1769. ROUND THE WORLD. l6l 



placed one upon the head of another. But in this 

 part of the country, however fertile and cultivated, 

 we did not see a single bread-fruit : the trees were 

 entirely bare ; and the inhabitants seemed to subsist 

 principally upon nuts, which are not unlike a chesnut, 

 and which they call Ahee, 



When we had walked till we were weary, we called 

 up the boat, but both our Indians, Tituboalo and Tua- 

 how, were missing : they had, it seems, stayed be- 

 hind at Waheatua's, expecting us to return thither, 

 in consequence of a promise which had been extorted 

 from us, and which we had it not in our power to 

 fulfil. 



Tearee, however, and another, embarked with us, 

 and we proceeded till we came abreast of a small 

 island called Otooareite ; it being then dark, we 

 determined to land, and our Indians conducted us to 

 a place where they said we might sleep : it was a de- 

 serted house, and near it was a little cove, in which 

 the boat might lie with great safety and convenience. 

 We were, however, in want of provisions, having 

 been very sparingly supplied since we set out ; and 

 Mr. Banks immediately went into the woods to see 

 whether any could be procured. As it was dark, he 

 met with no people, and could find but one house that 

 was inhabited : a bread-fruit and a half, a few ahees, 

 and some fire, were all that it afforded ; upon which, 

 with a duck or two, and a few curlieus, we made our 

 supper, which, if not scanty, was disagreeable, by 

 the want of bread, with which we had neglected to 

 furnish ourselves, as we depended upon meeting with 

 bread-fruit, and took up our lodging under the 

 awning of a canoe belonging to Tearee, which fol- 

 lowed us. 



The next morning, after having spent some time 

 in another fruitless attempt to procure a supply of 

 provisions, we proceeded round the south-east point, 

 part of which is not covered by any reef, but lies 

 open to the sea j and here the hill rises directly from 



VOL. I. M 



