266 cook's second voyage jan. 



In the morning of the 10th, having but little wind, 

 we put a boat in the water, in which some of the 

 officers went and shot several birds. These afforded 

 us a fresh meal. They w T ere of the peterel tribe, and 

 such as are usually seen at any distance from land. 

 Indeed, neither birds nor any other thing was to be 

 seen that could give us the least hopes of finding 

 any ; and therefore at noon the next day, being then 

 in the latitude of 47 5V S., longitude \m \% W., 

 and a little more than 200 leagues from my track to 

 Otaheite in 1769, I altered the course, and steered 

 south east with a fresh gale at S. W. by W. In the 

 evening when our latitude was 48 22' S., longi- 

 tude 121 29' VV\, we found the variation to be c 2 

 34/ E. ; which is the least variation we had found 

 without the tropic. In the evening of the next day 

 we found it to be 4 30' E. ; our latitude at that 

 time was 50 5' S., longitude 119 1 W. 



Our course was now more southerly, till the even- 

 ing of the 13th, when we were in the latitude of 53 

 0' $., longitude 118 3' W. The wind being then 

 at north-west, a strong gale with a thick fog and 

 rain, which made it unsafe to steer large, I hauled 

 up south-west, and continued this course till noon 

 the next day, when our latitude was 56 4' S., 

 longitude 122 1' W. The wind having veered to 

 the north, and the fog continuing, I hauled to the 

 east, under courses and close-reefed top-sails. 

 But this sail we could not carry long ; for before 

 eight o'clock in the evening, the wind increased to a 

 perfect storm, and obliged us to lie to, under the 

 mizzen stay-sail, till the morning of the 16th, when 

 the wind having a good deal abated and veered to west, 

 we set the courses, reefed top-sails, and stood to the 

 south. Soon after, the weather cleared up ; and in 

 the evening we found the latitude to be 56 48' S., 

 longitude 119 8' W. 



We continued to steer to the south, inclining to 

 the east, till the 18th, when we stood to the south- 



