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
This harbour, which I shall distinguish by the name of the Devil’s
Bason, is divided, as it were, into two, an inner and an outer one; and
the communication between them is by a narrow channel five fathoms deep.
In the outer bason, I found thirteen and seventeen fathoms water, and in
the inner, seventeen and twenty-three. This last is as secure a place as
can be, but nothing can be more gloomy. The vast height of the savage
rocks which encompass it, deprived great part of it, even on this day,
of the meridian sun. The outer harbour is not quite free from this
inconvenience, but far more so than the other; it is also rather more
commodious, and equally safe. It lies in the direction of north, a mile
and an half distant from the east end of Burnt Island. I likewise found
a good anchoring-place a little to the west of this harbour, before a
stream of water that comes out of a lake or large reservoir, which is
continually supplied by a cascade falling into it.
Leaving this place, we proceeded along the shore to the westward, and
found other harbours, which I had not time to look into. In all of them
is fresh water, and wood for fuel; but except these little tufts of
bushes, the whole country is a barren rock, doomed by nature to
everlasting sterility. The low islands, and even some of the higher,
which lie scattered up and down the sound, are indeed mostly covered
with shrubs and herbage, the soil a black rotten turf, evidently
composed, by length of time, of decayed vegetables.
I had an opportunity to verify what we had observed at sea; that the
sea-coast is composed of a number of large and small islands, and that
the numerous inlets are formed by the junction of several channels; at
least so it is here. On one of these low islands, we found several huts,
which had lately been inhabited; and near them was a good deal of
celery, with which we loaded our boat, and returned on board at seven
o’clock in the evening. In this expedition we met with little game; one
duck, three or four shags, and about that number of rails or sea-pies,
being all we got. The other boat returned on board some hours before;
having found two harbours on the west side of the other channel; the one
large, and the other small; but both of them safe and commodious;
though, by the sketch Mr. Pickersgill had taken of them, the access to
both appeared rather intricate.
I was now told of a melancholy accident which had befallen one of our
marines. He had not been seen since eleven or twelve o’clock the
preceding night. It was supposed that he had fallen over-board out of
the head, where he had been last seen, and was drowned.
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