and fourteen fathom. They are easily known by three fmall woody iflands at their entrance. The fouthermost of these two harbours lies within, and to the fouthward of the southermost of these islands; and the other lies between the two northermoft. I was told that there were more harbours at the fouth end of this ifland, but I did not examine whether the report was true. Otaha affords two very good harbours, one on the east side, and the other on the west. That on the east fide is called Ohamene, and has been mentioned already; the other is called OHERURUA, and lies about the middle of the fouth-weft fide of the island; it is pretty large, and affords good anchorage in twenty and twenty-five fathom, nor is there any want of fresh water. The breach in the reef, that forms a channel into this harbour, is about a quarter of a mile broad, and like all the rest is very steep on both fides; in general there is no danger here but what is vifible. The island of Bolabola lies N. W. and by W. from Otaha, distant about four leagues; it is furrounded by a reef of rocks, and several small islands, in compass together about eight leagues. I was told, that on the fouth-weft fide of the island there is a channel through the reef into a very good harbour, but I did not think it worth while to examine it, for the reasons that have been juft affigned. This island is rendered very remarkable by a high craggy hill, which appears to be almost perpendicular, and terminates at the top in two peaks, one higher than the other. The land of Ulieta and Otaha is hilly, broken, and irregular, except on the fea coaft, yet the hills look green and pleasant, and are in many places clothed with wood. The feveral particulars in which thefe iflands and their inhabitants differ from what we had obferved at Otaheite, have been mentioned in the course of the narrative. 1769. Auguft. We pursued our courfe without any event worthy of note till the 13th, about noon, when we saw land Sunday 13. bearing S. E. which Tupia told us was an ifland called OHETEROA. About fix in the evening, we were Oheteroa. within two or three leagues of it, upon which I fhortened fail, and stood off and on all night: the next Monday 14. morning 1769. morning stood in for the land. We ran to the leeward Auguft. of the ifland, keeping clofe in fhore, and saw several of the natives, tho' in no great numbers, upon the beach. At nine o'clock I fent Mr. Gore, one of my lieutenants, in the pinnace, to endeavour to land upon the island, and learn from the natives whether there was anchorage in a bay then in fight, and what land lay further to the fouthward. Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander accompanied Mr. Gore in this expedition, and as they thought Tupia might be useful, they took him with them. As the boat approached the fhore, thofe on board perceived the natives to be armed with long lances; as they did not intend to land until they got round a point which ran out a little distance, they stood along the coaft, and the natives therefore very probably thought they were afraid of them. They had now got together to the number of about fixty, and all of them fat down upon the shore, except two, who were dif patched forward to obferve the motions of those in the boat. These men, after walking a-breaft of her for fome time, at length leaped into the water, and fwam towards her, but were foon left behind; two more then appeared, and attempted to board her in the fame manner, but they also were foon left behind; a fifth man then ran forward alone, and having got a good way a-head of the boat, before he took to the water, eafily reached her. Mr. Banks urged the officer to take him in, thinking it a good opportunity to get the confidence and good will of a people, who then certainly looked upon them as enemies, but he obftinately refused; 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, the perceived that all her followers had defifted from the purfuit: the now opened a large bay, at the bottom of which appeared another body of men, armed with long lances like the firft. Here our people prepared to land, and pushed towards the fhore, a canoe at the same 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 1769. were held up for them to fee: after fome hesitation they came up to the boat's ftern, and took fome nails, Auguft. that were offered them, with great seeming satisfaction; 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 affociates, and fupport them in their attempt. The first that boarded the boat, entered close to Mr. Banks, and inftantly fnatched his powder-horn out of his pocket; Mr. Banks feized it, and with fome 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 ftrong for him, and kept his place; the officer then fnapped his piece, but it miffed fire, upon which he ordered fome of the people to fire 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 swimming 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 vigorous as the reft. The canoe immediately stood in for the fhore, where a great number of people, not lefs than two hundred, were now affembled. The boat alfo 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 advisable by the officer to proceed along the fhore in fearch of a more convenient landing-place: in the mean time the people on board faw the canoe go on fhore, and the natives gather eagerly round her to enquire the particulars of what had happened. Soon after, a single man ran along the fhore, armed with his lance, and when he came a-breast of the boat, he began to dance, brandish his weapon, and call out in a very fhrill 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 voice and his geftures; but no better landing-place being found than that where the canoe had 1769 had put the natives on fhore, the officer turned back Auguft. with a view to attempt it there, hoping, that if it fhould 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 brandishing 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 stripes of different coloured cloth, yellow, red, and brown. This gentleman also danced, but with much more nimblenefs and dexterity than the first; our people therefore, confidering his agility and his dress, diftinguished him by the name of HARLEQUIN. Soon after a more grave and elderly man came down to the beach, and haling the people in the boat, enquired who they were, and from whence they came? Tupia answered in their own language, "from Otaheite." The three natives then walked peaceably along the shore 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 refponfes, but continued to tell us that they were not our friends. When their prayer, or, as 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 their 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 laft came near enough to trade, which they did very fairly, for a fmall quantity of their cloth, and fome of their weapons; but as they gave our people no hope of provifions, nor indeed any thing elfe, except they would venture through a narrow channel to the fhore, 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 render landing impracticable, without bloodfhed, I determined not to attempt it, having no motive that could justify the risk of life. The bay which the boat entered lies on the west fide of the island, the bottom was foul and rocky, but the water fo clear that it could plainly be feen 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 iflands that we had seen in these feas. The chief produce feems to be the tree of which they make their weapons, called in their language Etoa; many plantations of it were feen along the shore, which is not furrounded, like the neighbouring iflands, by a reef. The people feemed 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 strait but an indented line; they had also circles of the fame colour, but not fo broad, round their arms and legs, but were not marked on any other part of the body. Their drefs was very different from any that we had feen before, as well as the cloth of which it was made. The cloth was of the fame materials as that which is worn in the other iflands, and most of that which was seen by our people was dyed of a bright but deep yellow, and covered on the outfide with a compofition like varnish, which was either red, or of a dark lead-colour; over this ground it was again painted in ftripes of many different patterns, with wonderful regularity, in the manner of our striped filks in England; the cloth was painted red, and ftriped with black, and that which 1769. Auguft. was |