Streight of Magellan to Otaheite
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the men, at which they expressed much disappointment and vexation. While this traffick was carrying on, a man came secretly round a rock, and diving down, took up the boat’s grappling, and at the same time, the people on shore who held the warp, made an effort to draw her into the surf. As soon as this was perceived by the people on board, they fired a musket over the man’s head who had taken up the grappling, upon which he instantly let it go, with marks of great terror and astonishment; the people on shore also let go the rope. The boats after this, lay some time upon their oars, but the officer finding that he could get nothing more, returned on board. Mr. Furneaux told me that both the men and women were cloathed, and he brought a piece of their cloth away with him. The inhabitants appeared to him to be more numerous than the island could support, and for this reason, especially as he saw some large double canoes upon the beach, he imagined there were islands of larger extent, not far distant, where refreshments in greater plenty might be procured, and hoped that they might be less difficult of access. As I thought this a reasonable conjecture, I hoisted in the boats, and determined to run farther to the westward. To this place, which is nearly circular, and about two miles over, I gave the name of OSNABURGH ISLAND, in honour of Prince Frederick, who is bishop of that see. It lies in latitude 17° 51’S. and longitude 147° 30’W.; the variation here was 7° 10’E.
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Voyaging Accounts |  |
© Derived from Volume I of the London 1773 Edition: National Library of Australia call no. FERG 7243, page 432, 2004
Published by kind permission of the Library
To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/hv01/432.html