refl^red. I expatiated on the difgrace that attached to every individual of die whole party, and the confequence of the example to all tlie fubordinate claffes of his people. He appeared to be much chagrined, and to fuffer a high degree of mortification at the very unhandfome manner in which I had been treated ; this was ftill further increafed, by one of his moft particular favorites having been charged, and on juft grounds, as one of the delinquents.

About noon he went on (hore, in a very fullen humour, and did not return until I had fent for him in the evening, which fummons he very readily obeyed ; and foon another knife was returned, which he declared was the only one he had been able to find, and that if any more were yet miffing, they muft have been loft by fome other means. The I truth,