358 COOK S VOYAGE TO OCT. 



and longitude 150° 30'; and steering west by south, 

 with a moderate breeze from south-east, and pro- 

 bably not more than twenty-four leagues to the 

 eastward of Zellany, when our good fortune again 

 deserted us. For, at three o'clock in the afternoon, 

 the wind veering round to the north-west, began to 

 blow so strong, that we were brought under our 

 foresail and mizen stay-sail. We had very heavy 

 squalls, and hard rain during the next twenty-four 

 hours ; after which, the horizon clearing a little, 

 and the weather growing moderate, we were enabled 

 to set the topsails ; but the wind still continuing to 

 blow from the north-west, baffled all our endeavours 

 to make the land, and obliged us at last to give up 

 all further thoughts of discovery to the north of 

 Japan. We submitted to this disappointment with 

 the greater reluctance, as the accounts that are 

 given of the inhabitants of these islands mentioned 

 at the end of the last chapter, had excited in us the 

 greater curiosity to visit them. 



In the afternoon the leach-rope of the Reso- 

 lution's fore-top-sail gave way, and split the sail. 

 As this accident had often happened to us in 

 Captain Cook's life-time, he had ordered the foot 

 and leach-ropes of the top-sails to be taken out, and 

 larger fixed in their stead ; and as these also proved 

 unequal to the strain that was on them, it is evident 

 that the proper proportion of strength between 

 those ropes and the sail, is exceedingly miscalculated 

 in our service. This day a land-bird perched on 

 the rigging, and was taken ; it was larger than a 

 sparrow, but in other respects very like one. 



The gale now abated gradually, so that in the 

 morning of the 22d, we let out the reefs of the 

 top-sails, and made more sail. At noon, we were 

 in latitude 40° 58', and longitude 148° 17'; the 

 variation 3° E. In the afternoon, another little 

 wanderer from the land pitched on the ship, and 

 was so worn out with fatigue, that it suffered itself 



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