The women of this country, and likewise those of Tanna, are, so far as I could judge, far more chaste than those of the more eastern islands.  I never heard that one of our people obtained the least favour from any one of them.  I have been told that the ladies here would frequently divert themselves by going a little aside with our gentlemen, as if they meant to be kind to them, and then would run away laughing at them.  Whether this was chastity or coquetry, I shall not pretend to determine; nor is it material, since the consequences were the same.

CHAPTER X.

Proceedings on the Coast of New Caledonia, with Geographical and Nautical Observations.

1774 September

Everything being in readiness to put to sea, at sun-rise, on the 13th of September, we weighed, and with a fine gale at E. by S., stood out for the same channel we came in by.  At half past seven we were in the middle of it.  Observatory Isle bore S. 5 deg.  E., distant four miles, and the isle of Balabea W.N.W.  As soon as we were clear of the reef, we hauled the wind to the starboard tack, with a view of plying in to the S.E.; but as Mr Gilbert was of opinion that he had seen the end, or N.W. extremity of the land, and that it would be easier to get round by the N.W., I gave over plying, and bore up along the outside of the reef, steering N.N.W., N.W., and N.W. by W., as it trended.  At noon the island of Balabea bore S. by W., distant thirteen miles; and what we judged to be the west end of the great land, bore S.W. 1/2 S., and the direction of the reef was N.W. by W., latitude observed 19 deg. 53’ 20”.  Longitude from Observatory Isle 14’ W. We continued to steer N.W. by W. along the outside of the reef till three o’clock, at which time the isle of Balabea bore S. by E. 1/2 E. In this direction we observed a partition in the reef, which we judged to be a channel, by the strong tide which set out of it.  From this place the reef inclined to the north for three or four leagues, and then to the N.W.  We followed its direction, and as we advanced to N.W., raised more land, which seemed to be connected with what we had seen before; so that Mr Gilbert was mistaken, and did not see the extremity of the coast.  At five o’clock this land bore W. by N. 1/2 N., distant twenty miles; but what we could see of the reef trended in the direction of N.W. by N.

Having hauled the wind to the starboard tack, and spent the night plying, on the 14th, at sun-rise, the island of Balabea bore S. 6 E., and the land seen the preceding night W., but the reef still trended N.W., along which we steered with a light breeze at E.S.E.  At noon we observed in latitude 19 deg. 28’, longitude from Observatory Isle 27’ W. We had now no sight of Balabea; and the other land, that is, the N.W. part of it, bore W. by S. 1/2 S., but we were not sure if this was one continued coast, or separate islands.  For though some partitions