this man therefore was left behind like the others, and fo was a fixth, who followed him. When the boat had got round the point, fhe perceived that all her followers had defifted from the pursuit: fhe now opened a large bay, at the bottom of which appeared another body of men, armed with long lances like the first. Here our people prepared to land, and pushed towards the shore, a canoe at the fame time putting off to meet them. As foon as it came near them, they lay upon their oars, and calling out to them, told them that they were friends, and that if they would come up they would give them nails, which were held up for them to fee: after some hesitation they came up to the boat's stern, and took fome nails that were offered them with great feeming fatisfaction; but in less than a minute they appeared to have formed a design of boarding the boat, and making her their prize: three of them fuddenly leaped into it, and the others brought up the canoe, which the motion in quitting her had thrown off a little, manifeftly with a defign to follow their associates, and support them in their attempt. The first that boarded the boat, entered close to Mr. Banks, and instantly snatched his powder-horn out of his pocket: Mr. Banks feized it, and with some difficulty wrenched it out of his hand, at the fame time preffing against his breast in order to force him over-board, but he was too strong for 1769. Auguft. Monday 14. 1969 Auguft. him, and kept his place: the officer than fnapped his piece, but it miffed fire, upon which he Monday 14. ordered fome of the people to fare over their heads; two pieces were accordingly discharged, upon which they all inftantly leaped into the water: one of the people, either from cowardice or cruelty, or both, levelled a third piece at one of them as he was fwimming away, and the ball grazed his forehead; happily, however, the wound was very flight, for he recovered the canoe, and stood up in her as active and vigor, ous as the reft. The canoe immediately stood in for the fhore, where a great number of people, not less than two hundred, were now affembled. The boat also pushed in, but found the land guarded all round with a fhoal, upon which the fea broke with a confiderable furf; it was therefore thought advifable by the officer to proceed along fhore in fearch of a more convenient land. ing-place in the mean time, the people on board faw the canoe go on fhore, and the natives gather eagerly round her to inquire the particulars of what had happened. Soon after, a fingle man ran along the fhore, armed with his lance, and when he came a-breaft of the boat he began to dance, brandifh his weapon, and call out in a very thrill tone, which Tupia faid was a defiance from the people. The boat continued to row along the shore, and the champion followed it, repeating his defiance by his 1769. Auguft. voice and his geftures; but no better landingplace being found than that where the canoe had put the natives on fhore, the officer turned back Monday 14. with a view to attempt it there, hoping, that if it should not be practicable, the people would come to a conference either on the fhoals or in their canoes, and that a treaty of peace might be concluded with them. As the boat rowed flowly along the shore back again, another champion came down, fhouting defiance, and brandifhing his lance: his appearance was more formidable than that of the other, for he wore a large cap made of the tail feathers of the tropic bird, and his body was covered with ftripes of different coloured cloth, yellow, red, and brown. This gentleman alfo danced, but with much more nimblenefs and dexterity than the firft; our people therefore, confidering his agility and his dress, distinguished him by the name of HARLEQUIN. Soon after a more grave and elderly man came down. to the beach, and hailing the people in the boat, inquired who they were, and from whence they came; Tupia answered in their own language, from Otaheite: the three natives then walked peaceably along the fhore till they came to a fhoal, upon which a few people were collected; here they stopped, and after a fhort conference, they all began to pray very loud: Tupia made his Auguft. 1769. his refponfes, but continued to tell us that they were not our friends. When their prayer, or, as Monday 14 they call it, their Poorah, was over, our people entered into a parley with them, telling them, that if they would lay by their lances and clubs, for fome had one and fome the other, they would come on fhore, and trade with them for whatever they would bring: they agreed, but it was only upon condition that we would leave behind us our mufquets: this was a condition which, however equitable it might appear, could not be complied with, nor indeed would it have put the two parties upon an equality, except their numbers had been equal. Here then the negociation feemed to be at an end; but in a little time they ventured to come nearer to the boat, and at last came near enough to trade, which they did very fairly, for a small quantity of their cloth and some of their weapons; but as they gave our people no hope of provisions, nor indeed any thing else except they would venture through a narrow channel to the shore, which, all circumstances confidered, they did not think it prudent to do, they put off the boat and left them. With the ship and the boat we had now made the circuit of the island, and finding that there was neither harbour nor anchorage about it, and that the hoftile difpofition of the people would 1769. Auguft. would render landing impracticable, without bloodshed, I determined not to attempt it, having no motive that could justify the risk of Monday 14. life. The bay which the boat entered lies on the weft fide of the island, the bottom was foul and rocky, but the water so clear that it could plainly be seen at the depth of five and twenty fathom, which is one hundred and fifty feet. This ifland is fituated in the latitude of 22° 27′ S. and in the longitude of 150° 47′ W. from the meridian of Greenwich. It is thirteen miles in circuit, and rather high than low, but neither populous nor fertile in proportion to the other inlands that we had seen in these feas. The chief produce seems to be the tree of which they make their weapons, called in their language Etoa; many plantations of it were seen along the fhore, which is not furrounded, like the neighbouring iflands, by a reef. The people seemed to be lufty and well-made, rather browner than those we had left: under their arm-pits they had black marks about as broad as the hand, the edges of which formed not a straight but an indented line: they had alfo circles of the fame colour, but not fo broad, round their arms and legs, but were not marked other part of the body. on any Their dress was very different from any that we had feen before, as well as the cloth of |