AugaL c rn h em liphere ; and alfo to fuch as ihall firft penetrate be-
— > yond the 89th degree o f Northern latitude. I made no
-doubt, I told them, that I ihould find them ■willing to
-co-operate w ith me in attempting, as fa r as migh t be pof-
■fible, to become intitled to one or both thefe rewards ; but,
that to giv e us the beft chance o f fucceeding, it would be
neceflary to obferve the utmoil ceconomy in the expenditure
o f our ftores and provifions, particularly the latter, as there
Was no probability o f g e ttin g a fupply, any where, after
lea v in g thefe iilands. I ftrengthened m y argument by re-,
minding, them, that our .voyage m u ll laft at leaft a year
lon g e r than had been o rig in a lly fuppofed, by our ha vin g
already, lo ll the opportunity o f g e ttin g to the North this
fumme r. 1 begged them to conlider the various obftruc-
tions and difficulties we migh t ilill meet with, and the a g g
ra v a ted hardfhips the y would labour under, i f it ihould
be found neceflary to put them to fhort allowance, o f any
fpecies o f provifions, in a cold climate. For thefe ve ry fub-
itan d a l reafons, I fubmitted to them, whether it would not
be better to be prudent in time, and rather than to run the
r ifk o f h a vin g no fpirits left, when fuch a cordial wou ld
be moil wanted, to confent to be without their g ro g now,
w h en we had fo excellent a liquor as that o f cocoa-nuts to
fubftitute in its p la c e ; but that, after all, I ,left the determination
entirely to their own choice.
I had the fatisfadlion to find, that this propofal did not
remain a fing le moment under confideration; being unjinimoufly
approved of, immediately, without any objection.
I ordered Captain Clerke to make the fame propofal to his
people ; which they alfo agreed, to. Accordingly, w e flopped
ferving g ro g , except on Saturday n ig h t s ; w h en the
companies
companies o f both ihips had fu ll allowance o f it, that the y 1777.
m igh t drink the healths o f their female fr ien d s in England ; . Augu<t-_.
left thefe, amongil the pretty girls o f Otaheite, ihould be
w h o lly forgotten.
T h e next day, w e ' began fome necefTary operations; to
infpedt the provifions that were in the main and fore hold;
to g e t the calks o f b e e f and pork, and the coals, out o f the
ground t ie r ; and to put fome ballafl in their place. T h e
caulkers were fet to w o rk to c au lk the ihip, which lhe flood
in great need o f ; having, at times, made much water on
our pafTage from the Friendly Iilands. I alfo put on fliore
the bull, cows, horfes, and fheep, and appointed two men
to look after them w h ile g r a z in g ; fo r I did not intend to
leave any o f them, at this part o f the illand.
D u rin g the two fo llow in g days, it hardly ever ceafcd rain-
ing. T h e natives, neverthelefs, came to us from every Saturday,6.
quarter, the news o f our arrival ha vin g rapidly fpread.
Waheiadooa, though at a diftance, had been informed o f it;
and, in the afternoon o f the 16th, a Chief, named Etorea,
under whofe tutorage he was, brought me two hogs as a
prefent from -h im ; and acquainted me, rhat he h im fe lf
would be w ith us the day after. And fo it proved; for I.
received a mefiage from him the next morning, n o tify in g Sunday ,7.
his arrival, and defiring I would g o afhore to meet him. Accordingly,
Omai and I prepared to pay him a formal vifit.
On this occafion, Omai, affifled b y fome, o f his friends,
dreiied h im fe lf; not after the Engliih faihion, nor that o f
Otaheite, nor that o f Tongataboo, nor in the drefs o f any
country upon e a r th ; but in a ftrange medley o f all that he
was pofiefled of.
Thus