4B Journal of a Voyage through the 



that two men could bale out the water from our canoe. We 

 were in a state of actual danger, and felt every correspond- 

 ing emotion of pleasure when we reached the land. The 

 Indians had fortunately got more to Windward, so that the 

 swell in some measure drove them on shore, though their 

 canoes were nearly filled with water; and had they been 

 laden, we should have seen them no more. As I did not 

 propose to satisfy my curiosity at the risk of similar dangers, 

 we continued our course along the islands, which screened 

 us from the wind. I was now determined to take a more 

 particular examination of the islands, in the hope of meet- 

 ing with parties of the natives, from whom I might be able 

 to obtain some interesting intelligence, though our con- 

 ductor discouraged my expectations by .representing them 

 as very shy and inaccessible people. At the same time he 

 informed me that we should probably find some of them, 

 if we navigated the channel which he had originally recom- 

 mended us to enter. 



• At eight we encamped on the Eastern end of the island, 

 which I had named the Whale Island. It is about seven 

 leagues in length, East and West by compass ; but not 

 more than half a mile in breadth. We saw several red 

 foxes, one of which was killed. There were also five or 

 six very old huts on the point where we had taken our 

 station. The nets were now set, and one of them in five 

 fathom water, the current setting North-East by compass. 

 This morning I ordered a post to be erected close to our 

 tents, on which I engraved the latitude of the place, my 

 own name, the number of persons which I had with me, 

 and the time we remained there. 



Wednesdaij 15. Being awakened by some casual cir- 

 cumstance, at four this morning, I was surprised on per- 

 ceiving that the water had flowed under our baggage. As 

 the wind had not changed, and did not blow with greater 

 violence than when we went to rest, we were all of opinion 

 that this circumstance proceeded from the tide. We had, 

 indeed, observed at the other end of the island that the 

 water rose and fell ; but we then imagined that it must 

 have been occasioned by the wind. The water continued 

 to rise till about six, but I could not ascertain the time 

 with the requisite precision, as the wind then began to 

 blow with great violence ; I therefore determined, at all 

 events, to remain here till the next morning, though, as it 

 happened, the state of the wind- was such as to render my 



