1^69' IIOCXD THE WORLD. .317 



a hundred yards, and all set up their song of defiance, 

 which they continued till the ship was distant from 

 them about four hundred yards. As they seemed 

 to have no design to attack us, 1 was not willing 

 to do them any hurt ; yet I thought their going off 

 in a bravado might have a bad effect when it should 

 be reported ashore. To show them, therefore, 

 that they were still in our power, though very much 

 beyond the reach of any missile weapon with which 

 they were acquainted, I gave the ship a yaw, and 

 fired a four-pounder so as to pass near them. The 

 shot happened to strike the water and rise several 

 times at a great distance beyond the canoes : this 

 struck them with terror, and they paddled away 

 without once looking behind them. 



About two in the afternoon, we saw a pretty In'gh 

 island bearing west from us; and at five, saw. more 

 islands and rocks to the westward of that. We 

 hauled our wind in order to go without them, but 

 could not weather them before it was dark. I, there- 

 fore, bore up, and ran between them and the main. 

 At seven, I was close under the first, from which a 

 large double canoe, or rather two canoes lashed 

 together at the distance of about a foot, and covered 

 with boards so as to make a deck, put off, and made 

 sail for the ship : this was the first vessel of the kind 

 that we had seen since we left the South Sea islands. 

 When she came near, the people on board entered very 

 freely into conversation with Tupia, and we thought 

 showed a friendly disposition ; but when it was just 

 dark, they ran their canoe close to the ship's side, 

 and threw in a volley of stones, after which they 

 paddled away. 



We learnt from Tupia, that the people in the canoe 

 called the island which we were under Mowtohora ; 

 it is but of a small circuit, though high, and lies six 

 miles from the main ; on the south side is anchorage in 

 fourteen fathom water. Upon the main land S. W. by 

 W. of this island, and apparently at no great distance 



