CAPTAIN COOK'S VOYAGES 



and then plied round the east side of the island ; but that, 

 meeting with unfavourable winds, he had been carried to 

 some distance from the coast. He had one of the islanders 

 on board all this time, who had remained there from choice, 

 and had refused to quit the ship, though opportunities had 

 offered. 



" For several days we kept as usual standing off and 

 on with occasional visits from the natives. At daybreak 

 on the 16th, seeing the appearance of a bay, I sent Mr. 

 Bligh with a boat from each ship to examine it, being at 

 this time three leagues off. Canoes now began to arrive 

 from all parts, so that before ten o'clock, there were not 

 fewer than a thousand about the two ships, most of them 

 crowded with people, and well laden with hogs and other 

 productions of the island. One of our visitors took out 

 of the ship a boat's rudder. He was discovered, but too 

 late to recover it. I thought this a good opportunity to 

 shew these people the use of firearms, and two or three 

 muskets, and as many four-pounders were fired over the 

 canoe which carried off the rudder. As it was not intended 

 that any of the shot should take effect, the surrounding 

 multitude of natives seemed rather more surprised than 

 frightened. In the evening Mr. Bligh returned, and 

 reported that he had found a bay, in which was good 

 anchorage and fresh water. Here I resolved to carry the 

 ships to refit, and supply ourselves with every refreshment 

 the place could afford. Numbers of our visitors requested 

 permission to sleep on board. Curiosity was not the only 

 motive, at least with some ; for the next morning several 

 things were missing, which determined me not to entertain 

 so many another night. 



" At eleven o'clock in the forenoon we anchored in the 

 bay, which is called by the natives Karakakooa. The ships 

 continued to be much crowded with natives, and were 

 surrounded by a multitude of canoes. I had nowhere, in 

 the course of my voyages, seen so numerous a body of 

 people assembled at one place. For besides those in canoes, 

 all the shore was covered with spectators, and many 

 hundreds were swimming round the ships like shoals of 

 fish. We could not but be struck with the singularity of 

 this scene ; few now lamented our having failed in our en- 

 deavours to find a northern passage homeward last summer. 

 To this disappointment we owed our having it in our power 

 to revisit the Sandwich Islands, and to enrich our voyage 

 with a discovery which, though the last, seemed in many 

 respects to be the most important that had hitherto been 

 made by Europeans throughout the extent of the Pacific 

 Ocean." 



