#86 cook's second voyage march, 



down the hill after they were formed. 1 think tins 

 a very reasonable conjecture ; and have no doubt 

 that it has been so. 



On the declivity of the mountain, towards the west, 

 they met with another well ; but the water was a 

 very strong mineral, had a thick green scum on the 

 top, and stunk intolerably. Necessity, however, 

 obliged some to drink of it ; but it soon made them 

 so sick, that they threw it up the same way it went 

 down. 



In all this excursion, as well as the one made the 

 preceding day, only two or three shrubs were seen. 

 The leaf and seed of one (called by the natives Tor- 

 romedo) were not much unlike those of the common 

 vetch ; but the pod was more like that of a tamarind 

 in its size and shape. The seeds have a disagreeable 

 bitter taste ; and the natives, when they saw our peo- 

 ple chew them, made signs to spit them out ; from 

 whence it was concluded that they think them 

 poisonous. The wood is of a reddish colour, and 

 pretty hard and heavy ; but very crooked, small, and 

 short, not exceeding six or seven feet in height. At 

 the south-west corner of the island, they found 

 another small shrub, whose wood was white and brit- 

 tle, and in some measure, as also its leaf, resembling 

 the ash. They also saw in several places the Otahei- 

 tean cloth plant ; but it was poor and weak, and not 

 above two and a half feet high at most. 



They saw not an animal of any sort, and but very 

 few birds > nor indeed any thing which can induce 

 ships that are not in the utmost distress, to touch at 

 this island. 



This account of the excursion I had from Mr. Pic- 

 kersgill and Mr. Wales, men on whose veracity I could 

 depend ; and, therefore, I determined to leave the is- 

 land the next morning, since nothing was to be obtained 

 that could make it worth my while to stay longer ; for 

 the water which we had sent on board, was not much 

 better than if it had been taken up out of the sea. 



18 



