The weather continued variable during the night; but in the morning of the 25th, having the wind at E., we ran along the S. 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 W. part of Morotoi. In the course of the day, the current, which, from the time we left Karakakooa Bay, had set from the N.E., changed its direction to the S.E.
During the night, the wind was again variable; but early next morning it settled at E., and blew so fresh as to oblige us to double-reef the top-sails. At seven, in hauling round the W. 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 N., 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 W. by N., 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 N.E. 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 vallies 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 S.E., 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 N. 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° 50' N., longitude 202° 15' E., the extreme parts of the island in sight bearing S.S.E. 1/4 E., and S.W. by S. 3/4 W.
Between the N. point and a distant head-land which we saw to the S.W., 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 S.W. by W. 1/2 W., and N.E. by E. 3/4 E., and the mouth of the river S.E. 1/2 E., 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 N.W. 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 sun-set, 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 S.W. 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 N.E. by N. 3/4 E., two miles distant; the extremes of the island, N.W. by W. 3/4 W., and S.E. by E. 1/2 E.; the island Oneeheow W. by S. 1/2 W. In running down to the road, from the S.E. 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 a half fathoms water, although our soundings had usually been seven and eight fathoms.
We had no sooner anchored in our old station, than several canoes came along-side of us; but we could observe that they did not welcome us with the same cordiality in their manner, and satisfaction in their countenances, as when we were here before. As soon as they got on board, one of the men began to tell us, that we had left a disorder amongst their women, of which several persons of both sexes had died. He was himself afflicted with the venereal disease, and gave a very full and minute account of the various symptoms with which it had been attended. As there was not the slightest appearance of that disorder amongst them on our first arrival, I am afraid it is not to be denied that we were the authors of this irreparable mischief.