232 cook's first voyage august, 



till daylight, when we again saw the land, and stood in 

 N. N. W. directly for it, with a fresh gale at E. by S. 

 Our soundings during the night were very irregular, 

 from seven to five fathom, suddenly changing from 

 deep to shallow, and from shallow to deep, without in 

 the least corresponding with our distance from the 

 land. At half an hour after six in the morning, a 

 small low island, which lay at the distance of about 

 a league from the main, bore N. by W. distant five 

 miles: this island lies in latitude 8 13' S., longitude 

 221 25' W. ; and I find it laid down in the charts by 

 the names of Bartholomew and Whermoysen. We 

 now steered N. W. by W., W. N. W., W. by N., W. 

 by S., and S. W. by W., as we found the land lie, 

 with from five to nine fathom ; and though we reck- 

 oned we were not more than four leagues from it, yet 

 it was so low and level, that we could but just see it 

 from the deck. It appeared, however, to be well 

 covered with wood, and among other trees, we 

 thought we could distinguish the cocoa-nut. We saw 

 smoke in several places, and therefore knew there 

 were inhabitants. At noon, we were about three 

 leagues from the land ; the westernmost part of which 

 that was in sight bore S. 79 W. Our latitude, by 

 observation, was 819'S., and longitude 221 44' 

 W. The island of St. Bartholomew bore N. 74 E. 

 distant twenty miles. 



After steering S. W. by W. six miles, we had shoal 

 water on our starboard-bow, which I sent the yawl to 

 sound, and at the same time hauled off upon a wind 

 till four o'clock ; and though, during that time, we 

 had run six miles, we had not deepened our water an 

 inch. I then edged away S. W. four miles more ; 

 but finding it still shoal water, I brought to, and called 

 the boats aboard. At this time, being between three 

 and four leagues from the shore, and the yawl having 

 found only three fathom water in the place to which 

 I had sent her to sound, I hauled off close upon a 

 wind, and weathered the shoal about half a mile. 



