at Ulietea, he fent two of his people in a canoe; who brought me the fatisfactory intelligence, that he remained undisturbed by the people of the island, and that every thing went well with him, except that his goat had died in kidding. He accompanied this intelligence with a request, that I would fend him another goat, and two axes. Being happy to have this additional opportunity of ferving him, the meffengers were fent back to Huaheine, on the 18th, with the axes, and two kids, male and female, which were spared for him out of the Discovery. On the 24th, I was informed that a midshipman and a seaman, both belonging to the Discovery, were mifling. As the midshipman was known to have expreffed a defire to remain at thefe iflands, it seemed pretty certain that he and his companion had gone off with this intention; and Captain Clerke fet out in queft of them, with two armed boats, and a party of marines. His expedition proved fruitlefs, for he returned in the evening without having got any certain intelligence where they were. From the conduct of the natives, Captain Clerke feemed to think that they intended to conceal the deferters; and, with that view, had amused him with falfe information the whole day, and directed him to fearch for them in places where they were not to be found. The captain judged right; for, the next morning, we were told that our runaways were at Otaha. As these two were not the only perfons in the fhips who wished to end their days at thefe favourite inlands, in order to put a stop to any further desertion, it was neceffary to get them back at all events; and that the natives VOL. VII. N might might be convinced that I was in earnest, I refolved to go after them myself. Accordingly, I fet out the next morning, with two armed boats, being accompanied by the chief himself. I proceeded, as he directed, without ftopping any where, till we came to the middle of the eaft fide of Otaha. But when we got to the place where we expected to find them, we were told, that they had quitted this ifland, and gone over to Bolabola the day before. I did not think proper to follow them thither; but returned to the fhips; fully determined, however, to have recourfe to a measure, which, I gueffed would oblige the natives to bring them back. Soon after day-break, the chief, his fon, daughter, and fon-in-law, came on board the Refolution. The three laft I refolved to detain, till the two deferters fhould be brought back. With this view, Captain Clerke invited them to go on board his fhip; and as foon as they arrived there, confined them in his cabin. The chief was with me when the news reached him. He immediately acquainted me with it, fuppofing that this ftep had been taken without my knowledge, and confequently without my approbation. I inftantly undeceived him; and then he began to have apprehenfions as to his own fituation, and his looks expreffed the utmost perturbation of mind. But I foon made him eafy as to this, by telling him that he was at liberty to leave the fhip whenever he pleafed, and to take fuch meafures as he thould judge beft calculated to get our two men back; that if he fucceeded, his friends on board the Discovery fhould be delivered up; if not; that. I was determined to carry them away with me. Oreo Oreo himself did not give way to unavailing lamentations; but inftantly began his exertions to recover our deferters,' by difpatching a canoe to Bolabola, with a meffage to Opoony, the fovereign of that ifland, acquainting him with what had happened, and requesting him to seize the two fugitives, and fend them back. The meffenger, who was no lefs a man than the father of Pootoe, Oreo's fon-in-law, before he fet out, came to receive my commands. The confequence, however, of the prisoners was fo great, that the natives did not think proper to truft to the return of our people for their releafe; or, at leaft, their impatience was fo great, that it hurried them to meditate an attempt which might have involved them in ftill greater diftrefs, had it not been fortunately prevented. Between, five and fix o'clock in the evening, I obferved that all their canoes, in and about the harbour, began to move off, as if fome fudden panic had feized them. I was afhore, abreast of the thip, at the time, and enquired, in vain, to find out the caufe; till our people called to us from the Dif covery, and told us that a party of the natives had feized Captain Clerke and Mr. Gore, who had walked out a little way from the fhips. Struck with the boldness of this plan of retaliation, which feemed to counteract me fo effectually in my own way, there was no time to deliberate. I inftantly ordered the people to arm; and, in less than five minutes, a strong party, under the command of Mr. King, was fent to refcue our two gentlemen. At the fame time, two armed boats, aud a party under Mr. Williamfon, went after the flying canoes, to cut off their retreat to the fhore. These feveral detachments were hardly out of fight, before an account arrived that we had been misinformed; upon which I fent and called them all in. It was evident, however, from feveral corroborating circumstances, that the defign of feizing Captain Clerke had really been in agitation amongst the natives. Nay, they made no fecret in fpeaking of it the next day. But their first and great plan of operations, was to have laid hold of me. It was my cuftom, every evening, to bathe in the fresh water. Very often I went alone; and always without arms. Expecting me to go, as ufual, this evening, they had determined to feize me, and Captain Clerke too, if he had accompanied me. But I had, after confining Oreo's family, thought it prudent to avoid putting myfelf in their power; and had cautioned Captain Clerke, and the officers, not to go far from the fhips. In the courfe of the afternoon, the chief afked me three feveral times, if I would not go to the bathing place; and when he found, at laft, that I could not be prevailed upon, he went off, with the reft of his people, in fpite of all that I could do or fay to ftop him. But as I had no fufpicion, at this time, of their defign, I imagined that fome fudden fright had feized them, which would, as ufual, foon be over. Finding themselves difappointed as to me, they fixed on those who were more in their power. It was fortunate, for all parties, that they did not fucceed; and not lefs fortunate, that no mil chief was done on the occafion. For not a mufket was fired, except two or three, to stop the canoes. To that firing, perhaps, Meffrs. Clerke and Gore owed their fafety; for, at that very instant, a party of the natives, armed with clubs. were were advancing toward them; and, on hearing the report of the mutkets, they difperfed. Oreo, the chief, being uneafy, as well as myfelf, that no account had been received from Bolabola, fet out the evening of the 28th, for that ifland, and defired me to follow down the next day with the thips. This was my intention; but the wind would not admit of our getting to fea. But the fame wind, which kept us in the harbour, brought Oreo back from Bolabola with the two deferters. They had reached Otaha the fame night they deferted; but, finding it impoffible to get to any of the islands to the eastward, for want of wind, they had proceeded to Bolabola, and from thence to the fmall ifland Toobaee, where they were taken. As foon as they were on board, the three prifoners were released. Thus ended an affair which had given me much trouble and vexation. Nor would I have exerted myself fo refolutely on the occafion, but for the reafon before-mentioned, and to fave the son of a brother officer from being loft to his country. The wind continuing contrary, confined us in the harbour till the morning of the 7th of December; when we took the advantage of a light breeze at north-east, and, with the affiftance of all the boats, got out to sea. As foon as we had got clear of the harbour, we took our leave of Ulietea, and fteered for Bolabola. Oreo, and fix or eight men more, took a paflage with us. My fole object in vifiting this ifland was, to get poffeffion of an anchor, which M. Bougainville had loft at Otaheite; it was taken up there, and fent to the chief of this place as a prefent. I wanted it to fabricate hatchets and N 3 |
