got on board, amounting to 65 Tons. I now determind to get everything off
from the Shore and leave the Place as soon as possible. The getting the
several Articles on board, and Scraping and paying the Ship's side, took
us up the following Week without anything remarkable happening until

[July 1769. At Tahiti.]

Sunday, July 9th. When, sometime in the Middle Watch, Clement Webb and
Saml. Gibson, both Marines and young Men, found means to get away from
the Fort (which was now no hard matter to do) and in the morning were not
to be found. As it was known to everybody that all hands were to go on
board on the Monday morning, and that the ship would sail in a day or
two, there was reason to think that these 2 Men intended to stay behind.
However I was willing to stay one day to see if they would return before
I took any step to find them.

Monday, 10th. The 2 Marines not returning this morning, I began to
enquire after them, and was inform'd by some of the Natives that they
were gone to the Mountains, and that they had got each of them a Wife and
would not return; but at the same time no one would give us any certain
intelligence where they were, upon which a resolution was taken to seize
upon as many of the Chiefs as we could. This was thought to be the
readiest method to induce the other natives to produce the 2 Men. We had
in our custody Obariea, Toobouratomita, and 2 other Chiefs, but that I
know'd Tootaha would have more weight with the Natives than all these put
together, I dispatched Lieutenant Hicks away in the Pinnace to the place
where Tootaha was, to endeavour to decoy him into the Boat and bring him
on board, which Mr. Hicks performed without the least disturbance. We had
no sooner taken the other Chiefs into Custody in Mr. Banks's Tent than
they became as desirous of having the Men brought back has they were