1769. ROUND THE WORLD. l65 



hearing the sound of oars, he had looked out again, 

 and could see nothing of her. At this account we 

 started up greatly alarmed, and ran to the water-side : 

 the morning was clear and starlight, so that we could 

 see to a considerable distance, but there was no ap- 

 pearance of the boat. Our situation was now such 

 as might justify the most terrifying apprehensions : 

 as it was a dead calm, and we could not therefore 

 suppose her to have broken from her grappling, we 

 had great reason to fear that the Indians had attacked 

 her, and finding the people asleep, had succeeded in 

 their enterprise : we were but four, with only one 

 musket and two pocket pistols, without a spare ball 

 or charge of powder for either. In this state of 

 anxiety and distress we remained a considerable time, 

 expecting the Indians every moment to improve their 

 advantage, when, to our unspeakable satisfaction, 

 we saw the boat return, which had been driven from 

 her grappling by the tide ; a circumstance to which, 

 in our confusion and surprise, we did not advert. 



As soon as the boat returned, we got our breakfast, 

 and were impatient to leave the place, lest some other 

 vexatious accident should befall us. It is situated on 

 the north side of Tiarrabou, the south-east peninsula, 

 or division, of the island, and at the distance of about 

 five miles south-east from the isthmus, having a large 

 and commodious harbour, inferior to none in the 

 island, about which the land is very rich in produce. 

 Notwithstanding we had had little communication 

 with this division, the inhabitants every where re- 

 ceived us in a friendly manner : we found the whole 

 of it fertile and populous, and, to all appearance, in 

 a more flourishing state than Opoureonu, though it 

 is not above one-fourth part as large. 



The next district in which we landed was the last 

 in Tiarrabou, and governed by a chief, whose name 

 we understood to be Omoe. Omoe was building a 

 house, and being therefore very desirous of procur- 

 ing a hatchet, he would have been glad to have pur- 



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