1779. Till PACIFIC OCEAX. 301 



servation, 18 ^>6', and our longitude, by the time- 

 keeper, 203 40'. We had got the length of the 

 south-west point of the island in the evening ; but 

 the wind now veering to the westward and northward, 

 during the night we lost all that we had gained. Next 

 morning, being still off the south-west point of the 

 island, some canoes came off; but they brought no- 

 thing that we were in want of. We had now neither 

 fruit nor roots, and were under a necessity of making 

 use of some of our sea-provisions. At length some 

 canoes from the northward brought us a small supply 

 of hogs and roots. 



We had variable light airs, next to a calm, the fol- 

 lowing day, till five in the afternoon, when a small 

 breeze at E. N. E. springing up, we were at last 

 enabled to steer along shore to the northward. The 

 weather being fine, we had plenty of company this 

 day, and abundance of every thing. Many of our 

 visitors remained with us on board all night, and we 

 towed their canoes astern. 



At day-break on the 16th, seeing the appearance 

 of a bay, I sent Mr. Bligh, with a boat from each 

 ship, to examine it, being at this time three leagues 

 off. Canoes now began to arrive from all parts ; so 

 that before ten o'clock there were not fewer than a 

 thousand about the two ships, most of them crowded 

 with people, and well laden with hogs and other pro- 

 ductions of the island. We had the most satisfying 

 proof of their friendly intentions ; for we did not 

 see a single person who had with him a weapon of 

 any sort. Trade and curiosity alone had brought them 

 off Among such numbers as we had, at times, on 

 board, it is no wonder that some should betray a 

 thievish disposition. One of our visitors took out of 

 the ship a boat's rudder. He was discovered ; but 

 too late to recover it. I thought this a good oppor- 

 tunity to show these people the use of fire-arms ; and 

 two or three muskets, and as many four-pounders, 

 were fired over the canoe, which carried off the rud- 



