1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 12S 



of smoke upon the main ; we saw also some people 

 and canoes, and upon one of the islands what had 

 the appearance of cocoa-nut trees : as a few of these 

 nuts would now have been very acceptable, I sent 

 Lieutenant Hicks ashore, and with him went Mr. 

 Banks and Dr. Solander, to see what refreshment 

 could be procured, while I kept standing in for the 

 island with the ship. About seven o'clock in the 

 evening, they returned, with an account that what 

 we had taken for cocoa-nut trees, were a small kind 

 of cabbage palm, and that, except about fourteen or 

 fifteen plants, they had met with nothing worth 

 bringing away. While they were ashore, they saw 

 none of the people, but just as they had put off, one 

 of them came very near the beach, and shouted with 

 a loud voice ; it was so dark that they could not see 

 him, however they turned towards the shore, but 

 when he heard the boat putting back, he ran away 

 or hid himself, for they could not get a glimpse of 

 him, and though they shouted he made no reply. 

 After the return of the boats, we stood away N. by 

 W. for the northernmost land in sight, of which we 

 were abreast at three o'clock in the morning, having 

 passed all the islands three or four hours before. 

 This land, on account of its figure, I named Point 

 Hillock : it is of a considerable height, and may be 

 known by a round hillock, or rock, which joins to 

 the Point, but appears to be detached from it. Be- 

 tween this Cape and Magnetical Isle, the shore forms 

 a large bay, which I called Halifax Bay : before 

 it lay the group of islands which has been just men- 

 tioned, and some others, at a less distance from the 

 shore. By these islands the bay is sheltered from 

 all winds, and it affords good anchorage. The land 

 near the beach, in the bottom of the bay, is low and 

 woody, but farther back it is one continued ridge of 

 high land, which appeared to be barren and rocky. 

 Having passed Point Hillock, we continued standing 

 to the N. N. W. as the land trended, having the ad- 



