1773- ROUND THE WORLD. 155 



CHAP. X. 



THE ARRIVAL OF THE SHIPS AT OTAHE1TE, WITH AN ACCOUNT 

 OF THE CRITICAL SITUATION THEY WERE IN, AND OF SEVE- 

 RAL INCIDENTS THAT HAFPENED WHILE THEY LAY IN 

 OAITI-PIHA BAY. 



vJn the 15th, at five o'clock in the morning, we saw 

 Osnaburg Island or Mai tea, discovered by Captain 

 Wallis, bearing S. by W. ^ W. Soon after I brought 

 to, and waited for the Adventure to come up with 

 us, to acquaint Captain Furneaux, that it was my 

 intention to put into Oaiti-piha Bay, near the S. E. 

 end of Otaheite, in order to get what refreshments 

 we could from that part of the island, before we went 

 down to Matavai. This done, we made sail, and at 

 six in the evening saw the island bearing west. We 

 continued to stand on till midnight, when we brought 

 to, till four o'clock in the morning ; and then made 

 sail in for the land with a fine breeze at east. 



At day-break we found ourselves not more than 

 half a league from the reef. The breeze now began 

 to fail us, and at last fell to a calm. This made it 

 necessary to hoist out our boats to tow the ships off; 

 but all their efforts were not sufficient to keep them 

 from being carried near the reef. A number of the 

 inhabitants came off in canoes from different parts, 

 bringing with them a little fish, a few cocoa-nuts, and 

 other fruits, which they exchanged for nails, beads, 

 &c. The most of them knew me again ; and many 

 enquired for Mr. Banks and others who were with 

 me before ; but not one asked for Tupia. As the 

 calm continued, our situation became still more dan- 

 gerous. We were, however, not without hopes oi 

 getting round the western point of the reef and into 



