The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. IV. Being the Second of the Second Voyage.Cook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. IV. Being the Second of the Second Voyage.
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
After discovering and sounding this cove, I sent lieutenant Clerke, who
commanded the other boat, on board, with orders to remove the ship into
this place, while I proceeded farther up the inlet. I presently saw that
the land we were under, which disjoined the two arms, as mentioned
before, was an island, at the north end of which the two channels
united. After this I hastened on board, and found every thing in
readiness to weigh; which was accordingly done, and all the boats sent
a-head to tow the ship round the point. But, at that moment, a light
breeze came in from the sea too scant to fill our sails; so that we were
obliged to drop the anchor again, for fear of falling upon the point,
and to carry out a kedge to windward. That being done, we hove up the
anchor, warped up to, and weighed the kedge, and proceeding round the
point under our stay-sails, there anchored with the best bower, in
twenty fathoms; and moored with the other bower, which lay to the north,
in thirteen fathoms. In this position we were shut in from the sea by
the point above mentioned, which was in one with the extremity of the
inlet to the east. Some islets, off the next point above us, covered us
from the N. W., from which quarter the wind had the greatest fetch; and
our distance from the shore was about one-third of a mile.
Thus situated, we went to work, to clear a place to fill water, to cut
wood, and to set up a tent for the reception of a guard, which was
thought necessary; as we had already discovered, that, barren as this
country is, it was not without people, though we had not yet seen any.
Mr. Wales also got his observatory and instruments on shore; but it was
with the greatest difficulty he could find a place of sufficient
stability, and clear of the mountains, which every where surrounded us,
to set them up in; and at last he was obliged to content himself with
the top of a rock, not more than nine feet over.
Next day I sent lieutenants Clerke and Pickersgill, accompanied by some
of the other officers, to examine and draw a sketch of the channel on
the other side of the island; and I went myself in another boat,
accompanied by the botanists, to survey the northern parts of the sound.
In my way, I landed on the point of a low isle covered with herbage,
part of which had been lately burnt; we likewise saw a hut; signs
sufficient that people were in the neighbourhood. After I had taken the
necessary bearings, we proceeded round the east end of Burnt Island, and
over to what we judged to be the main of Terra del Fuego, where we found
a very fine harbour encompassed by steep rocks of vast height, down
which ran many limpid streams of water; and at the foot of the rocks,
some tufts of trees, fit for little else but fuel.
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