CHAP. 

 III. 



1786. 



NORTH WEST COAST OF AMERICA. 53 



of danger during the night ; but foon after nine o'clock 

 our doubts were changed into certainty ; for we plainly 

 perceived the objedt in doubt to be either a brig or a fnow, March. 

 ftanding to the Southward. The Queen Charlotte, on *"^ ^^ ^^* 

 feeing this veiTel, fhewed a light, and on our anfwering it,, 

 the ftrange fail hoifted a light, and tacked to the North- 

 ward. By this time fhe was rather abaft our larboard 

 beam ; and as I did not think it prudent to make ourfelves, 

 or our bufinefs, known to ftrangers, I kept on my courfe, 

 and by half paft ten o'clock we loft fight of her. There 

 is reafon to fuppofe that this ftrange fail was a Spanifh 

 veflel, and from her plying to the Southward, fhe cer- 

 tainly was bound either to Baldivia or Conception on the 

 coaft of Chili ; though I was rather furprifed at meeting 

 with a veflel of this defcription in fuch a fituation; we 

 being at this time 300 leagues firom the coaft.. 



We continued our courie to the North Weft, without April. 

 meeting with any thing worthy of notice. On the 2d of "° ^^ '' 

 April we were well within the tropics, our latitude being 

 21° 44' South. At the fame time, the longitude by lunar 

 obfervation was 102° 9°, and the variation 4° 58' Eaft 



From this till the loth we had little variety: that after- Monday 10. 

 noon we pafted a turtle, and being very anxious to procure 

 a frefh meal for my (hip's crew, I brought the fhip to, and^ 

 ordered the whale-boat to, be lowered down, and fent Mr. 

 M'Leod, my fir.ft mate, after it. He brought it on board, . 

 but it had been dead forae time, and was almoft in a ftate of 

 putrefaction* fo that we threw it overboard, and were 

 much difappointed in our expedied dainty. However, to 

 ijiakeus.fome amends for this difappointment, we picked 



