the place
appointed as a last rendezvous and to endeavour to get there before her,
lest her small force should be a temptation to the natives to attack her,
and accordingly we stood to the Southward.[51-2] When we were to the
Eastward of Oattooah we saw another island bearing from us about E.S.E.
eight leagues. We afterwards knew that this was one of the Navigators'
islands seen by Mons. Bougainville. On the morning of the 28th we saw the
Happy [Haapai] islands, and before noon a group of islands to the
Eastward of Annamooka. We passed round to the Southward of these islands
and ran down between little Annamooka and the Fallafagee isles and on the
29th anchored in Annamooka Road.

Whilst we were watering the ship, &c. I sent Lt. Hayward to the Happy
[Haapai] Islands in a double canoe, which I hired of Tooboo a chief of
these islands for the purpose of examining them and to make inquiries
after the _Bounty_ and the tender, but no intelligence could be got of
either of these vessels at these two islands, nor at either of the Happy
islands, and having completed our water and got a plentiful supply of
yams and a few hogs, we sailed from thence on the 10th July. The natives
were very daring in their thefts, but some of the articles stolen were
recovered again by the chiefs, yet many of them were entirely lost, and
as I did not think it proper to carry things to extremities on that
occasion for fear that too much rigour might operate to the disadvantage
of the tender should she arrive at the island in our absence, which I
told them I expected she would do, and that I intended to return with the
ship in about 20 days, and I left a letter of instructions for the tender
with Moukahkahlah, a resident chief, which he promised to deliver. He is
not the superior chief, but we found him most useful to us and I thought
him the most worthy of trust.

Whilst we were at Annamooka, Fattahfahe [Fatafehi][52-1] the chief of all
the islands, and who generally resides at Tongataboo or Amsterdam
Island, came to visit us, as did also a great number of the chiefs from
the adjacent islands and to all of whom I gave presents and also to such
of their friends and attendances that were introduced for the purpose of
receiving favours. A person called Toobou was the principal person in
authority at Annamooka when we arrived there. I learned that he belonged
to Tongataboo, and had little property on the island he governed, and I
supposed that he was