408 cook's voyage to jan. 



having its entrance from the north-west, is the best 

 sheltered during the north-east monsoon. At six we 

 anchored, with the best bower, in six fathoms, veered 

 away two-thirds of the cable, and kept the ship steady 

 with a stream anchor and cable to the south-east. 

 When moored, the extremes of the entrance of the 

 harbour bore north by west, and west north-west one 

 quarter west ; the opening at the upper end south- 

 east by east, three quarters east ; our distance from 

 the nearest shore a quarter of a mile. 



As soon as we were come to anchor, Captain Gore 

 fired a gun, with a view of apprising the natives of 

 our arrival, and drawing them toward the shore, but 

 without effect. Early in the morning of the 21st, 

 parties were sent to cut wood, which was Captain 

 Gore's principal motive for coming hither. In the 

 afternoon, a sudden gust of wind broke the stream- 

 cable, by which the Discovery was riding, and 

 obliged us to moor with the bower anchors. 



None of the natives having yet made their ap- 

 pearance, notwithstanding a second gun had been 

 fired, Captain Gore thought it advisable to land and 

 go in search of them, that no time might be lost in 

 opening a trade for such provisions as the place 

 could afford. With this view he appointed me to ac- 

 company him in the morning of the 22d ; and, as 

 the wind at this time blew strong from the east, we 

 did not think it prudent to coast in our boats to the 

 town, which is situated in the east side of the island* 

 but rowed round the north point of the harbour. 

 We had proceeded about two miles along the shore, 

 when observing a road that led into a wood, we 

 landed. Here I quitted Captain Gore, taking with 

 me a midshipman and four armed sailors, and pur- 

 sued the path which seemed to point directly across 

 the island. We proceeded through a thick wood up 

 a steep hill, to the distance of a mile, when, after 

 descending through a wood of the same extent, on 

 the other side, we came out into a flat, open, sandy 



