ground, and, by means of a bit of burning wood from the oven, where
dinner was dressing, set on fire. The sudden blast and loud report, the
mingled flame and smoke, that instantly succeeded, now filled the whole
assembly with astonishment. They no longer doubted the tremendous power
of our weapons, and gave full credit to all that Omai had said.

If it had not been for the terrible ideas they conceived of the guns of
our ships, from this specimen of their mode of operation, it was thought
that they would have detained the gentlemen all night. For Omai assured
them, that if he and his companions did not return on board the same
day, they might expect that I would fire upon the island. And as we
stood in nearer the land in the evening, than we had done any time
before, of which position of the ships they were observed to take great
notice, they probably thought we were meditating this formidable attack,
and, therefore, suffered their guests to depart; under the expectation,
however, of seeing them again on shore next morning. But I was too
sensible of the risk they had already run, to think of a repetition of
the experiment.

This day, it seems, was destined to give Omai more occasions than one of
being brought forward to bear a principal part in its transactions. The
island, though never before visited by Europeans, actually happened to
have other strangers residing in it; and it was entirely owing to Omai's
being one of Mr Gore's attendants, that this curious circumstance came
to our knowledge.

Scarcely had he been landed upon the beach, when he found, amongst the
crowd there assembled, three of his own countrymen, natives of the
Society Islands. At the distance of about 200 leagues from those
islands, an immense, unknown ocean intervening, with such wretched
sea-boats as their inhabitants are known to make use of, and fit only
for a passage where sight of land is scarcely ever lost, such a meeting,
at such a place, so accidentally visited by us, may well be looked upon
as one of those unexpected situations with which the writers of feigned
adventures love to surprise their readers, and which, when they really
happen in common life, deserve to be recorded for their singularity.

It may easily be guessed with what mutual surprise and satisfaction Omai
and his countrymen engaged in conversation. Their story, as related by
them, is an affecting one. About twenty persons in number, of both
sexes, had embarked on board a