Thurfday 3-
pear as if they wore a kind of boots. They alfo refembled
the inhabitants of Mangeea in the length of their beard«,
and, like them, wore a fort of fandals upon their feet.
Their behaviour was frank and cheerful, with a great deal
of good-nature.
At three o’clock in the afternoon, Mr, Gore returned with
the boat, and informed me, that he had examined all' the
Weft fide of the iiland, without ‘finding a place where a
boat could land, or the fhips could anchor, the fhore being
every where bounded by a fteep coral rock, againft which
the fea broke in a dreadful furf. But as the natives feemed
very friendly, and to exprefs a degree of difappointment
when they faw that our people failed in their attempts to
land, Mr. Gore was of opinion, that by means Of Omai,
who could beft explain our requeft, they might be prevailed
upon to bring off to the boats, beyond the furf, fuch
articles as we moft wanted ; in particular, the items o f plantain
trees, which make good food for the cattle. Haying
little or no wind, the delay of a day or two was not of any
moment; and therefore I determined to try the experiment,
and got every thing ready againft the next morning.
Soon after day-break, we obferved fome canoes coming
off to the fhips, and one of them directed its courfe t o the
Refolution. In it was a hog, with fome plantains and
cocoa nuts, for-which the people, who brought them, demanded
a dog from us, and refufed" every other thing that
we offered in exchange. One of our gentlemen on board,
happened to have a dog and a bitch, which were great
nuifanees in the fhip, and might have been difpofed of on
this occafion for a purpofe of real utility, by propagating a
race of fo ufeful an animal in this ifland. But their owner
had no fuch views, in making them the companions, of his
voyage.
voyage. However, to gratify thefe people, Omai parted
with a favourite dog he had brought from England; and
with this acquifition they departed highly fatisfied.'
About ten o’clock, I difpatched Mr. Gore with three
boats, two from the Refolution, and on» 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 il as, from circumftances, he fhould judge to
be moft 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 iiland when the boats put off, and having but little
wind, it was noon before we could work up to it. We then
faw 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 impatience
to know the event may be eafily conceived. In order
to obferve their motions, and to be ready to give them fuch
affiftance as they might want, and our refpeitive fituations
would admit of, I kept as near the fhore as was prudent. I
was fenfible, however, that the reef was as effe&ual a barrier
between us and our friends who had landed, and put them
as much beyond the reach of our protection, as if half the
circumference o f 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 people who had landed. Though we could get no in-
Voi.. I. B b formation