»774* A u g u s t , and met with a few natives, who offered to conduct us to
the fea on the other fide. However, obferving that they
only endeavoured to lead us back to the watering place by
another path, we left them, and walked on alone through
the plantations, many of which were enc-lofed with fences
of reed five feet high. However another native foon came
after us, and brought us to the beach on the other fide of
the ifland. We faw the ifle of Anattom again, and the native
pointed a little to the north of it, where he faid another
ifland was fituated, which he called Eetonga. This circum-
ftance ftrengthens the conjecture which I ventured before,
that there is fome connexion or intercourfe between Tanna
and the Friendly Iflands. The name of Eetonga has a great
fimilarity with that of Tonga-Tabboo, and fome of the natives
of MiddLeburgh Ifland, pr Eaoawhe, really call ir
Eetonga-Tabboo. The latter part of the word, (Tabboo) is
affixed to other iflands in the Pacific Ocean ; viz. Tabboo-
amannoo (Saunders Ifland) and Tabboo-ai *. I will not
pretend to fay that the people of Tanna defign the ifland of
Tonga-Tabboo by their Eetonga ; but there is room to fup-
pofe that fome other ifland of that, name may be fituated
towards the Friendly Iflands which facilitates the connection.
When we had fatisfied our curiofity we returned to
the beach at the bay, where our people had once more
* An ifland enumerated by the Taheitiaas. p
. caught
caught about two hundred and fifty pounds weight of fifh * A ugust .
This good fortune enabled the captain to give the whole
fhip’s company another frefh meal, which was confirmed
with the greateft avidity. The bay contained great plenty
of fifh, and fome of the petty officers, who took the trouble
of fifhing, caught feveral albecores and cavalhas of prodigious
dimenfions during night. Two fifh of the fame
fpecies which had poifoned fo many perfons at Mallicollo
were likewife taken one morning ; but though I wiffied particularly
to draw and defcribe this fpecies, in order to enable
future navigators to be on their guard, yet fuch was the
greedinefs with which all our fhipmates now feized on a
frefh meal, that in fpite of the example, which was recent
in all our memories, the fifh were cut up, falted, and peppered
the moment they came out of the water. Fortunately
thofe who dined upon them did not feel any bad effects;
a farther proof that thofe which poifoned the officers had
fed upon fome noxious vegetables, and by that means acquired
a bad quality, which is not natural to them. " Our
failors relied on the experiment of the filver-fpoon, which
remained perfectly untainted after being boiled with the
fifh; but it is at prefent well known that this mark is extremely
fallacious, and that only certain forts of poifons
tinge that metal with an unufual colour. The natives flill i
continued to fell us fome yams, but the trade was very far
from being btifk. Tortoife-fhell was the only commodity
i which .