ed an instance of an amputated arm being perfectly healed and
which had every appearance of having been treated with great propriety.

The part of the beach nearest the ship was become the general place of
resort towards the close of the day. An hour before sunset the
inhabitants began to collect, and here they amused themselves with
exercising the lance, dancing, and various kinds of merriment, till
nearly dark, when they retired to their homes. Of this cheerful scene we
were spectators and partakers every fine evening.

Friday 6.

An occurrence happened today that gave me great concern, not only on
account of the danger with which the ship had been threatened, but as it
tended greatly to diminish the confidence and good understanding which
had hitherto been constantly preserved between us and the natives. The
wind had blown fresh in the night, and at daylight we discovered that the
cable by which the ship rode had been cut near the water's edge in such a
manner that only one strand remained whole. While we were securing the
ship Tinah came on board. I could not but believe he was perfectly
innocent of the transaction; nevertheless I spoke to him in a very
peremptory manner, and insisted upon his discovering and bringing to me
the offender. I was wholly at a loss how to account for this malicious
act. My suspicions fell chiefly, I may say wholly, on the strangers that
came to us from other parts of the island; for we had on every occasion
received such unreserved and unaffected marks of goodwill from the people
of Matavai and Oparre that in my own mind I entirely acquitted them. The
anger which I expressed however created so much alarm that old Otow and
his wife (the father and mother of Tinah) immediately quitted Oparre, and
retired to the mountains in the midst of heavy rain, as did Teppahoo and
his family. Tinah and Iddeah remained and expostulated with me on the
unreasonableness of my anger against them. He said that he would exert
his utmost endeavours to discover the guilty person, but it might
possibly not be in his power to get him delivered up, which would be the
case if he was either of Tiarraboo, Attahooroo, or of the island Eimeo.
That the attempt might have been made as much out of enmity to the people
of Matavai and Oparre as to me, everyone knowing the regard I had for
them, and that I had declared I would protect them against their enemies.
All this I was inclined to believe, but I did not think proper