«77»- - the North Weft and N o r th ; fo that the Weft end o f the
. , jflandj upon w hich we had been, called Atooi by the natives,
bore Eaft, one leagu e diftant; another iiland, called
Oreehoua, Weft by S o u th ; and the h igh land o f a third
iiland, called Oneeheow, from South Weft by Weft, to Weft
South Weft. Soon after, a breeze fprung up at North ; and,
as I expcfted that this would bring the Difcovery to fea, I
fleered for Oneeheow, in order to take a nearer view o f it, and
to anchor there, i f I ihould find a convenient place. I continued
to fteer fo r it, till paft eleven o ’clock, at w hich time
w e were about two leagues from it. But not feeing the Difcovery,
and be in g doubtful whether they could fee us, I was
fe a r fu l left fome ill confequence migh t attend our feparat-
in g fo far. I, therefore, ga ve up the defign o f vifiting Oneeheow
for the prefent, and flood back to Atooi, w ith an in tent
to anchor again in the road, to complete our water. A t
two o’clock in the afternoon, the Northerly wind died away,
and was fucceeded by variable ligh t airs and calms, that
continued till eleven at night, w ith w h ich we ftretched to
Sunday 15. the South Eaft, till day-break in the morning o f the 25th,
w hen we tacked and flood in for Atooi road, w hich bore
about North from u s ; and, foon after, w e were joined by
the Difcovery.
We fetched in with the land about two leagues to le ew a rd ,
©f the road, which, though fonear, we never could recover;,
fo r what w e gained at one time, we loft at another^ fo that,
•ffmrfday.29. by the morning o f the 29th, the currents- had carried us
Weft ward, within three leagues o f Oneeheow. Being tired
with plying fo un fuccefsfully, I ga ve up. all thoughts o f
ge tting back to Atooi, and came to the refolution o f t r y in g ,.
whether we could not procure what we wanted at the o ther
iiland,, w hich vyas.within, our reach. With this view, I fent
i the,.'
rhe Mafter in a boat, to found the coaft; to look out for a A '• - J an
landing-place ; and, i f he ihould find one, to examine i f 1----
fre ih water could be conveniently got in its neighbourhood;.
T o give him time to execute his commiffion, we followed,
under an eafy fail, with the ihips. As foon as we were
abreaft, or to the Weft ward o f the South Point o f Oneeheow,
w e found thirty, twenty-five, and twenty fathoms water,,
over a bottom o f coral fand, a mile from the ihoret
A t ten o’clock, the Mafter returned, and reported, that he
had landed in one place, but could find no frefh w a te r ; and
that there was anchorage ail a long the coaft. Seeing a village
a little farther to le ew a rd ; and fome o f the iflanders,.
w ho had come o ff to the ihips, in forming us, that fre ih
water might be got there, I ran down, and came,to an anchor
before, it, in twenty-fix fathoms water, about three
quarters o f a mile from the ihore. The South Eaft point o f
the iiland bore South, 65° Eaft, three miles diftant; the
other: extreme o f the iiland bore North by Eaft, about two .
or three miles diftant; a peaked hill, inland, North Eaft, a.
quarter E a ft;.and another iiland, called Tahoora, w hich was ,
difcovered the preceding evening, bore- South, 61° We ft,,
diftant feven leagues..
Six or feven canoes Had come o f f to us, before we. an- -
chored, b rin gin g fome fmall pigs and potatoes, and a good !
many yams and mats. T he people in them refembled thofe s
o f A to o i; and fe em ed to be. equally w e ll acquainted wi th;
the ufe o f iron, which they a iked fo r.alfo by, the names o f
hftmaite and'ior; parting readily with a ll their commodities ,
fo r pieces o f this precious m e ta l.. Several more canoes foon i
reached the. ihips, after they had anchored; but the na-r
fives in thqfe feemed to haye .no other objeft, than to pay
US's