The next morning old Toobou returned my visit on board the ship.  He also visited Captain Clerke; and if the present we made to him the evening before was scanty, the deficiency was now made up.  During this time Mareewagee visited our people ashore, and Mr King shewed to him, every thing we had there.  He viewed the cattle with great admiration, and the cross-cut saw fixed his attention for some time.

Toward noon Poulaho returned from the place where we had left, him two days before, and brought with him his son, a youth about twelve years of age.  I had his company at dinner; but the son, though present, was not allowed to sit down with him.  It was very convenient to have him for my guest.  For when he was present, which was generally the case while we stayed here, every other native was excluded from the table, and but few of them would remain in the cabin.  Whereas, if by chance it happened that neither he nor Feenou were on board, the inferior chiefs would be very importunate to be of our dining party, or to be admitted into the cabin at that time, and then we were so crowded that we could not sit down to a meal with any satisfaction.  The king was very soon reconciled to our manner of cookery.  But still I believe he dined thus frequently with me more for the sake of what we gave him to drink, than for what we set before him to eat.  For he had taken a liking to our wine, could empty his bottle as well as most men, and was as cheerful over it.  He now fixed his residence at the house, or malaee, by our tent; and there he entertained our people this evening with a dance.  To the surprise of every body the unwieldy Poulaho endeavoured to vie with others in that active amusement.

In the morning of the 15th I received a message from old Toobou that he wanted to see me ashore.  Accordingly Omai and I went to wait upon him.  We found him, like an ancient patriarch, seated under the shade of a tree, with a large piece of the cloth, made in the island, spread out at full length before him, and a number of respectably looking people sitting round it.  He desired us to place ourselves by him; and then he told Omai, that the cloth, together with a piece of red feathers, and about a dozen cocoa-nuts, were his present to me.  I thanked him for the favour, and desired he would go on board with me, as I had nothing on shore to give him in return.

Omai now left me, being sent for by Penlaho; and soon after Feenou came, and acquainted me that young Fattafaihe, Poulaho’s son, desired to see me.  I obeyed the summons, and found the prince and Omai sitting under a large canopy of the finer sort of cloth, with a piece of the coarser sort spread under them and before them, that was seventy-six yards long, and seven and a half broad.  On one side was a large old boar, and on the other side a heap of cocoa-nuts.  A number of people were seated round the cloth, and amongst them I observed Mareewagee, and others of the first rank.  I was desired to sit down by the prince; and then Omai informed me, that he had been instructed by the king to tell me, that, as he and I were friends, he hoped that his son might be joined in this friendship, and that, as a token of my consent, I would accept of his present.  I very readily agreed to the proposal; and it being now dinner time, I invited them all on board.