Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
. . . when they got him in he was both speechless and motionless,
for he had swallowed such a quantity of water that he was to all ap-
pearance dead. They held him up by the heels till he came to himself
and he was perfectly well next day.
16
Byron's next quest, since he had no intention of heading for
New Albion, was the trade winds which would carry him as swiftly
as possible across the Pacific. For several days progress was slow
thanks to squally and variable weather. By the time he did, at last,
pick up the south-easterlies he was becoming anxious. When the
ships left Maós Afuera on 30 April the crews were in good health. By
31 May he was reporting 'my people fall down daily in the scurvy.
they pursued a more westerly course they would have discovered
Tahiti. As it was they only encountered a few atolls which make up
the northern limit of the Tuamotu Archipelago, of which Tahiti is a
part. There was no anchorage and Byron, naming these seductively
attractive places the Isles of Disappointment, sailed on.
The travellers fared little better with the next pair of islands in
the chain, to which Byron gave the name King George's Isles. Not
only was there no anchorage; the people were also hostile, crowding
to the beach to brandish their spears and chasing after the ships'
boats in their canoes. Byron was in a dilemma - he did not want to
provoke an incident which would lead to deaths on both sides but he
desperately needed to bring off some boatloads of fresh food. Mak-
ing signs to denote friendship had little effect, so Byron eventually
resorted to a show of force. A single shot from one of his cannon
proved sufficient to drive the islanders from the beach and into the
palm groves beyond. Then, he was able to send his boats ashore to
collect coconuts and scurvy grass.
