1774* ROUND THE WORLD. 105 



seen at Otaheite, and the Society Isles. # A fresh 

 easterly wind, and the ship lying a mile from the 

 shore, did not hinder these good-natured people from 

 swimming off to us in shoals of twenty or thirty, and 

 returning the same way. 



On the 10th, a party was on shore as usual; and 

 Mr. Forster so well recovered as to go out botanizing. 



In the evening of the 11th the boats returned, 

 when I was informed of the following circumstances. 

 From an elevation, which they reached the morning 

 they set out, they had a view of the coast. Mr. 

 Gilbert was of opinion, that they saw the termination 

 of it to the west, but Mr. Pickersgill thought not ; 

 though both agreed that there was no passage for the 

 ship that way. From this place, accompanied by 

 two of the natives, they went to Balabea, which they 

 did not reach till after sun-set, and left again next 

 morning before sun-rise; consequently this was a 

 fruitless expedition, and the two following days were 

 spent in getting up to the ship. As they went down 

 to the isle, they saw abundance of turtle but the 

 violence of the wind and sea made it impossible to 

 strike any. The cutter was near being lost, by sud- 

 denly filling with water, which obliged them to throw 

 several things overboard, before they could free her 

 and stop the leak she had sprung. From a fishing 

 canoe, which they met coming in from the reefs, they 

 got as much fish as they could eat ; and they were 

 received by Teabi, the chief of the isle of Balabea, 

 and the people, who came in numbers to see them, 

 with great courtesy. In order not to be too much 

 crowded, our people drew a line on the ground, and 

 gave the others to understand they were not to come 

 within it. This restriction they observed, and one 



* Wafer met with Indians in the isthmus of Darien of the colour 

 of a white horse. See his Description of the Isthmus, p. 134. See 

 also Mr. de Paw's Philosophical Inquiries concerning the Ameri- 

 cans, where several other instances of this remarkable whiteness 

 are mentioned, and the causes of it attempted to be explained. 



