THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 213 



had met with a Wefterly wind. But the certain confequence \ti7: 



of doing this, without fuch a fupply, would have been the ' r—^ 



lofs of all the cattle, before we could poflibly reach Ota- 

 heite, without gaining any one advantage, with regard to 

 the great objetft of our voyage. 



I, therefore, determined to bear away for the Friendly 

 Illands, where I was fure of meeting with abundance of 

 every thing I wanted : and it being neceffary to run in the 

 night, as well as in the day, I ordered Captain Gierke to 

 keep about a league ahead of the Refolution. I ufed this 

 precaution, becaufe his fhip could bed claw off the land ; 

 and it was very poflible we might fall in with fome, in our 

 palTage. 



The longitude of Hervey's liland, when firft difcovered, 

 deduced from Otaheite, by the time-keeper, was found to 

 be 201° 6' Eaft, and now, by the fame time-keeper, deduced 

 from Queen Charlotte's Sound, 200° 56' Eaft. Hence I con- 

 clude, that the error of the time-keeper, at this time, did 

 not exceed twelve miles in longitude.^ 



When we bore away, I fleered Weft by South, with a fine 

 breeze Eafterly. I propofed to proceed firft to Middleburgh, 

 or Eooa ; thinking, if the wind continued favourable, that 

 we had food enough on board, for the cattle, to laft till we 

 fliould reach that ifland. But, about noon, next day, thofe Monday 7, 

 faint breezes, that had attended and retarded us fo long, 

 again returned ; and I found it neceiTary to haul more to the 

 North, to get into the latitude of Palmerfton's and Savage 

 Illands, difcovered in 1774, during my laft voyage*; that, if 

 necefiity required it, we might have recourfe to them, 



* See Cook's Voyage, Vol, ii. p. 2, 3. 



This 



