282 cook's voyage to april, 



This day, in order to save our water, I ordered 

 the still to be kept at work, from six o'clock in the 

 morning to four in the afternoon, during which time, 

 we procured from thirteen to sixteen gallons of fresh 

 water. There has been lately made some improve- 

 ment, as they are pleased to call it, of this machine, 

 which, in my opinion, is much for the worse. 



These light breezes continued till the 10th, when 

 we had for some hours the wind blowing fresh from 

 the north, and north north-west, being then in the 

 latitude of 18 38', and longitude 198 24/ E. 

 In the afternoon, we had some thunder squalls from 

 the south, attended with heavy rain, of which water, 

 we collected enough to fill five puncheons. After 

 these squalls had blown over the wind came round 

 to the north-east and north-west ; being very un- 

 settled both in strength and in position, till about 

 noon the next day, when it fixed at north-west 

 and north north-west, and blew a fresh breeze with 

 fair weather. 



Thus were we persecuted with a wind in our 

 teeth whichever way we directed our course, and 

 we had the additional mortification to find here 

 those very winds, which we had reason to expect 

 8 or 10 farther south. They came too late; for 

 I durst not trust their continuance, and the event 

 proved that I judged right. 



At length, at day-break, in the morning of the 

 13th, we saw Palmerston Island, bearing west by 

 south, distant about five leagues. However, we 

 did not get up with it till eight o'clock the next 

 morning. I then sent four boats, three from the 

 Resolution, and one from the Discovery, with an 

 officer in each, to search the coast for the most 

 convenient landing-place. For now we were under 

 an absolute necessity of procuring from this island 

 some food for the cattle, otherwise we must have 

 lost them. 



