This business being settled to the satisfaction of all parties, I set up a tent ashore, established a post, and erected the observatories.  The carpenters of both ships were also set to work to build a small house for Omai, in which he might secure the European commodities that were his property.  At the same time, some hands were employed in making a garden for his use, planting shaddocks, vines, pine-apples, melons, and the seeds of several other vegetable articles; all of which I had the satisfaction of observing to be in a flourishing state before I left the island.

Omai now began seriously to attend to his own affairs, and repented heartily of his ill-judged prodigality while at Otaheite.  He found at Huaheine, a brother, a sister, and a brother-in-law; the sister being married.  But these did not plunder him, as he had lately been by his other relations.  I was sorry, however, to discover that, though they were too honest to do him any injury, they were of too little consequence in the island to do him any positive good.  They had neither authority nor influence to protect his person, or his property; and, in that helpless situation, I had reason to apprehend that he run great risk of being stripped of every thing he had got from us, as soon as he should cease to have us within his reach, to enforce the good behaviour of his countrymen, by an immediate appeal to our irresistible power.

A man who is richer than his neighbours is sure to be envied, by numbers who wish to see him brought down to their own level.  But in countries where civilization, law, and religion impose their restraints, the rich have a reasonable ground of security.  And besides there being, in all such communities, a diffusion of property, no single individual need fear, that the efforts of all the poorer sort can ever be united to injure him, exclusively of others who are equally the objects of envy.  It was very different with Omai.  He was to live amongst those who are strangers, in a great measure, to any other principle of action besides the immediate impulse of their natural feelings.  But, what was his principal danger, he was to be placed in the very singular situation of being the only rich man in the community to which he was to belong.  And having, by a fortunate connection with us, got into his possession an accumulated quantity of a species of treasure which none of his countrymen could create by any art or industry of their own; while all coveted a share of this envied wealth, it was natural to apprehend that all would be ready to join in attempting to strip its sole proprietor.