64 CAPTAIN COOK'S VOYAGES 



this alarming situation by a fresh breeze suddenly springing 

 up from the shore. 



December 7th, several canoes put off and followed the 

 Endeavour, but a breeze arising, Captain Cook did not 

 wait for them. They beat to windward four days, and 

 made but little way. On the 10th, the land appeared low 

 and barren, but was not destitute of inhabitants ; the next 

 morning they stood in with the land, which forms a penin- 

 sula, and which the captain named Knuckle Point. On 

 the 16th, they came off the northern extremity of New 

 Zealand, which Captain Cook called North Cape. Their 

 situation varied but little till the 24th, when they discovered 

 land, which they judged to be the islands of the Three 

 Kings, though they did not resemble the description of 

 them in Dalrymple's account. 



January 1st, 1770, they tacked and stood to eastward, and 

 on the 3rd, they saw land again ; it was high and ilat, 

 and tended away to the south-east, beyond the reach of 

 the naked eye. It is remarkable that the Endeavour was 

 three weeks in making ten leagues to the westward. 



On the 9th, they saw a point remarkably high to the 

 east-north-east ; the captain named it Albatross Point. At 

 about two leagues' distance from this point, to the north- 

 east, they discovered a remarkable high mountain, equal 

 in height to that of Teneriffe, the summit of which was 

 covered with snow, and it was named Mount Egmont.* 

 The Captain proposed careening the ship here, and taking 

 in wood and water ; and accordingly, on the 15th, steered 

 for an inlet. Four canoes came from shore to visit the 

 ship, but none of the Indians would venture on board, 

 except an old man, who seemed of elevated rank ; he was 

 received with the utmost hospitality. The Captain and 

 the other gentlemen now went on shore, where they met 

 with plenty of wood and water, and were very successful in 

 fishing, catching some hundredweight in a short time. 



On the 16th, the Endeavour's people were engaged in 

 careening her, when three canoes came off with a great 

 number of Indians, and brought several of their women 

 with them. This circumstance was judged a favourable 

 presage of their peaceable disposition, but they soon gave 

 proofs of the contrary, by attempting to stop the long boat 

 that was sent on shore for water, when Captain Cook had 

 recourse to the old expedient of firing some shot, which 

 intimidated them for the present. 



* At 5 A.M., on the 13th, saw for a few minutes the top of the 

 peaked mountain above the clouds, bearing N.E. It is of a pro- 

 digious height, and its top is covered with everlasting snow. It is 

 in the latitude of 39 16' S., and longitude 185 15' W. Extract, 

 Captain Cook's Journal, Records, Admiralty, Whitehall. P. 180. 



