THE PACIFIC OCEAN, 33 



the fhip's way, in order to take them in. Thcfe poor „ '779« 



1 J * February. 



wretches were fo entirely exhaufted with fatigue, that had « — v— ~ t 

 not one of the natives on board, obferving their weaknefs, 

 jumped into the canoe to their affiftance, they would fcarcely 

 have been able to faften it to the rope we had thrown out 

 for that purpofe. It was with difficulty we got them up the 

 fhip's fide, together with a child, about four years old, which 

 they had lamed under the thwarts of the canoe, where it 

 had lain with only its head above water. They told us, 

 they had left the more the morning before, and had been, 

 from that time, without food or water. The ufual precau- 

 tions were taken in giving them victuals, and the child be- 

 ing committed to the care of one of the women, we found 

 them all next morning perfectly recovered. 



At midnight, a gale of wind came on, which obliged us 

 to double reef the topfails, and get down the top-gallant 

 yards. On the 8th, at day-break, we found, that the fore- Mondays. 

 mail had again given way, the fiQies, which were put on the 

 head, in King George's or Nootka Sound, on the coaft of 

 America, being fprung, and the parts fo very defective, as 

 to make it abfolutely neceffary to replace them, and, of 

 courfe, to unflep the mart. In this difficulty, Captain Cook 

 was for fome time in doubt, whether he mould run the 

 chance of meeting with a harbour in the iflands to leeward, 

 or return to Karakakooa. That bay was not fo remark- 

 ably commodious, in any refpect, but that a better might 

 probably be expected, both for the purpofe of repairing 

 the mails, and for procuring refrefhments, of which, it was 

 imagined, that the neighbourhood of Karakakooa had 

 been already pretty well drained. On the other hand, it 

 was confidered as too great a rifk to leave a place, that was 

 tolerably fheltcrcd, and which, once left, could not be re- 



Vol. III. F gained, 



