nks by the
hand, and led him to a large quantity of cloth, which lay at the other
end of the house: this he offered to him piece by piece, intimating by
signs, that if that would atone for the wrong which had been done, he
might take any part of it, or, if he pleased, the whole. Mr Banks put it
by, and gave him to understand that he wanted nothing but what had been
dishonestly taken away. Toubourai Tamaide then went hastily out, leaving
Mr Banks with his wife Tomio, who during the whole scene of terror and
confusion had kept constantly at his side, and intimating his desire
that he should wait there till his return. Mr Banks accordingly sat
down, and conversed with her, as well as he could by signs, about half
an hour. The chief then came back with the snuff-box and the case of the
opera glass in his hand, and, with a joy in his countenance that was
painted with a strength of expression which distinguishes these people
from all others, delivered them to the owners. The case of the opera
glass, however, upon being opened, was found to be empty; upon this
discovery, his countenance changed in a moment; and catching Mr Banks
again by the hand, he rushed out of the house, without uttering any
sound, and led him along the shore, walking with great rapidity: when
they had got about a mile from the house, a woman met him and gave him a
piece of cloth, which he hastily took from her, and continued to press
forward with it in his hand. Dr Solander and Mr Monkhouse had followed
them, and they came at length to a house where they were received by a
woman, to whom he gave the cloth, and intimated to the gentlemen that
they should give her some beads. They immediately complied; and the
beads and cloth being deposited upon the floor, the woman went out, and
in about half an hour returned with the opera-glass, expressing the same
joy upon the occasion that had before been expressed by the chief. The
beads were now returned, with an inflexible resolution not to accept
them; and the cloth was, with the same pertinacity, forced upon Dr
Solander, as a recompence for the injury that had been done him. He
could not avoid accepting the cloth, but insisted in his turn upon
giving a new present of beads to the woman. It will not perhaps be easy
to account for all the steps that were taken in the recovery of this
glass and snuff-box; but this cannot be thought strange, considering
that the scene of action was among a people whose language, policy