upplied this want. The next day, he got up a jury top-mast,
on which he set a mizen-top-sail, and this enabled him to keep way
with the Resolution.

The wind was fixed in the western board, that is, from the N., round
by the W. to S., and I steered E.N.E. and N.E., without meeting with
anything remarkable, till eleven o'clock in the morning of the 8th
of August, when land was seen, bearing N.N.E., nine or ten leagues
distant. At first, it appeared in detached hills, like so many
separate islands; but, as we drew nearer, we found that they were all
connected, and belonged to one and the same island. I steered directly
for it, with a fine gale at S.E. by S.; and at half-past six o'clock
in the afternoon, it extended from N. by E., to N.N.E. 3/4 E., distant
three or four leagues.

The night was spent standing off and on; and at day-break the next
morning, I steered for the N.W., or lee-side of the island; and as we
stood round its S. or S.W. part, we saw it every where guarded by a
reef of coral rock, extending, in some places, a full mile from the
land, and a high surf breaking upon it. Some thought that they
saw land to the southward of this island; but, as that was to the
windward, it was left undetermined. As we drew near, we saw people on
different parts of the coast, walking, or running along the shore, and
in a little time after we had reached the lee-side of the island,
we saw them launch two canoes, into which above a dozen men got, and
paddled toward us.

I now shortened sail, as well to give these canoes time to come up
with us, as to sound for anchorage. At the distance of about half a
mile from the reef, we found from forty to thirty-five fathoms water,
over a bottom of fine sand. Nearer in, the bottom was strewed with
coral rocks. The canoes having advanced to about the distance of a
pistol-shot from the ship, there stopped. Omai was employed, as
he usually had been on such occasions, to use all his eloquence to
prevail upon the men in them to come nearer; but no entreaties could
induce them to trust themselves within our reach. They kept eagerly
pointing to the shore with their paddles, and calling to us to go
thither; and several of their countrymen who stood upon the beach held
up something white, which we considered also as an invitation to land.
We could very well have done this, as there was good anchorage without
the reef, and a break or opening in it, from whence the canoes had
come out, which had