1 14 A V O Y A G E T O T H E
1787. baffling, Captain Portlock came to anchor pretty near his old fitu-
Tanuary. . . ation.
At five o’clock in the morning of the n th , a ftrong breeze
fpringing up at Eaft South Eaft, we weighed and fhade fail, ftand-
ing diredlly for Oneehow; the breeze continued during the fore*-
noon, with thunder, lightning, and rain. At noon, the Weft end
o f Atoui bore North z i deg. Eaft, feven leagues diftant; and the;
high land on the South end of Oneehow,-South 70 deg. Weft.
We fully expected to have anchored at Oneehow by three o’clock,
but before that time, the wind veered to the Weftward, which made,
it impoflible for us to attempt it.
From the n th to the 18th, we had frefh Wefterly and -Northerly
breezes, light baffling winds intervening at times.
On the 15th, the King George weathered the South point of
Oneehow; and on the 16th, we loft fight of her, which made us
conclude fhe had come to an anchor: our veffel being very, foul,
could not work to windward equal to the King George, fo that we
contented ourfelves in plying between the iflands, making longer or
fhorter boards, as circumftances required ; however, we could not
help repining at our fituation, when compared with that of our
fellow-voyagers; but the event fhewed, that they were far from
being in an enviable fituation. During this time we took care to
ftretch well to the Southward and Eaft ward, a precaution which
proved exceedingly neceffary; for on the 19th, a ftrong gale of
wind came on at South Weft, with a very heavy crofs fea, which
continued till noon on the 21ft.
In
N*0 R T F I- W E S T C O A S T OF AME R I C A .
In the afternoon of the 20th, the weather being thick and hazy, i787-
' . . . . . , January,
we loft fight of land, and did not fee it again till near noon on the ,
22d, when Atoui bore from North 15 deg. Eaft, to North 55 deg.
Weft; diftant about four leagues.
During this’ gale, we Were under great apprehenfions for Captain
Portlock’s fafety, as his fituation we knew muft be a very critical
one, no harbour at Oneehow affording the leaft fhelter from
a Southerly or Wefterly wind. But at one o’clock on the 22d, we
faw the King George, to "our great fatisfaótion, bearing Weft by
North, about three leagues diftant.
From her fituation, it was evident, that fhe had failed round
Oneehow, and we did not doubt but that fhe had been obliged, by
the violence of the gale, to flip, or cut her cables, and run to fea.
The wind continued Wefterly till the 2 5th, when it veered to South
Eaft, and foon afterwards to North North Eaft; this being favourable
for us, and likely to continue from that quarter, we again
flood for Oneehow, and in thé evening of the 26th, came to anchor
in Yam Bay, in twenty-nine fathom water, over a fandy bottom;
the extremes of Oneehow bore from South Eaft to North by Weft,
a mile and half diftant from fhore; the Ifland Tahoora South 48
deg. Weft.
During the 27th, the wind kept at North North Eaft, but blew
fo frefh, that our fituation was by no means an eligible one. Our
principal motive in coming to Oneehow was, to procure a fupply
■ of yams, they being the only root this ifland affords, which will
keep for any time; but the furf ran fo high, that very few canoes
ventured off to us. The fame reafon operated againft our attempting
to feareh for the. anchors left here by Captain Portlock. The
P 2. King