THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
voyage. However? to gratify thefe people? Omai parted 
with a favourite dog he had brought from England; and 
with this acquilition they departed highly fatisfied. 
About ten o’clock, I difpatched Mr. Gore with three 
boats, two from the Refolution, and one from the Difco- 
very, to try the experiment he had propofed. And? as I 
could confide in his diligence and ability, I left it entirely to 
himfelf, to a£t as, from circumftanees? he fhould judge to 
be molt proper. Two of the natives, who had been on 
board, accompanied him, and Omai went with him in his 
boat as an interpreter. The fhips being a full league from 
the ifland when the boats put off, and having but little 
wind, it was noon before we could work up to it. We then 
law our three boats riding at their grapplings, juft without 
the furf, and a prodigious number of the natives on the 
fhore, abreaft of them. By this we concluded, that Mr. 
Gore, and others of our people, had landed, and our impa¬ 
tience to know the event may be eafily conceived. In order 
to obferve their motions, and to be ready to give them fuch 
afliftance as they might want, and our refpedtive fituations 
would admit of, I kept as near the fhore as was prudent. I 
was fenfible, however, that the reef was as effectual a bar¬ 
rier between us and our friends who had landed, and put 
them as much beyond the reach of our protedlion, as if half 
the circumference of the globe had intervened. But the 
iflanders, it was probable, did not know this fo well as we 
did. Some of them, now and then, came off to the fhips in 
their canoes, with a few cocoa nuts ; which they exchanged 
for whatever was offered to them, without feeming to give 
the preference to any particular article. 
Thefe occafional vifits ferved to leffen my folicitude about 
our peojde who had landed. Though we could get no in- 
Vol. I. B b formation 
1777. 
April. 
