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1767.

June.

S. W. to N. W. by W. We continued our course along the fhore, fometimes at the diftance of half a mile, and fometimes at the distance of four or five miles, but hitherto had got no foundings. At fix o'clock in the evening, we were a-breast of a fine river, and the coaft having a better appearance here than in any other part that we had seen, I determined to stand off and on all night, and try for anchorage in the morning. As foon as it was dark, we faw a great number of lights all along the fhore. At day-break we Satur. 22. sent out the boats to found, and foon after they made the fignal for twenty fathom. This produced an univerfal joy, which it is not eafy to describe, and we immediately ran in, and came to an anchor in 17 fathom, with a clear fandy bottom. We lay about a mile distant from the fhore, oppofite to a fine run of water; the extreams of the land bearing from E. S. E. to N. W. by W. As foon as we had secured the ship, I sent the boats to found along the coaft, and look at the place where we saw the water. At this time a confiderable number of canoes came off to the ship, and brought with them hogs, fowls, and fruit in great plenty, which we purchased for trinkets and nails. But when the boats made towards the fhore, the canoes, most of which were double, and very large, failed after them. At first they kept at a distance, but as the boats approached the shore, they grew bolder, and at last three of the largest ran at the cutter, ftaved in her quarter, and carried away her outrigger, the Indians preparing at the fame time to board her, with their clubs and paddles in their hands. Our people being thus preffed, were obliged to fire, by which one of the affailants was killed, and the other much wounded. Upon receiving the fhot, they both fell overboard, and all the people who were in the fame canoe, inftantly leaped into the fea after them; the other two canoes dropped a-stern, and our boats went on without any farther interruption. As foon as the Indians, who were in the water, faw that the boats stood on without attempting to do them any farther hurt,they recovered their canoe, and hauled in their wounded companions. They fet them both upon their feet to fee if they could ftand, and finding they could not, they tried whether they

could

1767. could fit upright one of them could, and him they June. fupported in that pofture, but perceiving that the other was quite dead, they laid the body along at the bottom of the canoe. After this, fome of the canoes went afhore, and others returned again to the ship to traffic, which is a proof that our conduct had convinced them that while they behaved peaceably they had nothing to fear, and that they were conscious they had brought the mischief which had juft happened upon

themselves.

The boats continued founding till noon, when they returned with an account that the ground was very clear; that it was at the depth of five fathom, within a quarter of a mile of the shore, but that there was a very great furf where we had feen the water. The officers told me that the inhabitants fwarmed upon the beach, and that many of them swam off to the boat with fruit, and bamboos filled with water. They faid that they were very importunate with them to come on shore, particularly the women, who came down to the beach, and stripping themselves naked, endeavoured to allure them by many wanton gestures, the meaning of which could not poffibly be mistaken. At this time, however, our people refifted the temp

tation.

In the afternoon, I fent the boats again to the fhore, with fome barecas or fmall casks, which are filled at the head, and have a handle by which they are carried, to endeavour to procure fome water, of which we began to be in great want. In the mean time, many of the canoes continued about the fhip, but the Indians had been guilty of fo many thefts, that I would not fuffer any more of them to come on board.

At five in the evening, the boats returned with only two barecas of water, which the natives had filled for them; and as a compenfation for their trouble, they thought fit to detain all the reft. Our people, who did not leave their boat, tried every expedient they could think of to induce the Indians to return their water veffels, but without fuccefs; and the Indians, in their turn, were very preffing for our people to come on fhore, which they thought it prudent to decline. There were many thousands of the inhabitants of both

fexes, and a great number of children on the beach, when our boats came away.

1767.

June.

The next morning, I fent the boats on fhore again Mond. 22. for water, with nails, hatchets, and fuch other things as I thought most likely to gain the friendship of the inhabitants. In the mean time, a great number of canoes came off to the fhip, with bread-fruit *, plantains, a fruit resembling an apple only better, fowls, and hogs, which we purchafed with beads, nails, knives, and other articles of the like kind, fo that we procured pork enough to ferve the ship's company two days, at a pound a man.

