Fresh breeze and fair weather. At 2 P.M. the Pinnace return'd on board without landing, not but what it was practicable but they did not think it altogether safe with only one boat as it would have been attended with some danger on account of the surff and rocks upon the shore: and the natives were arm'd and shew'd no signs of either fear or friendship; some of them came off to the boat in a Canoe and had some nails & Beeds given them but with these they were not satisfied, thinking they had a right to every thing in the boat, and at last grew so troublesome that in order to get clear of them our people were obliged to fire some musquets, but with no intent to hurt any of them, however it so happen'd that one man was slitely slightly wounded in the head, the fireing had the desired effect and they thought fit to retire; after this as the boat lay near the shore some of them waded off to her and brought with them some trifles which they parted with for small nails &C^a they seem'd desireous that our people should land, but this was look'd upon as a peice of policey in them to get the whole Boats crew in their power, however, this was not attempted as I had given orders to run no risk. The bay they went into _^ ^{which lies on ye [W] side of the Id} had in it 25 fathom water but the Bottom was very foul and rocky- We had now made the circuit of the Island / which did not appear to appear to the be[s]t advantage / and found that there was neither a Harbour or safe Anchorage about it, and therefore I thought the landing upon it would be attend[ed] with no advantage either to our selves or any future navigators and from the hostile and thievish disposission of the natives it appear'd to that we could have no friendly intercourse with them untill they had felt the smart of our fire arms a thing that would have been very unjustifiable in me at this time, we therefore hoisted in the boat and made sail to the southward —

This Island is situated in the Latitude of 22°.. 27' S^o and in the Longitude of 150°.. 47' West from the Meridian of Greenw^h. it is 13 miles in circuit and tollerable high, it appears to be neither populous nor firtile, its produce seem'd to be nearly the same as the other Islands we have touched at and likewise the Stature, Colour Habits and Arms of the Natives, only that some of them wore peices of Cloath like broad belts different both in shape and Colour to any thing to any thing of the kind we had seen before, and their arms and in general every thing they had about them much neater made and shew'd great proofs of an ingenious fancy —

Tobia Tupia says that their are several Islands laying at different directions from this, that is from the south to the west and N.W and that 3 days sail to the NE is an Island called Mannua that is Bird Island and that it lies four days sail from Ulietea which is one day less then from Ulietea to Ohetiroa from this account I shall be able to find the situation of Mannua pretty well. Sence we have left Ulietea Tobia ^Tupia hath been very disireous for us to steer to the westward and tells _^^us if we will but go that way we shall meet with plenty of Islands   the most of them he himself hath been at and from the description he gives of two of them they must be those discover'd by Captain Wallice and by him call'd Boscawen and Kepple Islands, and these do not lay less than 400 Leagues to the westward of Ulietea; he says that they are 10 or 12 days in going thither and 30 or more in coming back and that their Paheas, that is their large Proes sails much faster than this Ship; All this I beleive to be true and therefore they may with ease sail 40 Leagues a day or more —

The farthest Island to the southward that Tobia Tupia hath been _^^at or knows anything _^^of lies but two days sail from Ohetiroa and is called Moutou but he says that his Father once told him that their were Islands to the southward _^^of it, but we can not find that he either knows or ever heard of a Continent or large track of land. I have no reason to doubt Tobia's ^Tupia['s] information of these Islands, for when we left Ulietea and steer'd to the southward, he told us that if we would keep a little more to the East / which the wind would not permit us to do / we should see Man_^ⁿua, but as we then steer'd we should see Ohetiroa which happend accordingly. If we meet with the Islands to the southward he speaks off it well   if not I shall spend no more time searching for them.   being now fully resolved to Stand directly to the Southward in search of the Continent —

Voyaging Accounts