e the weather side was, that they perceived that the
island only increased to leeward; whereas to windward it was a
perpendicular rock of coral, which you could not obtain bottom
along-side of, with two hundred fathoms of line. They had cut a slip out
of the rock, and were already occupied with driving out the bolts and
fastenings of the ship that was shored up in the woods, when one evening
we perceived a large fleet of canoes coming towards us. As I knew that I
could not be far from the Sandwich Islands, I immediately pronounced
them to come from that quarter, in which supposition I was correct; for
although the island was not inhabited, the islanders had for some years
been aware of its existence, and came to gather the crop of cocoa-nuts
which it annually produced. I advised my men to keep quiet in the woods,
removing the tents and every object that might create suspicion of our
being on the island; but they were of a different opinion, and as they
had lately discovered the means of collecting the toddy from the
cocoa-nut trees, and distilling arrack, they had been constantly drunk,
mutinous, and regardless of my authority. They thought it would be much
easier to take the large canoes from the islanders, and appropriate them
to their own use, than to build a vessel, and notwithstanding my
entreaties, they persisted in their resolution to make the attempt.

As the canoes approached, we counted fourteen, all of a very large size,
and with my glass I could distinguish that they had fifty or sixty
persons on board of each, including the women. I pointed this out to the
sailors, stating that I did not believe there were more than ten women
in each canoe, so that the men must amount to seven hundred, a force
much too large to give them any chance of success in their rash
intentions. But I did more harm than good; the mention of the women
seemed to inspire them with fresh ardour, and they vowed that they would
kill all the men, and then would be content to remain on the island
with the women. They armed themselves with muskets, and retired among
the trees as the canoes approached, fearful that the islanders would not
land if they were discovered. The canoes ran between the reefs, and in a
few minutes the whole of the islanders disembarked; not conceiving it
necessary to leave any but the women in the canoes, the water being as
smooth as a fish-pond.

The arrangements of my men were certainly very good: they allowed the
is