The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. II. Being the Second of the First VoyageCook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. II. Being the Second of the First Voyage
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
At six o’clock in the morning we got again under sail, with a fresh
breeze at E., and stood away N. N. W. for some low islands in that
direction, but were soon obliged to haul close upon a wind to weather a
shoal which we discovered upon our larboard bow, having, at the same
time, others to the eastward: by the time we had weathered this shoal to
leeward, we had brought the islands well upon our lee-bow, but, seeing
some shoals run off from them, and some rocks on our starboard bow,
which we did not discover till we were very near them, I was afraid to
go to windward of the islands, and therefore brought to, and having made
the signal for the pinnace, which was a-head, to come on board, I sent
her to leeward of the islands, with orders to keep along the edge of the
shoal, which ran off from the south side of the southernmost island,
sending the yawl at the same time to run over the shoal in search of
turtle. As soon as the pinnace had got to a proper distance, we wore,
and stood after her: as we ran to leeward of this island, we took the
yawl in tow, she having seen only one small turtle, and therefore made
but little stay upon the shoal. The island we found to be a small spot
of sand with some trees upon it, and we could discern many huts, or
habitations of the natives, whom we supposed occasionally to visit these
islands from the main, they being only five leagues distant, to catch
turtle when they come ashore to lay their eggs. We continued to stand
after the pinnace N. N. E., and N. by E. for two other low islands,
having two shoals without us, and one between us and the main. At noon
we were about four leagues from the main, which we saw extending to the
northward, as far as N. W. by N., all flat and sandy. Our latitude, by
observation, was 11° 23ʹ S., and our longitude 217° 46ʹ W., our
soundings were from fourteen to twenty-three fathom; but these, as well
as the shoals and islands, which are too numerous to be particularly
mentioned, will be best seen upon the chart. By one o’clock we had run
nearly the length of the southernmost of the two islands in sight, and
finding that the going to windward of them would carry us too far from
the main, we bore up and ran to leeward, where, finding a fair open
passage, we steered N. by W. in a direction parallel to the main,
leaving a small island which lay between it and the ship, and some low
sandy isles and shoals without us, of all which we lost sight by four
o’clock, and saw no more before the sun went down: at this time the
farthest part of the land in sight bore N. N. W. ½ W., and soon after we
anchored in thirteen fathom, upon soft ground, at the distance of about
five leagues from the land, where we lay till daylight.
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