During the course of the day, we were visited by several of the natives, who came off to sell provisions; and we soon found, that they had heard of our late unfortunate transactions at Owhyhee. They were very curious to learn the particulars from a woman who had concealed herself on board the Resolution, in order to take her passage to Atooi; inquiring eagerly after Pareea, and some other chiefs, and appearing much shocked at the death of Kaneena, and his brother. We had, however, the satisfaction to find, that in whatever light the woman might have represented this business, it had no bad effect on their behaviour, which was remarkably civil and submissive.
The weather continued variable during the night; but in the morning of the 25th, having the wind at east, we ran along the south side of Ranai, till near noon; after which, we had calms and baffling winds till evening, when we steered, with a light easterly breeze, for the west part of Morotoi. In the course of the day, the current, which, from the time we left Karakakooa Bay, had set from the north-east, changed its direction to the south-east.
During the night the wind was again variable; but early next morning, it settled at east, and blew so fresh as to oblige us to double-reef the topsails. At seven, on hauling round the west point of Morotoi, we opened a small bay, at the distance of about two leagues, with a fine sandy beach; but seeing no appearance of fresh water, we stood on to the north, in order to get to the windward of Woahoo, an island which we had seen at our first visit, in January 1778.
At two in the afternoon, we saw the land, bearing west by north, eight leagues distant; and having tacked as soon as it was dark, we again bore away at day-light on the 27th; and at half past ten, were within a league of the shore, near the middle of the north-east side of the island.
The coast, to the northward, is formed of detached hills, rising perpendicularly from the sea, with ragged and broken summits; the sides covered with wood, and the valleys between them of a fertile and well cultivated appearance. To the southward, we saw an extensive bay, bounded by a low point of land to the south-east which was covered with cocoa-nut trees; and off it stood a high insulated rock, about a mile from the shore. The haziness of the weather prevented our seeing distinctly the land to the southward of the point; we could only perceive that it was high and broken.
As the wind continued to blow very fresh, we thought it dangerous to entangle ourselves with a lee-shore; and therefore did not attempt to examine the bay, but hauled up, and steered to the northward, in the direction of the coast. At noon, we were abreast of the north point of the island, about two leagues from the land, which is low and flat, and has a reef stretching off it to the distance of near a mile and a half. The latitude, by observation, 21° 50ʹ north, longitude 202° 15ʹ east; the extreme parts of the island in sight, bearing south south-east, quarter east, and south-west by south, three-quarters west.
Between the north point and a distant headland, which we saw to the south-west, the land bends inward considerably, and appeared likely to afford a good road. We therefore directed our course along the shore, at the distance of about a mile, carrying regular soundings from twenty to thirteen fathoms. At a quarter past two, the sight of a fine river, running through a deep valley, induced us to come to an anchor in thirteen fathoms water, with a sandy bottom; the extreme points of the bay bearing south-west by west half west, and north-east by east three-quarters east; and the mouth of the river south-east half east, one mile distant. In the afternoon, I attended the two captains on shore, where we found but few of the natives, and those mostly women; the men, they told us, were gone to Morotoi to fight Tahyterree; but that their chief Perreeoranee, who had stayed behind, would certainly visit us, as soon as he heard of our arrival.
We were much disappointed to find the water had a brackish taste for two hundred yards up the river, owing to the marshy ground through which it empties itself into the sea. Beyond this, it was perfectly fresh, and formed a fine running stream, along the side of which I walked, till I came to the conflux of two small rivulets, that branched off to the right and left of a remarkably steep and romantic mountain. The banks of this river, and indeed the whole we saw of the north-west part of Woahoo, are well cultivated, and full of villages; and the face of the country is uncommonly beautiful and picturesque.
As the watering at this place would have been attended with great labour, I was sent to examine the coast to leeward; but not being able to land, on account of a reef of coral, which stretched along the shore to the distance of half a mile, Captain Clerke determined, without farther loss of time, to proceed to Atooi. At eight in the morning we weighed, and stood to the northward, till day-light on the 28th, when we bore away for that island, which we were in sight of by noon; and about sunset, were off its eastern extremity, which shews itself in a fine, green, flat point.
It being too late to run for the road, on the south-west side of the island, where we had been the last year, we passed the night in plying on and off, and at nine the next morning, came to an anchor in twenty-five fathoms water, and moored with the best bower in thirty-eight fathoms, the bluff-head, on the west side of the village, bearing north-east by north three-quarters east, two miles distant; the extremes of the island, north-west by west three-quarters west, and south-east by east half east; the island of Oneheow west by south half west. In running down to the road, from the south-east point of the island, we saw the appearance of shoal water, in several places, at a considerable distance from the land; and when we were about two miles to the eastward of the anchoring-place and two or three miles from the shore, we got into four and half fathoms water, although our soundings had usually been seven and eight fathoms.