a ses ordres une obeissance aveugle; enfin, on
baise les mains et les pieds, quand on lui demande quelque
grace."--_Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses_, _tom._ xv. p. 312, 313.--D.]

At eight o'clock next morning we weighed and steered for Tongataboo,
having a gentle breeze at N.E. About fourteen or fifteen
sailing-vessels, belonging to the natives, set out with us, but every
one of them outrun the ships considerably. Feenou was to have taken his
passage in the Resolution, but preferred his own canoe, and put two men
on board to conduct us to the best anchorage. We steered S. by W. by
compass.

At five in the afternoon we saw two small islands bearing W., about four
leagues distant. Our pilots called the one Hoonga Hapaee, and the other
Hoonga Tonga. They lie in the latitude of 20 deg. 36', and ten or eleven
leagues from the W. point of Annamooka, in the direction of S. 46 deg. W.
According to the account of the islanders on board, only five men reside
upon Hoonga Hapaee, and Hoonga Tonga is uninhabited; but both of them
abound with sea-fowl.

We continued the same course till two o'clock next morning, when, seeing
some lights ahead, and not knowing whether they were on shore, or on
board the canoes, we hauled the wind, and made a short trip each way
till daybreak. We then resumed our course to the S. by W.; and presently
after saw several small islands before us, and Eooa and Tongataboo
beyond them. We had, at this time, twenty-five fathoms water, over a
bottom of broken coral and sand. The depth gradually decreased as we
drew near the isles above mentioned, which lie ranged along the N.E.
side of Tongataboo. By the direction of our pilots we steered for the
middle of it, and for the widest space between the small isles which we
were to pass, having our boats ahead employed in sounding. We were
insensibly drawn upon a large flat, upon which lay innumerable coral
rocks, of different depths, below the surface of the water.
Notwithstanding all our care and attention to keep the ship clear of
them, we could not prevent her from striking on one of these rocks. Nor
did the Discovery, though behind us, escape any better. Fortunately,
neither of the ships stuck fast, nor received any damage. We could not
get back without increasing the danger, as we had come almost before the
wind. Nor could we cast anchor, but with the certainty of having our
cables instantly cut in two by the rocks. We had no other resource but
to proceed