9$ COOK’s VOYAGE. 
pairs under the larboard bow, and every other place which the 
tide would them permit to come at ; fome calks were then 
lalhed under her bows to facilitate her floating, and at night, 
when it was high water, we endeavoured to heave her eft, 
but without iuccefs, for l'ome of the calks that were lalhed to 
her gave way. 
The morning of the 26th was employed in getting more 
calks ready for the fame purpole, and in the afternoon we lalhed 
no lefs than eight and thirty under the Ihip’s bottom, but to 
our great mortification thefe lfo proved inefiedlua , and we 
found ourfelves reduced to the necefiityof waiting till the next 
dlpriiig-tide. 
This day, fome of our gentlemen who had made an excur- 
hon into the woods, brought home the leaves of a plant, 
which was thought to be the fame that in the Weft-Indies is 
called coccos, but upon trial, the roots roved too acrid to be 
eaten ; the leaves however w ere little inferior to fpinnage. In 
the place where thefe plants were gathered, grew plenty of the 
cabbage trees, wdiich have -occaflonally been mentioned be- 
fore, a kind of wild- plantain, the fruit of which was fo full of 
Clones as fcarcely to be eatable ; another fruit was alfo found 
about the fize of a fmail golden pippin, but flatter, and of a 
deep purple colour : when firft gathered from the tree it was 
very hard and difagreeable, but after being kept a few days 
became foft, and tailed very much like an indilferent da- 
mascene. 
The next morning we began to move fome of the weight 
from the after-part of the ftiip forward, to eafe her ; in the 
jnean time the armourer continued to work at the forge, the 
carpenter was bufy in caulking the fhip, and the men employ- 
ed in filling water and over-hauling the rigging : in the fore- 
noon, I went myfelf in the pinnace up the harbour, and made 
leverai hauls with the feine, but caught only between twenty 
and thirty filb, which were given to the fick and convalefcent. 
On the 28th Mr. Banks went with feme of the :eamen up 
the country, to lhew them the plant which in the Weft-In- 
dies is called Indian kale, and which ferved us for greens, 
Tupiahad much meliorated the root of the coccos, by giving 
them a long drefling in his country oven, but they were fo fmail 
that we did not think them an objeft for the ft, ip. In their 
walk they found one tree which had been notched for the con- 
venience of climbing It, in the fame manner with thofe we 
had feen in Bofany Bay : they faw alfo many^iefts of white 
ants, which refemble thofe of the Eaft-Indies, the moll perni- 
cious infers in the world. The nefts were of a pyramidical 
figure, from a few inches to fix feet high, and very much re* 
^enabled the Hones in England, which are faid to be monu- 
fn^Qt^ of the Druids, Mr, Gore, who was alio this day four 