When the boats returned, they brought us only a few calabashes of water; for the number of people on the beach was fo great, that they would not venture to land, tho' the young women repeated the allurements which they had practifed the day before, with still more wanton, and, if poffible, lefs equivocal geftures. Fruit and provifions of various kinds were brought down and ranged upon the beach, of which our people were also invited to partake, as an additional inducement for them to leave the boat. They continued, however, inexorable, and fhewing the Indians the barecas on board, made figns that they fhould bring down those which had been detained the day before : to this the Indians were inexorable in their turn, and our people therefore weighed their grapplings, and founded all round the place, to fee whether the ship could come in near enough to cover the waterers, in which cafe they might venture on fhore, in defiance of the whole island. When they put off, the women pelted them with apples and banacas, fhouting and shewing every mark of derifion and contempt that they could devife. They reported, that the fhip might ride in four fathom water, with fandy ground, at two cables length from the fhore, and in five fathom water at three cables length. The wind here blew right along the shore, raifing a great furf on the fide of the vessel, and on the beach.

At day break, the next morning, we weighed, with Tuef 23. a defign to anchor off the watering place. As we were

VOL. I.

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ftanding * See a defcription of this fruit in the Account of the Voyage of the Endeavour.

1767 June:

standing off, to get farther to windward, we discovered a bay about fix or eight miles to leeward, over the land, from the maft head, and immediately bore away for it, fending the boats a-head to found. At nine o'clock, the boats making the fignal for 12 fathom, we hauled round a reef, and stood in, with a defign to come to an anchor; but when we came near the boats, one of which was on each bow, the ship ftruck. Her head continued immoveable, but her ftern was free; and, upon cafting the lead, we found the depth of water, upon the reef or fhoal, to be from 17 fathom to two and a half: we clewed all up as faft as poffible, and cleared the fhip of what lumber there happened to be upon the deck, at the fame time getting out the long-boat, with the ftream and kedge anchors, the ftream cable and haufer, in order to carry them without the reef, that when they had taken ground, the fhip might be drawn off towards them, by applying a great force to the capftern, but unhappily without the reef we had no bottom. Our condition was now very alarming, the ship continued beating against the rock with great force, and we were surrounded by many hundred canoes, full of men: they did not, however, attempt to come on board us, but feemed to wait in expectation of our fhipwreck. In the anxiety and terror of fuch a fituation we continued near an hour, without being able to do any thing for our defiverance, except ftaving fome water cafks in the forehold, when a breeze happily fpringing up from the fhore, the fhip's head fwung off. We immediately preffed her with all the fail we could make; upon which the began to move, and was very foon once more in deep water.

We now flood off, and the boats being fent to leeward, found that the reef ran down to the weftward about a mile and a half, and that beyond it there was a very good harbour. The mafter, after having placed a boat at the end of the reef, and furnifhed the long-boat with anchors and haufers, and a guard to defend her from an attack of the Indians, came on board, and piloted the fhip round the reef into the harbour, where, about twelve o'clock, fhe came to an

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anchor in 17 fathom water, with a fine bottom of black fand.

The place where the fhip ftruck appeared, upon farther examination, to be a reef of fharp coral rock, with very unequal foundings, from fix fathom to two; and it happened unfortunately to lie between the two boats that were placed as a direction to the ship, the weathermoft boat having 12 fathom, and the leewardmost nine. The wind freshened almost as foon as we got off, and though it foon became calm again, the furf ran fo high, and broke with fuch violence upon the rock, that if the fhip had continued faft half an hour longer, the muft inevitably have been beaten to pieces. Upon examining her bottom, we could not difcover that she had received any damage, except that a fmall piece was beaten off the bottom of the rudder. She did not appear to admit any water, but the trufsletrees, at the head of all the mafts, were broken fhort, which we supposed to have happened while fhe was beating against the rock. Our boats loft their grapplings upon the reef, but as we had reafon to hope that the ship was found; they gave us very little concern. As foon as the fhip was fecured, I fent the mafter, with all the boats manned and armed to found the upper part of the bay, that if he found good anchorage we might warp the fhip up within the reef, and anchor her in fafety. The weather was now very pleasant, a great number of canoes were upon the reef, and the fhore was crowded with people.

About four in the afternoon the Mafter returned, and reported that there was every where good anchorage; I therefore determined to warp the fhip up the bay early in the morning, and in the mean time, I put the people at four watches, one watch to be always under arms, loaded and primed all the guns, fixed mufquetoons in all the boats, and ordered all the people who were not upon the watch, to repair to the quarters affigned them, at a moment's warning, there being a great number of canoes, fome of them very large, and full of men, hovering upon the fhore, and many fmaller venturing to the fhip, with hogs, fowls, and fruit, which we purchafed of them, much to the fatisfaction

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1767.

June.

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