Return o f the Mejfengers, from the Commander.—
Extraordinary Mode of travelling. — f rom a
Merchant, and a German Servant belonging to the
Commander.
'779-
March.
Monday 15.
,.N the .1.5th o f March, at feven in the morning, w e
w eigh ed anchor, and parting to the North o f Tahoora,
flood on to the South Weft, in hopes o f fa llin g in with the
ifland o f M odoopapappa, which, w e were told b y the natives,
la y in that direction, about five hours fa il from Tahoora.
At four in the afternoon, w e were overtaken by a flout canoe,
with ten men, w ho were go in g from Oneeheow to
Tahoora, to k i ll tropic and man-o f-war birds, w ith w hich
that place was faid to abound. It has been mentioned before,
that the feathers o f thefe birds are in great requeft,
.being much ufed in m a k in g their cloaks, and other ornamental
parts o f their drefs.
At e ight, h a v in g feen nothing o f the ifland, w e hauled
the wind to the Northward, till m idnight, and then tacked,
and flood 011 a wind to the South Eaft, till day-light next
Tnefday 16. morning, at w hich time Tahoora bore Eaft North Eaft, five
or fix leagues diftant. We afterward fleered Weft South
Weft, and made the Difcovery’s fignal to fpread four miles
upon our ftarboard beam. At noon, our latitude was 2 1° 27',
and our longitude 198° 4 2'; and h a vin g flood on till five, in
the fame direction, w e made the Difcovery’s fignal to come
under our ftern, and gave over all hopes o f feeing Modoopapappa.
We conceived, that it might probably lie in k more
Southerly direction from Tahoora, than that in w hich we
had fleered; though, after all, it is portable, that w e might
have palled it in the night, as the iflanders defcribed it
to
to be very fmall, and almoft even with J the furface o f '779- March,
the fea. »— ■v-— •
T h e next day, w e fleered W e ft ; it being Captain Clerke’s Wednef. 17.
intention to keep as near as portable in the fame parallel o f
latitude, till we ihould make the longitude o f Awatika Bay,
and afterward to fleer due North for the harbour o f Saint
Peter and Saint Paul in that b a y ; w hich was alfo appointed
fo r our rendezvous, in cafe o f feparation. T h is track was
chofen on account o f its being, as far as w e kn ew , unexplored
; and we were not withou t hopes o f fa llin g in with
fome new iflands on our palfage.
We had fcarcely feen a bird, fince our lofing fight o f T a hoora,
till the 18th in the afternoon, when, being in the Tiurfdayis.
latitude o f 21° 12', and the longitude o f 194° 45', the appearance
o f a great many boobies, and fome man-of-war
birds, made us keep a lharp look-out fo r land. Toward
evening, the wind lelfened, and the North Eaft fwell, w hich,
on the 16th and 17th, had been fo heavy as to make the Ihips
labour exceedingly, was m u ch abated. T h e next day, w e Friday >9.
faw no appearance of, la n d ; and at noon, we fleered a point
more to the Southward, v iz . Weft by South, in the hopes o f
finding the trade winds (which b lew almoft invariably from
the Eaft b y North) freiher as we advanced with in the tropic.
It is fomewhat lingular, that though we faw no birds in the
forenoon, yet toward evening we had again a number o f
boobies and man-of-war birds about us. This feemed to
indicate, that we had palled the land from whence the
former flights had come, and that w e were approaching
lome other low ifland.
The wind continued very moderate, with fine weather,
till the 23d, when it frelhened from the North Eaft by Eaft, Tuefday 23.
and