126 CAPTAIN COOK'S VOYAGES 



of Good Hope, the Captain turned them out where there 

 was the greatest appearance of food and security, having no 

 doubt but that they would breed, and in time, spread over 

 the whole country, and fully answer the intention of 

 leaving them. 



On the 27th, they had hazy weather. In the morning 

 Captain Cook set out, accompanied by Mr. Pickersgill and 

 the two Mr. Forsters, to explore an inlet seen the day before. 

 After rowing about two leagues up, it was found to com- 

 municate with the sea, and to afford a better outlet for ships 

 bound to the north, than the one they came in by. After 

 making this discovery, and refreshing themselves on broiled 

 flsh and wild fowl, they set out for the ship, and got on 

 board at eleven o'clock at night. In this expedition they 

 shot no less than forty-four birds of different kinds. 



Having got the tents and every other article on board, on 

 the 28th, they weighed with a light breeze, and stood up the 

 bay for the new passage. 



In the morning of the llth of May, they weighed and 

 stood out to sea ; and by noon they got clear of the land. 



The country which they had visited was found to be 

 exceedingly mountainous, a prospect more rude and 

 craggy rarely to be met with ; for inland appeared nothing 

 but the summits of mountains of a stupendous height, 

 consisting of rocks that were totally barren and naked, 

 except where they were covered with snow. But the land 

 bordering on the sea coast and all the islands were thickly 

 clothed with wood, almost down to the water's edge. The 

 trees were of various kinds, such as are common to other 

 parts of the country, and useful for the shipwright, house- 

 carpenter, cabinet-maker, and for other purposes. 



Here were, as well as in all other parts of New Zealand, 

 a great number of aromatic trees and shrubs, most of the 

 myrtle kind ; but amidst all this variety, there were none 

 which bore fruit fit to eat. They saw supple-jacks fifty 

 fathoms long. 



The soil was a deep black mould, evidently composed of 

 decayed vegetables, and so loose that it sunk under them at 

 every step. Except the flax or hemp plant, and a few other 

 plants, there was very little herbage of any sort. What 

 Dusky Bay most abounded with was fish. Of this article 

 the variety was almost equal to the plenty, and of such 

 kinds as are common to the more northern coasts ; but 

 some were superior, and in particular the cole-fish, as it 

 was called, was, in the opinion of most on board, the highest 

 luxury the sea afforded. The shell-fish were mussels, 

 cockles, scallops, craw-fish, and many other sorts. 



They found here five different kinds of ducks, some of 



