BOOK III.
TRANSACTIONS AT OTAHEITE, AND THE SOCIETY ISLANDS; AND PROSECUTION OF THE VOYAGE TO THE COAST OF NORTH AMERICA.
CHAP. I.
AN ECLIPSE OF THE MOON OBSERVED.—THE ISLAND TOOBOUAI DISCOVERED.—ITS SITUATION, EXTENT, AND APPEARANCE.—INTERCOURSE WITH ITS INHABITANTS.—THEIR PERSONS, DRESSES, AND CANOES DESCRIBED.—ARRIVAL IN OHEITEPEHA BAY AT OTAHEITE.—OMAI’S RECEPTION, AND IMPRUDENT CONDUCT.—ACCOUNT OF SPANISH SHIPS TWICE VISITING THE ISLAND.—INTERVIEW WITH THE CHIEF OF THIS DISTRICT.—THE OLLA, OR GOD, OF BOLABOLA.—A MAD PROPHET.—ARRIVAL IN MATAVAI BAY.
Having, as before related[[1]], taken our final leave of the Friendly Islands, I now resume my narrative of the voyage. In the evening of the 17th of July, at eight o’clock, the body of Eaoo bore north-east by north, distant three or four leagues. The wind was now at east, and blew a fresh gale. With it I stood to the south, till half an hour past six o’clock the next morning, when a sudden squall from the same direction took our ship aback; and before the ships could be trimmed, on the other tack, the main-sail and the top-gallant sails were much torn.
The wind kept between the south-west, and south-east, on the 19th and 20th; afterward it veered to the east, north-east, and north. The night between the 20th and 21st, an eclipse of the moon was observed as follows; being then in the latitude of 22° 571⁄2ʹ south:
| Apparent time, A. M. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H. | M. | S. | ||||
| Beginning, by | Mr. King, at | 0 | 32 | 50 | Mean long. 186° 571⁄2ʹ. | |
| Mr. Bligh, at | 0 | 33 | 25 | |||
| Myself, at | 0 | 33 | 35 | |||
| End, by | Mr. King, at | 1 | 44 | 56 | Mean long. 186° 281⁄2ʹ. Time keep. 186° 581⁄2ʹ. | |
| Mr. Bligh, at | 1 | 44 | 6 | |||
| Myself, at | 1 | 44 | 56 | |||
The latitude and longitude are those of the ship, at 8h 56m A. M., being the time when the sun’s altitude was taken for finding the apparent time. At the beginning of the eclipse, the moon was in the zenith; so that it was found most convenient to make use of the sextants; and to make the observations by the reflected image, which was brought down to a convenient altitude. The same was done at the end; except by Mr. King, who observed with a night telescope. Although the greatest difference between our several observations is more than fifty seconds, it, nevertheless, appeared to me, that two observers might differ more than double that time, in both the beginning and end. And though the times are noted to seconds, no such accuracy was pretended to. The odd seconds, set down above, arose by reducing the time, as given by the watch, to apparent time.
I continued to stretch to the east south-east, with the wind at north-east and north, without meeting with any thing worthy of note, till seven o’clock in the evening of the 29th; when we had a sudden and very heavy squall of wind from the north. At this time, we were under single-reefed top-sails, courses, and stay-sails. Two of the latter were blown to pieces; and it was with difficulty that we saved the other sails. After this squall, we observed several lights moving about on board the Discovery; by which we concluded that something had given way; and, the next morning, we saw that her main-top-mast had been lost. Both wind and weather continued very unsettled till noon, this day, when the latter cleared up, and the former settled in the north-west quarter. At this time, we were in the latitude of 28° 6ʹ south, and our longitude was 198° 23ʹ east. Here we saw some pintado birds, being the first since we left the land.
On the 31st, at noon, Captain Clerke made a signal to speak with me. By the return of the boat, which I sent on board his ship, he informed me, that the head of the main-mast had been discovered to be sprung, in such a manner, as to render the rigging of another top-mast very dangerous; and that, therefore, he must rig something lighter in its place. He also informed me, that he had lost his main-top-gallantyard; and that he neither had another, nor a spar to make one, on board. The Resolution’s sprit-sail top-sail-yard, which I sent him, supplied this want. The next day, we got up a jury top-mast, on which he set a mizen-top-sail; and this enabled him to keep way with the Resolution.