1''2 COOK'S FIRST VOYAGE APRIL, 



i* 



called the Pigeon House, bore N. 32 30' W., and 

 a small low island, which lay close under the shore, 

 bore N. W., distant about two or three leagues. 

 When I first discovered this island, in the morning, 

 I was in hopes, from its appearance, that I should 

 have found shelter for the ship behind it ; but when 

 we came near it, it did not promise security even 

 for the landing of a boat. I should however have at- 

 tempted to send a boat on shore, if the wind had not 

 veered to that direction, with a large hollow sea roll- 

 ing in upon the land from the S. E., which indeed 

 had been the case ever since we had been upon it. 

 The coast still continued to be of a moderate height, 

 forming alternately rocky points and sandy beaches; 

 but within, between Mount Dromedary and the 

 Pigeon House, we saw high mountains, which, ex- 

 cept two, are covered with w r ood : these two lie 

 inland behind the Pigeon House, and are remark- 

 ably flat at the top, with steep rocky cliffs all round 

 them, as far as we could see. The trees, which al- 

 most every where clothe this country, appear to be 

 large and lofty. This day the variation was found 

 to be 9 50' E., and for the two last days, the lati- 

 tude, by observation, was twelve or fourteen miles 

 to the southward of the ship's account, which could 

 have been the effect of nothing but a current setting 

 in that direction. About four in the afternoon, being- 

 near five leagues from the land, we tacked, and stood 

 off S. E. and E., and the wind having veered in 

 the night, from E. to N. E. and N., we tacked about 

 four in the morning, and stood in, being then about 

 nine or ten leagues from the shore. At eight, the 

 wind began to die away, and soon after it was calm. 

 At noon, our latitude, by observation, was 35 38\ 

 and our distance from the land about six leagues. 

 Cape Dromedary bore S. 37 W., distant seventeen 

 leagues, and the Pigeon House N. 40 W. In this 

 situation we had 74 fathom water. In the afternoon* 

 we had variable light airs and calms, till six in the 



