118 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 flocked 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 and 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 
