T H E P A G I F I C O C E A N. 27 



that bay the nisht before ; and, in confirmation of this intel- '""7- 



^ '^ Auguft. 



ligence, he produced a piece of coarfe blue cloth, which, - — -.- — » 

 he faid, he got out of one of the fliips ; and which, indeed, 

 to appearance, was almofl quite new. He added, that Ma- 

 teema was in one of the fliips ; and that they were to come 

 down to Matavai in a day or two. Some other circum- 

 ftances which he mentioned, with the foregoing ones, gave 

 the flory Co much the air of truth, that I difpatched Lieute- 

 nant Williamfon in a boar, to look into Oheitcpeha bay ; and, 

 in the mean time, I put the fliips into a proper poRure of 

 defence. For, though England and Spain were in peace 

 when I left Europe, for aught I knew, a different fcene 

 might, by this time, have opened. However, on farther in- 

 quiry, we had reafon to think that the fellow, who brought 

 the intelligence, had impofed upon us ; and this was put 

 beyond all doubt, when Mr. Williamfon returned next day ; Thurfdayzs. 

 who made his report to me, that he had been at Oheitepeha, 

 and found that no fltiips were there now, and that none had 

 been there fince we left it. 1 he people of this part of the 

 ifland, where we now were, indeed, told us, from the be- 

 ginning, that it was a fidlion invented by thofe of Tiaraboo. 

 But what view they could have, we were at a lofs to conceive, 

 unlefs they fuppofed, that the report would have fomc efTedl 

 in making us quit the ifland, and, by that means, deprive the 

 people of Otaheite-nooc of the advantages they might reap 

 from our fliips continuing there ; the inhabitants of the 

 two parts of the ifland being inveterate enemies to each 

 other. 



From the time of our arrival at Matavai, the weather had Friday 23. 

 been very unfettled, with more or lefs rain every day, till 

 the 29th; before which we were not able to get equal alti- 

 tudes of the fun for afcertaining the going of the time- 



E 2 keeper. 



