20 cook's SECOND VOYAGE JUNE, 



supreme authority. The man and woman before 

 mentioned, whom I believed to be man and wife, in- 

 terested themselves on several occasions in our affairs ; 

 but it was easy to see they had no great authority. 

 Amongst other things which I gave them as a reward 

 for their service, was a young dog and bitch, animals 

 which they have not, but are very fond of, and know 

 very well by name. They have some of the same 

 sort of earthen pots we saw at Amsterdam ; and I am 

 of opinion they are of their own manufacture, or that 

 of some neighbouring isle. 



The road, as I have already mentioned, is on the 

 north side of the isle, just to the southward of the 

 southernmost cove ; for there are two on this side. 

 The bank is of some extent, and the bottom free 

 from rocks, with twenty-five and twenty fathoms water, 

 one or two miles from the shore. 



Fire-wood is very convenient to be got at, and easy 

 to be shipped off; but the water is so brackish that it 

 is not worth the trouble of carrying it on board ; 

 unless one is in great distress for want of that article, 

 and can get no better. There is, however, better, 

 not only on this isle, but on others in the neighbour- 

 hood ; for the people brought us some in cocoa-nut 

 shells, which was as good as need be; but probably 

 the springs are too trifling to water a ship. 



I have already observed that the S. W. side of the 

 island is covered by a reef or reefs of rocks, and small 

 isles. If there be a sufficient depth of water between 

 them and the island, as there appeared to be, and a 

 good bottom, this would be a much securer place 

 for a ship to anchor in than that where we had our 

 station. 



