224 CAPTAIN COOK'S VOYAGES 



Captain Cook acknowledged himself much indebted for 

 many interesting parts of his voyage. 



Contrary winds, and other circumstances prevented the 

 ships from clearing the Channel till the 14th of July, 1776. 

 On board both vessels were one hundred and ninety-two 

 persons, officers included. " Nothing material happened," 

 says Captain Cook, " till the 1st of August, when we arrived 

 off Teneriffe, one of the Canaries, where several of the 

 gentlemen landed. It is said, that none of the aboriginal 

 inhabitants remain here as a distinct people ; but that the 

 produce of their intermarriages with the Spaniards may 

 still be traced in a strong and muscular race, dispersed over 

 the islands. 



" On the 4th, we weighed anchor and proceeded on our 

 voyage. At nine o'clock in the evening of the 10th, we 

 saw the island of Bonavista, bearing south, distant little 

 more than a league, though, at this time, we thought our- 

 selves much farther off ; but this proved a mistake. For, 

 after hauling to the eastward till twelve o'clock, to clear the 

 sunken rocks that lie about a league from the south-east 

 point of the island, we found ourselves at that time close 

 upon them, and did but just weather the breakers. Our 

 situation, for a few minutes, was very alarming. I did 

 not choose to sound, as that might have heightened the 

 danger, without any possibility of lessening it. 



" We had, for some days preceding the 6th of October, 

 seen albatrosses, pintadoes, and other peterels ; and now 

 we saw three penguins, which occasioned us to sound ; 

 but we found no ground with a line of one hundred and 

 fifty fathoms. 



" On the 8th, in the evening, one of those birds which 

 sailors call noddies, settled on our rigging, and was caught. 



" On the 18th of October, we arrived at the Cape of 

 Good Hope, and found in the bay two French East India 

 ships ; the one outward, and the other homeward bound. 

 And two or three days before our arrival, another home- 

 ward-bound ship of the same nation had parted from her 

 cable and was driven on shore at the head of the bay, where 

 she was lost. The crew were saved ; but the greatest part 

 of the cargo shared the fate of the ship. 



" As soon as we had saluted, I went on shore, accom- 

 panied by some of my officers, and waited on the governor, 

 the lieutenant governor, the fiscal, and the commander of 

 the troops. These gentlemen received me with the greatest 

 civility ; and the governor, in particular, promised me every 

 assistance that the place afforded. At the same time, I 

 obtained his leave to set up our observatory, to pitch tents 

 for the sailmakers and coopers, and to bring the cattle 



