T H E P A C I F I C O C E A N. 421 



Pn the night, the wind blewfrefh at South; but was more 1778. 

 moderate toward the morning, and the fog partly dif- <■ --°-' . _j 

 perfed. Having weighed at feven o'clock, we fleered to ^^'"^'^^y*^* 

 the Northward, between the iQand under which we had an- 

 chored, and another fmall one near it. The channel is 

 not above a mile broad ; and before we were through it, 

 the wind failed, and we were obliged to anchor in thirty- 

 four fathoms water. \Vc had now land in every direction. 

 That to the South, extended to the South Weft, in a ridge 

 of mountains} but our fight could not determine whether it 

 eompofed one or more iflands. We afterward found it to be 

 only one ifland, and known by the name of OonalaJJ:ka. Be*- 

 tween it, and the land to the North, which had the appear- 

 ance of being a group of iflands, there feemed to be a chan- 

 nel, in the direction of North Wefl by North. On a point, 

 which bore Weft from the fhip, three quarters of a mile 

 diftant, were feveral natives, and their habitations. To this 

 place we faw them tow in two whales, which we fuppofed 

 they hud juft killed. A few of them, now and then, came off 

 to the fliips, and bartered a few trifling things with our peo- 

 ple ; hut never remained above a quarter of an hour at a time. 

 On the contrary, they rather feemed fliy ; and yet, we could 

 judge that they were no ftrangers to veflels, in fome degree, 

 like ours. They behaved with a degree of politenefs un- 

 common to favage tribes. 



At one o'clock in the afternoon, having a light breeze at 

 North Eaft, and the tide of flood in our favour, we weighed, 

 and fleered for the channel above mentioned, in hopes, af- 

 ter we were through, of finding the land trend away to 

 the Northward, or, at leaft, a paflage out to fea, to the 

 Wefl. For we fuppofed ourfelves, as it really happened, 

 to be amongfl iflands, and not in an inlet of the continent. 



We 



