246 CAPTAIN COOK'S VOYAGES 



goore. But they caught, with the greatest avidity, bits 

 of paper, or anything else that was thrown to them. 



" These people seemed to differ as much in person as 

 in disposition from the natives of Wateeoo, though the 

 distance between the two islands is not very great. Their 

 colour was of a deeper cast ; and several had a fierce 

 rugged aspect, resembling the natives of New Zealand. 

 The shell of a pearl oyster, polished, hung about the 

 neck, was the only personal decoration that we observed 

 amongst them ; for not one of them had adopted that 

 mode of ornament, so generally prevalent amongst the 

 natives of this ocean, of puncturing, or tattooing their 

 bodies. 



" Though singular in this, we had the most unequivocal 

 proofs of their being of the same common race. Their 

 language approached still nearer to the dialect of Otaheite 

 than that of Wateeoo or Mangeea. 



" Having but very little wind, it was one o'clock before 

 we drew near the north-west part of the island ; when I 

 sent Lieutenant King, with two armed boats, to sound 

 and reconnoitre the coast, while we stood off and on with 

 the ships. 



" At three o'clock the boats returned ; and Mr. King 

 informed me that there was no anchorage for the ships, 

 and that the boats could only land on the outer edge of 

 the reef, which lay about a quarter of a mile from the 

 dry land. He said that a number of the natives came 

 down upon the reef, armed with long pikes and clubs. 

 But, as he had no motive to land, he did not give them 

 an opportunity to use them. 



" If I had been so fortunate as to have procured a 

 supply of water and of grass, at any of the islands we 

 had lately visited, it was my purpose to have stood back 

 to the south till I had met with a westerly wind. But 

 the certain consequences of doing this, without such a 

 supply, would have been the loss of all the cattle, before 

 we could possibly reach Otaheite, without gaining one 

 advantage, with regard to the great object of our voyage. 

 I therefore determined to bear away for the Friendly 

 Islands, where I was sure of meeting with abundance 

 of everything I wanted. 



" April the 7th, I steered west by south, with a fine 

 breeze easterly. I proposed to proceed first to Middle- 

 burgh, or Eooa ; thinking, if the wind continued favour- 

 able, that we had food enough on board for the cattle 

 to last till we should reach that island. But, about noon 

 next day, those faint breezes, that had attended and 

 retarded us so long, again returned ; and I found it 



