Sunday 28.
March.
- Monday i.
As the w ate r in g at this place wou ld have been attended
, w j th great labour, I was fent to examine the coaft to lee ward
; but not b e in g able to land, on account o f a r e e f o f
coral, w h ich ftretched a long the ihore to the diftance o f h a lf
a mile, Captain Clerke determined, w ith ou t farther lofs o f
' time, to proceed to Atooi. A t e ight in the ihorning, w e
w e igh ed , and flood to the Northward, till d a y - ligh t on the
28th, w hen w e bore aw a y for that ifland, w h ich w e were in
fight o f b y n o o n ; and about funfet, were o ff its Eaftern
extremity, w h ich ihews it fe lf in a fine, green, flat point.
It b e in g too late to run fo r the road, on the South Weft
fide of. the ifland, where w e had been the laft year, w e
palled the n igh t in p ly in g on and off, and at nine the next
morning, came to an anchor in twenty-five fathbms water,
and moored w ith the beft bower in thirty -e igh t fathoms,
the bluff-head, on the Weft fide t i f the villa ge , bearing North
Eaft by North three-quarters Eaft, two miles d iftan t; the
extremes o f the ifland, North Weft b y Weft three-quarters
W e ft, and South Eaft b y Eaft h a lf Eaft ; the ifland Oneheow
We ft b y South h a lf Weft. In ru n n in g down to the road,
from the South Eaft point o f the ifland, w e faw the appearance
o f ftioal water, in feveral places, at a confiderable
diftance from the land ; and when w e were about two miles
to the Eaftward o f the anchoring-place, and two or three
miles from the ihore, w e got into fou r and h a lf fathoms
water, a lthou gh our foundings had u fu a lly been feven and
e ight fathoms.
We had no fooner anchored in our old ftation, than feveral
canoes came along-fide o f u s ; but we could oblerve, that
they did not welcome us w ith the fame cordiality in their
manner, and fatisfa&ion in their countenances, as when w e
were
w e r e here before. As foon as they got on board, one o f the *f79-
. March.
men began to tell us, that w e had le ft a diforder amongft ' .—
th e ir women, o f w h ich fev eral perfons o f both flexes had
died. He was h im fe lf affliffed with the venereal difeafe,
and gave a ve ry fu l l and minute account o f the, various
fymptoms w ith w h ich it had been attended. As there was
not the llighteft appearance o f that diforder amongft them
on our firft arrival, I am afraid it is not to be denied, that
w e were the authors o f this irreparable mifchief.
Our principal object here was to water the fliips w ith the
utmoft exped ition; and I was fent on ihore ear ly in the a f ternoon,
w ith the pinnace and launch laden w ith calks.
T h e gu n n e r o f the Refolution accompanied me to. trade for
provifions; and w e had a gu ard o f five marines. We found
a confiderable number o f people collected upon the beach,
w ho received us at firft w ith great k in d n e fs ; but as foon as
w e had go t the calks on ihore, began to be exceedingly
troublelbme. Former experience h a v in g tau ght me how
difficult it was to reprefs this difpofition, w ithou t ha vin g
recourfe to the authority o f their Chiefs, I was ve ry forry to
find, that they .were a ll at another part o f the ifland. Indeed
w e foon fe lt the wan t o f their a ffiftance; for it was
w ith great difficulty I was able to form a c ircle, according to
our u fu a l practice, fo r the convenience and fecurity o f the
trading p a r ty ; and had no fooner done it, and polled guards
to keep o ff the crowd, than I faw a man la y in g hold o f the
bayonet o f one o f the foldiers mufquets, and endeavouring,
w ith all his force, to w rench it out o f his hand- On m y
coming u p to them, the native let go his hold and re tired ;
b u t returned in a moment, with a fpear in one hand, and
d a gg er in the o ther ; and his countrymen had much ado to
reftrain h im from try in g his prowefs w ith the foldier. T h is
V o l . III. N f r a y