n8 OTAHITE TO OHETEROA CHAP, vi 



twenty at a time in my mouth, every one of which tasted 

 as hot as mustard. 



The island itself seemed more barren than Ulhietea, 

 though the produce was very similar, but bread-fruit was 

 less plentiful than plantains and cocoanuts. The people 

 were exactly the same, so much so that I did not observe 

 one new custom worth mention. They were not very 

 numerous, but nocked from all quarters to the boat where- 

 ever she went, bringing with them whatever they had to 

 sell. Here, as well as in the rest of the islands, they paid 

 us the same compliment as they are used to pay to their 

 own kings, uncovering their shoulders ^-nd lapping their 

 garments round their breasts. Here particularly they were 

 so scrupulously observant of it that a man was sent with us 

 who called out to every one we met, telling him who we 

 were and what they should do. 



29th. We are this morning close under the island of 

 Bola-Bola, whose high craggy peak appears, on this side at 

 least, totally inaccessible to man ; round it is a large quantity 

 of low land, which seems very barren. Tupia tells us that 

 between the shore and the mountain is a large salt lagoon, 

 a certain sign of barrenness in this climate. 



31st. Tupia to-day shows us a large breach in the reef 

 of Otahah, through which the ship might conveniently pass 

 into a large bay, where he says there is good anchorage. 

 We have now a very good opinion of Tupia's pilotage, 

 especially since we observed him at Huahine send a man 

 to dive down to the heel of the ship's rudder ; this the man 

 did several times, and reported to him the depth of water 

 the ship drew, since when he had never suffered her to go 

 in less than five fathoms without being much alarmed. 



2nd August. Dr. Solander and I have spent this day ashore 

 [on Ulhietea], and been very agreeably entertained by the 

 reception we have met with from the people, though we 

 were not fortunate enough to meet with one new plant. 

 Every one seemed to fear and respect us, but nobody to 

 mistrust us in the smallest degree. Men, women, and 

 children came crowding after us, but no one showed us 



