124 OTAHITE TO OHETEROA CHAP, vi 



expedients they make use of without success, till at last 

 they find the watchmen asleep ; they then go gently up to 

 them, and lifting them off from the basket, which for security 

 they have placed in their middle, they go off with their 

 prize. The others awake and dance, but seem to show little 

 regret for their loss, or indeed hardly to miss the basket 

 at all. 



9th. We resolved to sail as soon as the people left off 

 bringing provisions, which about noon they did, and we 

 again launched out into the ocean in search of what chance 

 and Tupia might direct us to. 



13th. Many albecores have been about the ship all 

 this evening. Tupia took one, and had not his rod broken, 

 would probably have taken many. He used an Indian 

 fish-hook made of mother-of-pearl, so that it served at the 

 same time for hook and bait. 



At noon to-day, high land in sight, which proves to be 

 an island which Tupia calls Oheteroa. 



14tth. The island of Oheteroa was to all appearance more 

 barren than anything we have seen in these seas, the chief 

 produce seeming to be etoa (from the wood of which the 

 people make their weapons) ; indeed, everywhere along shore 

 where we saw plantations, the trees were of this kind. It 

 is without a reef, and the ground in the bay we were in was 

 so foul and coralline, that although a ship might come almost 

 close to the shore, she could not possibly anchor. 



The people seemed strong, lusty, and well made, but were 

 rather browner than those we have left behind ; they were 

 not tattowed like them, but had instead black marks 

 about as broad as my hand under their armpits, the sides 

 of which marks were deeply indented. They had also 

 smaller circles round their arms and legs. Their dress 

 was indeed most singular, as well as the cloth of which 

 it was made. It consisted of the same materials as the 

 inhabitants of the other islands make use of, and was gener- 

 ally dyed of a very bright deep yellow ; upon this was spread 

 in some cases a composition, either red or of a dark lead 

 colour, which covered it like oil colour or varnish. Upon 



