286 cook's voyage to april, 



o'clock, I went with the boats to the west side of the 

 island, and landed with little difficulty. I immediately 

 set the people with me to work, to gather cocoa-nuts, 

 which we found in great abundance. But to get 

 them to our boats was a tedious operation; for we 

 were obliged to carry them at least half a mile over the 

 reef, up to the middle in water. Omai, who was with 

 me, caught, with a scoop net, in a very short time, as 

 much fish as served the whole party on shore for din- 

 ner, besides sending some to both ships. Here were 

 also great abundance of birds, particularly men-of-war 

 and tropic birds; so that we fared sumptuously. 

 And it is but doing justice to Omai to say, that, in 

 these excursions to the uninhabited islands, he was 

 of the greatest use. For he not only caught the fish, 

 but dressed these, and the birds we killed, in an oven, 

 with heated stones, after the fashion of his country, 

 with a dexterity and good-humour that did him great 

 credit. The boats made two trips before night well 

 laden; with the last, I returned on board, leaving 

 Mr. Williamson, my third lieutenant, with a party 

 of men, to prepare another lading for the boats which 

 I proposed to send next morning. 



I, accordingly, dispatched them at seven o'clock, 

 and they returned laden by noon. No time was lost 

 in sending them back for another cargo; and they 

 carried orders for every body to be on board by sun- 

 set. This being complied with, we hoisted in the 

 boats and made sail to the westward, with a light air 

 of wind from the north. 



We found this islot near a half larger than the 

 other, and almost entirely covered with cocoa-palms; 

 the greatest part of which abounded with excellent 

 nuts, having often both old and young on the same 

 tree. They were, indeed, too thick in many places 

 to grow with freedom. The other productions were, 

 in general, the same as at the first islot. Two pieces 

 of board, one of which was rudely carved, with an 

 elliptical paddle, were found on the beach. Probably, 



