84 cook's second voyage march 



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. - 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 ad- 

 vanced to return ; and therefore stood on, not doubt- 

 ing 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 w r ith 

 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 fre- 



