Whether these canoes had any hostile intention
against us must remain a doubt: perhaps we might have benefited by an
intercourse with them; but, in our defenceless situation, to have made
the experiment would have been risking too much.
I imagine these to be the islands called Feejee, as their extent,
direction, and distance from the Friendly Islands answer to the
description given of them by those islanders. Heavy rain came on at four
o'clock, when every person did their utmost to catch some water, and we
increased our stock to thirty-four gallons, besides quenching our thirst
for the first time since we had been at sea; but an attendant consequence
made us pass the night very miserably, for, being extremely wet, and
having no dry things to shift or cover us, we experienced cold shiverings
scarcely to be conceived. Most fortunately for us, the forenoon, Friday
8th, turned out fair, and we stripped and dried our clothes. The
allowance I issued to-day was an ounce and a half of pork, a teaspoonful
of rum, half a pint of cocoanut milk, and an ounce of bread. The rum,
though so small in quantity, was of the greatest service. A fishing-line
was generally towing from the stern of the boat, but though we saw great
numbers of fish, we could never catch one.
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