The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World, Vol. III. Being the First of the Second VoyageCook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World, Vol. III. Being the First of the Second Voyage
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
Fearing to run, in thick weather, into a place to which we were all
strangers, and seeing some breakers and broken ground a-head, I tacked
in twenty-five fathom water, and stood out to sea with the wind at N. W.
This bay lies on the S. E. side of Cape West, and may be known by a
white cliff on one of the isles which lies in the entrance of the bay.
This part of the coast I did not see but at a great distance, in my
former voyage; and we now saw it under so many disadvantageous
circumstances, that the less I say about it, the fewer mistakes I shall
make. We stood out to sea, under close-reefed top-sails and courses,
till eleven o’clock at night; when we wore and stood to the northward,
having a very high and irregular sea. At five o’clock next morning, the
gale abated, and we bore up for the land; at eight o’clock, the West
Cape bore E. by N. 1/2 N. for which we steered, and entered Dusky Bay
about noon. In the entrance of it, we found 44 fathoms water, a sandy
bottom, the West Cape bearing S. S. E. and Five Fingers Point, or the
north point of the bay, north. Here we had a great swell rolling in from
S. W. The depth of water decreased to 40 fathoms; afterwards we had no
ground with 60. We were, however, too far advanced to return; and
therefore stood on, not doubting but that we should find anchorage. For
in this bay we were all strangers; in my former voyage, having done no
more than discover, and name it.
After running about two leagues up the bay, and passing several of the
isles which lay in it, I brought to, and hoisted out two boats; one of
which I sent away with an officer round a point on the larboard hand, to
look for anchorage. This he found, and signified the same by signal. We
then followed with the ship, and anchored in 50 fathoms water, so near
the shore as to reach it with an hawser. This was on Friday the 26th of
March, at three in the afternoon, after having been 117 days at sea; in
which time we had sailed 3660 leagues, without having once sight of
land.
After such a long continuance at sea, in a high southern latitude, it is
but reasonable to think that many of my people must be ill of the
scurvy. The contrary, however, happened. Mention hath already been made
of sweet wort being given to such as were scorbutic. This had so far the
desired effect, that we had only one man on board that could be called
very ill of this disease; occasioned, chiefly, by a bad habit of body,
and a complication of other disorders. We did not attribute the general
good state of health in the crew, wholly to the sweet wort, but to the
frequent airing and sweetening the ship by fires, &c. We must also allow
portable broth, and sour krout to have had some share in it. This last
can never be enough recommended.
My first care, after the ship was moored, was to send a boat and people
a fishing; in the mean time, some of the gentlemen killed a seal (out of
many that were upon a rock), which made us a fresh meal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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