248 CAPTAIN COOK'S VOYAGES 



cocoanuts from the next island, where we could observe 

 that those trees were in much greater abundance than 

 where we had already landed. 



" With this view I went with the boats to the west 

 side of the island, and landed with little difficulty, and 

 immediately set the people to gather cocoanuts, which 

 we found in great abundance. Omai, who was with me, 

 caught, with a scoop net, in a very short time, as much 

 fish as served the whole party on shore for dinner, besides 

 sending some to both ships. Here were also great abund- 

 ance of birds, particularly men-of-war and tropic birds ; 

 so that we fared sumptuously. And it is but doing 

 justice to Omai to say, that in these excursions he was 

 of the greatest use. For he not only caught the fish, 

 but dressed these, and the birds we killed, in an oven 

 with heated stones, after the fashion of his country, with 

 a dexterity and good humour that did him great credit. 



" We found this islet near a half larger than the other 

 and almost entirely covered with cocoa palms. A young 

 turtle had been lately thrown ashore here, as it was 

 still full of maggots. We found some scorpions, a few 

 other insects, and a greater number of fish upon the 

 reefs. 



" Upon the whole, we did not spend our time unprofit- 

 ably at this last islet ; for we got there about twelve 

 hundred cocoanuts, which were equally divided amongst 

 the whole crew. 



" The nine or ten low islets, comprehended under the 

 name of Palmerston's Island, may be reckoned the heads 

 or summits of the reef of coral rock that connects them 

 together, covered only with a thin coat of sand, yet 

 clothed, as already observed, with trees and plants. 



" The heat, which had been great for about a month, 

 became now much more disagreeable, from the close 

 rainy weather ; and, from the moisture attending it, 

 threatened soon to be noxious. However, it is remark- 

 able enough, that though the only refreshment we had 

 received since leaving the Cape of Good Hope, was that 

 at New Zealand, there was not yet a single person on 

 board sick, from the constant use of salt food, or vicissi- 

 tude of climate. 



" In the night between the 24th and 25th we passed 

 Savage Island, which I had discovered in 1774. I steered 

 for the south, and then hauled up for Annamooka. 



" It was no sooner daylight, than we were visited by six 

 or seven canoes from different islands, bringing with them, 

 besides fruit and roots, two pigs, several fowls, some large 

 wood-pigeons, small rails, and large violet-coloured coots. 



