ON THE WAY TO TAHITI 47 



several albatrosses, for swarms of these birds 

 flew round the ship. He also found floating on 

 the surface of the water the body of a queer fish 

 which had been torn by the birds, and which he 

 classified as a cuttle-fish. Of this fish was made 

 a soup which Banks declared to be "one of the 

 best which he had ever tasted in his life." 



On March 26th a young marine who had, by 

 way of a joke, purloined a seal-skin from one of 

 the servants on board, and whose comrades had 

 reviled him bitterly for a theft which brought 

 dishonour on the whole crew, could no longer 

 bear their insults and threw himself into the sea. 



Land was sighted on April loth. It was Ta- 

 hiti, the island which Captain Wallis had called 

 George III Island, and which had been men- 

 tioned to the Royal Society as being favourable 

 for their intended astronomical observations. 

 Three days later, on the 13th, the Endeavour 

 anchored in Matavai Bay. The first objective 

 of the voyage had been reached. 



