326 cook's first voyage nov. 



disposed themselves to pass the night. They had no 

 shelter but a few shrubs ; the women and the children 

 were ranged innermost, or farthest from the sea ; the 

 men lay in a kind of half circle round them, and their 

 arms were set up against the trees close by them, in 

 a manner which showed that they were afraid of an 

 attack by some enemy not far distant. It was also 

 discovered that they acknowledged neither Teratu, 

 nor any other person as their king : as in this particu- 

 lar they differed from all the people that we had seen 

 upon other parts of the coast, we tliought it possible 

 that they might be a set of outlaws, in a state of re- 

 bellion against Teratu, and in that case they might 

 have no settled habitations, or cultivated land in any 

 part of the country. 



On the 9th, at day-break, a great number of canoes 

 came on board, loaded with mackerel of two sorts, 

 one exactly the same with those caught in England, 

 and the otner somewhat different : we imagined the 

 people had taken a large shoal, and brought us an 

 overplus which they could not consume ; for they 

 sold them at a very low rate. They were, however, 

 very welcome to us ; at eight o'clock, the ship had 

 more fish on board than all her people could eat in 

 three days ; and before night, the quantity was so 

 much increased, that every m.an who could get salt, 

 cured as many as would last him a month. 



After an early breakfast, I went ashore, with Mr. 

 Green and proper instruments, to observe the transit 

 of Mercury, Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander being of 

 the party ; the weather had for some time been very- 

 thick, with much rain, but this day was so favourable 

 that not a cloud intervened during the whole transit. 

 The observation of the ingress was made by Mr. 

 Green alone, while I was employed in taking the 

 sun's altitude to ascertain the time. It came on at 

 7'' 20' 68" apparent time : according to Mr. Green's 

 observation, the internal contact was at 12^ 8' 58''^, 

 the external at i2^ 9' 55" P. M. And according to 



