70 TERRA DEL FUEGO TO OTAHITE CHAP, iv 



After dinner, land was again seen, with which we came 

 up at sunset ; it proved a small island, not more than three- 

 quarters of a mile in length, but almost round. We ran 

 within less than a mile of it, but saw no signs of inhabitants, 

 or any cocoanut trees, or indeed any that bore the least 

 resemblance to palms, though there were many sorts of 

 trees, or at least many varieties of verdure. 



In the neighbourhood of both this and the other island 

 were many birds, man-of-war birds, and a small black sort 

 of Sterna with a white spot on its head, which the seamen 

 called noddies, but said that they were much smaller than 

 the West Indian noddies. 



While we were near the island a large fish was taken 

 with a towing-line baited with a piece of pork rind cut like 

 a swallow's tail ; the seamen called it a king-fish (Scomber 

 lanceolatus). 



tli. It is now almost night, and time for me to wind up 

 the clue of my this day's lucubrations ; so, as we have 

 found no island, I shall employ the time and paper which I 

 had allotted to describe one in a work which I am sure will be 

 more useful, if not more entertaining, to all future navigators, 

 by describing the method which we took to cure cabbage in 

 England. This cabbage we have eaten every day since we left 

 Cape Horn, and have now good store remaining ; as good, to 

 our palates at least, and fully as green and pleasing to the 

 eye as if it were bought fresh every morning at Covent 

 Garden Market. Our steward has given me the receipt, 

 which I shall copy exactly false spelling excepted. 



Take a strong iron-bound cask, for no weak or wooden- 

 bound one should ever be trusted in a long voyage. Take 

 out the head, and when the whole is well cleaned, cover the 

 bottom with salt ; then take the cabbage, and, stripping off 

 the outside leaves, take the rest leaf by leaf till you come to 

 the heart, which cut into four. Lay these leaves and heart 

 about two or three inches thick upon the salt, and sprinkle 

 salt freely over them ; then lay cabbage upon the salt, 

 stratum super stratum, till the cask is full. Then lay on 

 the head of the cask with a weight which, in five or six 



