,
Omai met a sister of his mother. "She threw herself at his feet, and
bedewed them plentifully with tears of joy," says the captain, adding,
"I left him with the old lady, in the midst of a number of people who
had gathered round him."

Cook found that since his last visit two Spanish ships had twice visited
the bay; that a house had been built, and that several persons had been
left in the interval, of whom some had died, and the rest went away when
the ships came back. They had presented the islanders with a bull, some
hogs, goats, and dogs, and had taken away four people, two of whom died,
and two came back from a place which Cook conjectured to be Lima. The
house, which stood close to the beach, was made of planks, and as these
were all numbered they had evidently been brought ready to be set up.
It was divided into two small rooms, and in the inner one were a
bedstead, a table, a bench, some old hats, and other trifles, of which
the natives seemed to be very careful, as also of the house itself,
which had suffered no hurt from the weather, a shed having been built
over it. There were scuttles all round which served as air-holes, and
perhaps they were intended to fire from with musketry, should it have
become necessary. At a little distance from the front stood a wooden
cross, on the transverse part of which was only the inscription
_Christus vincit_, and on the perpendicular part _Carolus Tertius,
imperat_ 1774. On the other side of the post Cook preserved the memory
of the prior visits of the English by inscribing, _Georgius Tertius,
Rex_, Annis 1767, 1769, 1773, 1774, and 1777. The natives pointed out
the grave of the commodore of the two ships who died there during their
first visit.

The expeditions of the Spaniards to Otaheite and the neighbouring
islands had been undertaken in consequence of the jealousy of the
Spanish Government at the visits of the English to the South Seas. The
first was under the command of Don Domingo Bonechea, in the Aguila
frigate, in 1772. He gave so favourable a report of the islands that he
was again sent out in 1774, having on board two monks of the order of
Saint Francis, a linguist, a portable house, sheep, cattle, and
implements. Having landed them at Oheitepeha Bay, as soon as the house
was up he set sail to make further discoveries. He then returned to the
bay, and six days afterwards died, and was buried, with becoming
ceremonies, at the foot of the cross, which