1779. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 81 



running along the coast, and extending upward of a 

 mile from the land ; on the outside of which, the depth 

 of water was twenty fathoms, over a sandy bot- 

 tom; and that, in the mean time, Britannee had con- 

 trived to slip away* being afraid of returning, as we 

 imagined, because his information had not proved 

 true and successful. 



In the evening, the weather being more moderate, 

 we again made sail ; but about midnight it blew so 

 violently, as to split both the fore and main-topsails. 

 On the morning of the 7th, we bent fresh sails, and 

 had fair weather, and a light breeze. At noon, the 

 latitude, by observation, was 20° 1/ north, the west 

 point of the island bearing south, 7° east, and the 

 north-west point north, 38° east. As we were, at 

 this time, four or five leagues from the shore, and the 

 weather very unsettled, none of the canoes would 

 venture out, so that our guests were obliged to re- 

 main with us, much indeed to their dissatisfaction ; 

 for they were all sea-sick, and many of them had left 

 young children behind them. 



In the afternoon, though the weather was still 

 squally, we stood in for the land, and being about 

 three leagues from it, we saw a canoe, with two men 

 paddling toward us, which we immediately conjec- 

 tured had been driven off the shore by the late 

 boisterous weather ; and therefore stopped the ship's 

 way, in order to take them in. These poor wretches 

 were so entirely exhausted with fatigue, that had not 

 one of the natives on board, observing their weakness, 

 jumped into the canoe to their assistance, they would 

 scarcely have been able to fasten it to the rope we 

 had thrown out for that purpose. It was with diffi- 

 culty we got them up the ship's side, together with a 

 child, about four years old, which they had lashed 

 under the thwarts of the canoe, where it had lain 

 with only its head above water. They told us, they 

 had left the shore the morning before, and had been, 

 from that time, without food or water. The usual 



