ABSTRACT
WILLIAMSON'S JOURNAL [ 1345 of King, web this young man can never have,1 he pays no Submission to Otoo, & are often at war with each other nor has Otoo ever been able to conquer this part of ye island.-At 8 In the morning of ye 28th We departed for our Ship where we did not arrive until 12 at night of ye 2gth after ye most disagreable day & night I had ever pass'd, ye first being a dead calm & a scorching sun, & ye latter a contrary wind wth hard rain, & so dark as not to be able to see the land. On my going to Oaitipeha I had an opportunity of observing the correctness of C. Cook's chart of ye island, it is astonishing wth what accuracy the most minute rock is laid down; from this time we were employed in getting ye ship ready for sea, nothing else material happening, but ye punishment of Wm Doyle on the 1oth Septr from a complaint made against him by Otoo, & Jno Allen (Marine) & Ja8 Dermot (landsman) wth 1 2lashes for theft on ye 12th_
[Admss/II7,ff. Bov-Br] [DECEMBER 1777] 26th. Some boats were again sent to catch fish, & others to examine ye lagoon; Captn Cook went on shore this morning & caught a few turtle. 27th, Lieut. King wth two ofye boats was sent across ye lagoon to examine ye S0 side of ye island, they met wth some difficulty in crossing from ye number of shoals, which they were oblig'd to track ye boat over, they stay'd there that night & turn'd 15 turtle, the next day before noon Mr King return'd wth what turtle he had caught, leaving some hands behind him to turn more turtle, he told the Capt0 what distress they had been in owing to ye want of water, what little they had carried wth them being expended & not being able to find any on the island, I instantly receiv'd orders to go to ye place from whence Mr King had come, taking wth me two days provisions, on my Arrival there I found the people that had been left in a most famishing condition & every part of them that was expos'd to ye sun scorch'd & blister'd; as soon as they were all refresh'd, I cross'd over to ye so shore, it being near ye time of the turtle's landing, the road is about 3 Miles over, & exceeding bad walking, having a lake near l a mile wide to wade thro', & so deep as to take one up to the waist, & ye land mostly cover'd over wth a kind of clinker, resembling that wCh comes from a blacksmith's forge, or like ye lava I have seen thrown out of Mount Vesuvius;2 & those parts that were free from this cinder, were so undermin'd by ye land Crabs that had burrow'd there, that we were in danger of our limbs every step we took; by ye time we reach'd ye S0 shore it was dark, & the beach cover'd wth turtle, we turn'd & found two small ones which had been kill'd not above an hour, & only ye blood taken from them, we naturally concluded some of ye Discovery's people had lost themselves & must be in great want, I therefore ordered some of
APPENDIX III
our people to walk different ways & now & then to halloo & make a noise, but by no means to go off the beach lest they also should lose themselves, after an hours absence the people return'd without success, we haul'd all the turtle above high water mark & each man taking one upon his back cross' d over to our boat, taking wth us also the two dead turtle, which we dress'd for supper: In ye morning of ye 29th Inst as we had risen, I was surpriz'd wth ye appearance ofye Master & one ofye mates ofye Discovery, who had lain within one hundred yards of us & had seen our fire, but mistook it for that meteor call'd Ignis fatuus, or Jack wth a Lanthern, they were in a most distress'd situation, they inform'd us of two of their men who had been lost the day before which two men had kill'd ye turtle we found ye preceeding evening, after they had refresh'd themselves I sent the turtle we had got down to ye Discovery's boat, not having provisions for both boats crews, & desir'd ye Master of ye Discovery to go on board his ship, first calling on board ye Resolution & acquainting en Cook that there was a very convenient place for ye boats to come in at where the turtle came on shore, & where they might lay in safety until we should get enough turtle to load them, & which would be attended wth less fatigue to ye people & hurt to ye turtle: having dismiss'd the Discovery's boat, I set off for a load for our own boat, when we got to ye beach it was low water, therefore whilst ye people were carrying down ye turtle, I saunter'd along ye rocks & had got near i a mile from our people when I observ'd at a great distance something moving along ye beach at a very great rate, I imagin'd it to be one of the lost men, but could not be certain, I ran back to our people, got some bread & water wth a small quantity of Rum in it & then went to meet him when I got up to him he drop'd down, & was unable to speak, but made signs for something to drink, I held ye cocoa nut shell to his mouth wth ye Rum & water, not suffering him to drink much, only to wash his mouth; when he had a little recover'd himself, I gave him some bread to eat, & in a few minutes he was enabled wth ye assistance of my Arm to walk to where our people were. Soon after both launches from each Ship came into ye creek for turtle, & brot orders for me to return on board, after I had loaded & dismiss'd the launches, on board of which I sent ye man that had been so long lost, I was returning to ye boat which I had left in ye lagoon, but observing two people coming along ye beach towards us, I waited their arrival, & found them to be Mr Hollamby Midshipman, & ye Armourer of ye Discovery going in quest of the lost men, I told them of our having got one of them, & the melancholy account he had given of himself & ye other before they parted; we made what Enquiry we could about ye other man, but could only learn that he had struck in land to seek for water, & that he himself was determin'd to keep ye beach as long as he was able to walk, after we had replenish'd Mr Hollamby's water & bread they set off to seek ye man & we to our boat, I had the greatest hopes of ye success of their undertaking from a long acquaintance & knowledge ofMr Hollamby's great humanity, strength of constitution, & perseverance. Before I left ye beach I had a large fire made
WILLIAMSON'S JOURNAL (1347
& pil'd some Stones near it on ye top of which I left a bottle of water, this I had also done in ye center ofye island, & a third near the lagoon, which last prov'd most welcome to Mr Hollamby & his party, they having expended all they carried wth them, being so long detain'd in ye sun, & the fatigue of carrying the man; they had found him almost dead, he had several times tryed to drink the blood of birds & even his own urine, but could not swallow either, & having met with a pool or bason of clear water he went into it wth his cloaths on, in hopes of refreshing himself, but unluckily this water to which he had been invited by its transparency, proved no other than a pool of strong brine, by which his limbs, & cloaths became so stiff that he was hardly able to crawl out, & in this condition he was found. 3oth In the morning not knowing what success Mr Hollamby had met wth two boats were sent under ye command of Lieut: King in search of ye Man, but they had not long been gone, before Mr Hollamby made his appearance wth the unfortunate Man. In ye Morning of the 2nd ofjanuary We sail'd in Company wth ye Discovery. The Extent of this Isle from N° to S0 is about 10 Miles, but from East to West we know little of it & from what we could judge of its shape it resembled a Crescent more than anything else I can compare it to.
