1777* THE PACIFIC OCEAN* 171 



Bayly's telescope and mine were of the same mag- 

 nifying power, I ought not to have differed so much 

 from him as I did. Perhaps it was in part, if not 

 wholly, owing to a protuberance in the moon which 

 escaped my notice, but was seen by both the other 

 gentlemen. 



In the afternoon the boats and turtling party at 

 the south-east part of the island, all returned on board 

 except a seaman belonging to the Discovery, who 

 had been missing two days. There were two of 

 them at first, who had lost their way ; but disagree- 

 ing about the most probable track to bring them 

 back to their companions, they had separated ; and 

 one of them joined the party, after having been 

 absent twenty-four hours, and been in great distress. 

 Not a drop of fresh water could be had, for there is 

 none upon the whole island ; nor was there a single 

 cocoa-nut tree on that part of it. In order to allay 

 his thirst, he had recourse to the singular expedient 

 of killing turtle, and drinking their blood. His 

 mode of refreshing himself when weary, of which he 

 said he felt the good effects, was equally whimsical. 

 He undressed himself and lay down for some time 

 in the shallow water upon the beach. 



It was a matter of surprise to every one, how these 

 two men could contrive to lose themselves. The 

 land over which they had to travel, from the sea- 

 coast to the lagoon, where the boats lay, was not 

 more than three miles across ; nor was there any- 

 thing to obstruct their view ; for the country was a 

 flat, with a few shrubs scattered upon it ; and from 

 many parts of it, the masts of the ships could easily 

 be seen. But this was a rule of direction they never 

 once thought of; nor did they recollect in what quar- 

 ter of the island the ships had anchored ; and they 

 were as much at a loss how to get back to them, or to 

 the party they had straggled from, as if they had just 

 dropped from the clouds. Considering how strange 

 a set of beings the generality of seamen are, when on 



