o 



(k AVOYAGETO 



1777- Soon after, we weiehed, and with a lidit breeze at South 



July. 



— .,. — » Haft, flood out to fea ; and then Taoofa, and a few other 

 natives, that were in the fhip, left us. On heaving up the 

 anchor, we found, that the cable had fuffered confiderably 

 by the rocks ; fo that the bottom, in this road, is not to be 

 depended upon. Befides this, we experienced, that a pro- 

 digious fwell rolls in there from the South Weft. 



.We had not been long under fail, before we obferved a fail- 

 ing canoe coming from Tongataboo, and entering the creek 

 before which we had anchored. Some hours after, a fmall 

 canoe, conducfted by four men, came off to us. For, as we 

 had but little wind, we were, ftill, at no great diftance from 

 the land. Thefe men told us, that the failing canoe, which 

 we had fcen arrive from Tongataboo, had brought orders 

 to the people of Eooa, to furnifh us with a certain number 

 of hogs ; and that, in two days, the king, and other Chiefs, 

 v/ould be with us. They, therefore, defired we would re- 

 turn to our former ftation. There was no reafon to doubt 

 the truth of what thefe men told us. Tv^^o of them had 

 acTiually come from Tongataboo, in the failing canoe ; and 

 they had no view in coming off to us, but to give this in- 

 telligence. However, as we were now clear of the land, it 

 was not a fufficient inducement to bring me back ; efpe- 

 cially as we had. already, on board, a flock of frefh provi- 

 fions, fufficient, in all probabiUty, to laft during our paf- 

 fage to Otaheite. Befides Taoofa's prefent, we had got a 

 good quantity of yams at Eooa, in exchange chiefly for 

 fmall nails. Our fupply of hogs was alfo confiderably in- 

 creafed there ; thoughVdoubtlefs, we fliould have got many 

 more, if the Chiefs of Tongataboo had been with us, whole 

 property they moftly were. At the approach of night, tl)efe 



men, 



