„ ' 777- we had on board; and, in fuch converfions, and in the oc-
-.December. /• ■» i
— v— cafional ufes o f the ihips, great part o f that had been already
expended. I thought that Mr. de Bougainville’s anchor
wou ld fupply our want o f this u fe fu l material ; and I
made no doubt that I ihould be able to tempt Opoony to
part w ith it.
Oreo, and fix or e ight men more from Ulietea, took a
palîàge w ith us to Bolabola. Indeed, mofl o f the natives
in general, except the C h ie f him fe lf, woûld have g lad ly
taken a pafiage with us to England. ' A t funfet, be in g the
len g th o f the South point o f Bolabola, we ihortened fail,
and fpent the n ight m akin g ihort boards. At day-break, on
Monday8. the 8th, we made fail for the harbour, w h ich is on the Weft
fide o f the ifland. The wind was fcant, fo that we had to
ply up, and it was nine o’c lo ck before we got near enough
t o . fend awa y a boat to found the entrance. For I had
thoughts o f ru nn in g the ihips in, and anchoring for a day
o r two.
When the boat returned, the Matter, who was in her, reported,
that though, at the entrance o f the harbour the
bottom was rocky, there was good ground within, and the
depth o f water twenty-feven and twenty-five fathoms ; and
that there was room to turn the Ihips in, the channel being
one third o f a mile broad. In confequence o f this report,
we attempted to w ork the Ihips in. But the tide, as well as
the wind, b e in g againft us, a fte r m akin g two or three trips,
1 found that it could not be done, till the tide ihould turn
in our favour. Upon this, I gave up the defign o f carrying
the ihips into the harbour ; and having ordered the boats to
be got ready, I embarked in one o f them, accompanied
b y Oreo and his companions ; and was rowed in for the
iiland.
We
We landed where the natives directed us ; and, foon after,
I was introduced to Opoony, in the midft o f a great con-
courfe o f people. Ha vin g no time to lofe, as foon as the
necefiary fo rma lity o f compliments was over, I aiked the
C h ie f to g iv e me the anchor, and produced the prefent I had
prepared for him, confifting o f a linen night-gown, a ihirt,
fome g au z e handkerchiefs, a looking-glafs, fome beads,’
and other to y s ; and fix axes. A t the fight o f thefê Iaft,’
the re -wa s a general outcry. I could only gu efs the caufe,’
b y Opoony’s abfoltitely re fufing to receive my prefent till I
ihould ge t the anchor. He ordered three men to g o and delive
r it to me ; and, as I underftood, I was to fend, by them,
w hat I thought proper in return. With thefe meflèngers’
we fet out in our boats fo r an ifland, ly in g at the North fide
o f the entrance into the harbour, where the anchor had
been depofited. I found it to be neither fo large, nor fo per-
feét, as I expeéted. It had o rig ina lly weighed feven hundred
pounds, according to the mark that was upon it ; but the
ring, with_part o f the ihank , and the two palms, were now
wanting. I was no longer at a lofs to guefs the reafon o f
Opoony’s refufing m y prefent. He, doubtlefs, thought that
it fo much exceeded the value o f the anchor in its prefent
ftate, that I ihould be difpleafed when I faw it. Be this as
it may, I took the anchor as I found it, and fent him every
article o f the prefent that I at firft intended. Having thus
completed m y négociation, I returned on board ; and havin
g hoifted in the boats, made fail from the iiland to the
North.
While the boats were hoifting in, fome o f the natives1
came off, in three or four canoes, to fee the ihips, as they ‘
faid. T h e y brou ght with them a few cocoa-nuts, and one
pig v which was the on ly one w e got at the iiland. I make
V o t .I I . s , no