On the 21st of this month, a tunny was caught with some little fish, not yet digested in its belly, which are noticed never to go any great distance from the shore.  This accordingly was held as an indication of land being near, and indeed a just one, in the present instance; for about six in the morning of the next day, they got sight of four little isles at one time, bearing S.S.E. 1/2 E., and of another about four leagues west.  The former, Bougainville called les quatre Facardins, but being too far to windward for him at present, he preferred standing for the single one a-head.  On approaching this, it was discovered to be surrounded with a very level sand, and to have all its interior parts covered with thick woods surmounted by cocoa-trees.  So delightful an appearance as it presented, lost none of its charms in the eyes of men who longed for the refreshments of dry land and the vegetable world.  But their desires must have consumed them, had this been the only shore which could gratify them.  It was found impossible to land on it, or to obtain the advantages which it seemed to hold out to their hopes.  Bougainville bestowed on it the name of Isle des Lanciers, from the circumstance of his noticing about fifteen or twenty of its inhabitants carrying very long pikes, as in the act of brandishing them against the ship, with signs of threatening.  After this idle display of courage, they were seen to retire to the woods, where it was possible to distinguish their huts by means of glasses.  The men are represented as being tall, and of a bronze colour, and destitute of clothing.

In the night of the 22d, a storm came on attended with thunder and rain, which obliged Bougainville to bring to, for fear of running against some of the lowlands in this sea.  At day-break on the following day, land was seen bearing from N.E. by N. to N.N.W., which he stood for; at eight o’clock, he got about three leagues from its eastermost point; but then perceiving that there were breakers all along the opposite coast, which seemed low and covered with trees, he stood out to sea again, waiting for fairer weather to permit a nearer approach.  This was done towards ten o’clock, when the island was not more than a league off.  Similar difficulties, however, were experienced here, as at the former island; and after several fruitless attempts to find anchorage for the ships, or a landing-place for the boats, it was necessary to abandon it, which was done with similar feelings of chagrin on the morning of the 24th.  This island was denominated Harp Island, from its figure, and had inhabitants much resembling those of the one which had been previously discovered.  At five in the afternoon of this day, an island was discovered about seven or eight leagues distant; another, in the morning of the 25th, extending S.E. and N.W.; and the course was continued till the 27th, between several low and partly overflowed islands, four of which were examined and found quite inaccessible, or undeserving of being visited.  To the whole cluster, Bougainville gave the name of Dangerous Archipelago, by which they have been generally known since his day, and which sufficiently indicates the nature of the navigation around them.