332 cook's voyage to may, 



good over it, at four o'clock in the morning of the 

 17th, we weighed, and steered to the north-westward, 

 with a light breeze at east-north-east ; thinking if 

 there should be any passage to the north through this 

 inlet, that it must be in that direction. Soon after 

 we were under sail, the natives, in both great and 

 small canoes, paid us another visit, which gave us 

 an additional opportunity of forming a more perfect 

 idea of their persons, dress, and other particulars, 

 which shall be afterward described. Our visitors 

 seemed to have no other business but to gratify their 

 curiosity ; for they entered into no sort of traffic with 

 us. After we had got over to the north-west point 

 of the arm in which we had anchored, we found 

 that the flood-tide came into the inlet, through the 

 same channel by which we had entered. Although 

 this circumstance did not make wholly against a pas- 

 sage, it was, however, nothing in its favour. After 

 passing the point above mentioned, we met with a 

 good deal of foul ground, and many sunken rocks, 

 even out in the middle of the channel, which is here 

 five or six leagues wide. At this time the wind failed 

 us, and was succeeded by calms and light airs from 

 every direction ; so that we had some trouble to ex- 

 tricate ourselves from the threatening danger. At 

 length, about one o'clock, with the assistance of our 

 boats, we got to an anchor, under the eastern shore, 

 in thirteen fathoms' water, and about four leagues to 

 the north of our last station. In the morning the 

 weather had been very hazy ; but it afterward cleared 

 up, so as to give us a distinct view of all the land 

 round us, particularly to the northward, where it 

 seemed to close. This left us but little hopes of 

 finding a passage that way ; or indeed, in any other 

 direction, without putting out again to sea. 



To enable me to form a better judgment, 1 dis- 

 patched Mr. Gore, with two armed boats, to examine 

 the northern arm ; and the master, with two other 

 boats, to examine another arm that seemed to take 



