He Repeatedly Asked Me If I Was Not Angry; And When I Assured
Him That I Was Not, And That They Might Keep What They Had Got, He Was
Satisfied.
Towha was alarmed, partly on the same account.
He thought I was
displeased when I refused to go aboard his vessel; and I was jealous of
seeing such a force in our neighbourhood without being able to know any
thing of its design. Thus, by mistaking one another, I lost the opportunity
of examining more narrowly into part of the naval force of this isle, and
making myself better acquainted with its manoeuvres. Such another
opportunity may never occur; as it was commanded by a brave, sensible, and
intelligent chief, who would have satisfied us in all the questions we had
thought proper to ask; and as the objects were before us, we could not well
have misunderstood each other. It happened unluckily that Oedidee was not
with us in the morning; for Tee, who was the only man we could depend on,
served only to perplex us. Matters being thus cleared up, and mutual
presents having passed between Otoo and me, we took leave and returned on
board.
[1] Mr G.F., who was one of the party that went ashore, gives a sketch
of the people. They were a set of stout men, of a dark-brown colour,
not disagreeable features, with dark curling hair and beards,
perfectly naked, and variously marked on different parts of the body.
They had the New Zealand custom of touching noses as a salutation; and
their language seemed a dialect of the Otaheitean.
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