Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 - No. 0329
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[Page 329]
Otahite
June 1769
from which party we did not return till night when we saw a large number of Canoes in the river behind the tents of which we had this account. Last night an Indian was clever enough to steal a Coal rake out of the fort without being perceivd in the Morning it was missing & Captn Cooke being resolvd to recover it as also to discourage such atempts for the future went out with a party of men & seizd 25 of their large sailing Canoes which were just come in from Téthuroa a neighbouring Island with a supply of fish for the inhabitants of this. The Coal rake was upon this soon brought back but Captn Cooke thought he had now in his hands an opportunity of recovering all the things which had been stolen he therefore proclaimd to every one that till all the things which had been stolen from us were brought back the boats should not stir a list of these was immediately drawn up & read several times to the Indians who readily promisd that every thing should be brought back great application was made to me in my return that some of these might be releasd I did not till I got to the fort understand the reason of their being detaind & when I did nothing apeard so plain as that no one of them should on any account be let go from favour but the whole kept till the things were if ever they were which I much doubted as the Canoes pretty certainly did not belong to the people who had stolen the things I confess had I taken a step so violent I would have seizd either the persons of the people who had stolen from us most of whoom we either knew or shrewdly suspected or their goods at