Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/176

118 twenty at a time in my mouth, every one of which tasted as hot as mustard.

The island itself seemed more barren than Ulhietea, though the produce was very similar, but bread-fruit was less plentiful than plantains and cocoanuts. The people were exactly the same, so much so that I did not observe one new custom worth mention. They were not very numerous, but flocked from all quarters to the boat wherever she went, bringing with them whatever they had to sell. Here, as well as in the rest of the islands, they paid us the same compliment as they are used to pay to their own kings, uncovering their shoulders and lapping their garments round their breasts. Here particularly they were so scrupulously observant of it that a man was sent with us who called out to every one we met, telling him who we were and what they should do.

29th. We are this morning close under the island of Bola-Bola, whose high craggy peak appears, on this side at least, totally inaccessible to man; round it is a large quantity of low land, which seems very barren. Tupia tells us that between the shore and the mountain is a large salt lagoon, a certain sign of barrenness in this climate.

31st. Tupia to-day shows us a large breach in the reef of Otahah, through which the ship might conveniently pass into a large bay, where he says there is good anchorage. We have now a very good opinion of Tupia's pilotage, especially since we observed him at Huahine send a man to dive down to the heel of the ship's rudder; this the man did several times, and reported to him the depth of water the ship drew, since when he had never suffered her to go in less than five fathoms without being much alarmed.

2nd August. Dr. Solander and I have spent this day ashore [on Ulhietea], and been very agreeably entertained by the reception we have met with from the people, though we were not fortunate enough to meet with one new plant. Every one seemed to fear and respect us, but nobody to mistrust us in the smallest degree. Men, women, and children came crowding after us, but no one showed us