C H A P. II.
Fhe Difcovery .o f a n .-If and. -called Wateeoo.— Its Coafts
' examined.— Vtfiis. from the N atives'on board the Ships.
•—•Mejf.'. G o rti BurP*?} 0nd Afldenfgn,, smith Q/iiat,
fe n t m Shore.—-M r . Anderfon s :- N a rra tiv e o f their
Reception.— Omats Expedient to prevent their being detained.—
H is meeting with fome o f his Countrymen, and
their d ifr e fsfu l Voyage.— Farther Account o f Wateeoo}
and o f its Inhabitants.
1777- A F T E R l e a v in g Mangeea, on the afternoon of the 30th,
. March~ . X j l we continued our courfe Northward all that night,
Monda 3°i and tin n00n on the 3lft; whcn we again faw land, in the
0nay31' direction of North Eaft by North, diftant eight or ten
leagues.
April. Next morning, at eight o’clock, we had got ahieaft of its,
Tuefday I. end^ within four leagues of it, but to leeward ; and
could now pronounce it to be an ifland, nearly of the fame
appearance and extent with that we had fo lately left. At
the fame time, another ifland, but much fmaller, was feen
right ahead.. We could have foon reached this; but the
largeft one had the preference, as moil likely to furnilh a
fupply of food for the cattle, of which we began to be in
' great want;
With this view I determined to work up to it;, but as
there was but little wind, and that little was unfavourable,
we
we were flail two leagues to leeward at eight o’clock the ^TVfollowing
morning. Soon after, I fent two armed boats >——1—
„ 1 ' 1 • r .' .ia-. Wednef. : froin the Refolution, and one from the Difcovery, under
the command of Lieutenant Gore, to. look for anchoring-
ground, and a landing-place. In the mean time, we plyed
up under the ifland with the Chips.
Jull as the boats were putting off, we obferved feveral -
Angle canoes coming from the iliore. They went firft to
the Difcovery, fhe being the neareft fhip. It was not long
after, when three of thefe canoes came along-fide of the
Refolution, each conducted by one man. They are long
and narrow, and fupported by outriggers. The ftern is
elevated about three or four feet, fomething like a fhip’s
Hern-poll. The head is flat above, but prow-like below, and
turns down at the extremity, like the end o f a yiolin. Some
knives, beads, and other trifles were, conveyed to our vi-
fiters ; and they gave us a few cocoa-nuts, upon our alking
for them. But they did not part with them by way of exchange
for what they had received from us. For they
feemed to have no idea of bartering ; nor did they appear
to eftimate any o f our prefents at a high rate.
With a little perfuafion, one of them made his canoe fail
to the fhip, and came on board; and the other two, encouraged
by his example, foon followed him. Their whole
behaviour marked that they were quite at their eafe, and
felt no fort of apprehenfion of our detaining, or uling
them ill.
After their departure, another canoe arrived, conducted
by a man who brought a bunch of plantains as a
prerent to m e ; alking for me by name, having learnt it
from Omai, who was fent before us in the boat with Mr.
8 Gore.