24 cook's SECOND VOYAGE JULY* 



altitudes, and reduced to this time, was 15° 1' 30" 

 South, longitude 168° 14/ East. At two o'clock 

 P. M. we drew near the middle of the Isle of Lepers, 

 and tacked about two miles from land ; in which 

 situation we had no soundings with a line of seventy 

 fathoms. We now saw people on the shore, and 

 many beautiful cascades of water pouring down the 

 neighbouring hills. The next time we stood for this 

 isle, we came to within half a mile of it, where we 

 found thirty fathoms, a sandy bottom ; but a mile off 

 we had no soundings at seventy fathoms. Here two 

 canoes came off to us, in one of which were three 

 men, and in the other but one. Though we made 

 all the signs of friendship, we could not bring them 

 nearer than a stone's throw ; and they made but a 

 short stay before they retired ashore, where we saw 

 a great number of people assembled in parties, and 

 armed with bows and arrows. They are of a very 

 dark colour, and, excepting some ornaments at their 

 breast and arms, seemed to be entirely naked. 



As I intended to get to the south, in order to ex- 

 plore the land which might lie there, we continued 

 to ply between the Isle of Lepers and Aurora ; and 

 on the 19th, at noon, the south end of the last- 

 mentioned isle bore South 24° East, and the north 

 end north, distant twenty miles. Latitude observed 

 15° 11". The wind continued to blow strong at S.E., 

 so that what we got by plying in the day, we lost in 

 the night. On the 20th, at sunrise, we found our- 

 selves off the south end of Aurora, on the N.W. side 

 of which the coast forms a small bay. In this we 

 made some trips to try for anchorage ; but found no 

 less than eighty fathoms water, the bottom a fine 

 dark sand, at half a mile from shore. Nevertheless, 

 I am of opinion that, nearer, there is much less depth, 

 and secure riding ; and in the neighbourhood is 

 plenty of fresh water and wood for fuel. The whole 

 isle, from the sea-shore to the summits of the hills, 

 seemed to be covered with the latter j and every 



