132 
A VOYAGE TO 
1777. of the day, and their enemies were defeated with great 
" ec ^ m daughter. The men of Bolabola, profecuting their vidory, 
invaded Huaheine two days after, which they knew muft be 
weakly defended, as mod: of its warriors were abfent. Ac¬ 
cordingly, they made themfelves makers of that ifland. 
But many of its fugitives having got to Otaheite, there told 
their lamentable ftory; which fo grieved thofe of their 
countrymen, and of Ulietea, whom they met with in that 
ifland, that they obtained fome aftiftance from them. They 
were equipped with only ten fighting canoes ; but, though 
their force was fo inconfiderable, they conducted the expe¬ 
dition with fo much prudence, that they landed at Hua¬ 
heine at night, when dark, and falling upon the Bolabola 
men by furprize, killed many of them, forcing the reft to 
fly. So that, by this means, they got poffeflion of their 
ifland again, which now remains independent, under the 
government of its own Chiefs. Immediately after the de¬ 
feat of the united fleets of Ulietea and Huaheine, a propofal 
was made to the Bolabola men by their allies of Otaha, to 
be admitted to an equal fhare of the conquefts. The refufal 
of this broke the alliance; and in the courfe of the war, 
Otaha itfelf, as well as Ulietea, was conquered; and both 
now remain fubjed to Bolabola; the Chiefs who govern 
them, being only deputies of Opoony, the fovereign of that 
illand. In the reduction of the two iflands, five battles were 
fought, at different places, in which great numbers were 
flain on both fides. 
Such was the account we received. I have more than 
once remarked, how very imperfectly thefe people recoiled 
the exad dates of paft events. And with regard to this war, 
though it happened not many years ago, we could only 
guefs at the time of its commencement and its conclufion, 
from 
