i86 AVOYAGETO 



December ^^ ^°^^ ^^ Captain Clcrkc knew, that one of the flragglers 



> .—— / was flill in this awkward fituation, he font a party in Tearch 



of him ; but neither the man nor the party having come 

 Wednef. 31. back, the next morning, I ordered two boats into the lagoovy 

 to go diflerent ways, in profecution of the fearch. Not long 

 after. Captain Gierke's party returned with their loft compa- 

 nion; and my boats having now no objedt left, I called 

 them back by fignal. This poor fellow mull: have fuffered 

 far greater diftrefs than the other ftraggler; not only as 

 having been loft a longer time, but as we found that he 

 was too fqueamifli to drink turtle's blood. 



Having fome cocoa-nuts and yams on board, in a ftate of 

 vegetation, I ordered them to be planted on the little ifland 

 where we had obferved the eclipfc ; and fome melon-feeds 

 were fown in another place. I alfo left, on the little ifland, 

 a bottle containing this infcription : 



Georgius 'Tertius, Rex, $1 Decembn'/y 1777. 

 C Rcfolution, Jac. Cook, Pr. 

 \Difcovery, Car. Clerke, Pr. 



«778' On the I ft of January 1778, I fent boats to bring on board 



Tharfdayi. all our parties from the land, and the turtle they had 

 caught. Before this v/as completed, it was late in tlie after- 

 noon J fo that I did not think proper to fail till next morning. 

 We got at this ifland, to both Ihips, about three hundred 

 turtle, weighing, one with another, about ninety or a hun- 

 dred pounds. They were all of the green kind ; and per- 

 haps as good as any in the world. We alfo caught, with 

 hook and line, as much fifli as we could confumc, during 

 our ftay. They confifted principally of cavallics, of dif- 

 ferent fizes ; large and fniall fnappers; and a few of two 



fort s 



