173 
THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
it to be very fmall, and almoft even with the furface of 
the fea. 
The next day, we fleered Weft; it being Captain Gierke’s 
intention to keep as near as poflible in the fame parallel of 
latitude, till we fhould make the longitude of Awatfka Bay, 
and afterward to fleer due North for the harbour of Saint 
Peter and Saint Paul in that bay ; which was alfo appointed 
for our rendezvous, in cafe of feparation. This track was 
chofen on account of its being, as far as we knew, unex¬ 
plored ; and we were not without hopes of falling in with 
fome new iflands on our paffage. 
We had fcarcely feen a bird, fince our lofing fight of 
Tahoora, till the 18th in the afternoon, when, being in the 
latitude of 21 0 12', and the longitude of i94°45 / , the ap¬ 
pearance of a great many boobies, and fome man-of-war 
birds, made us keep a fliarp look-out for land. Toward 
evening, the wind leftened, and the North Eaft fwell, which, 
on the 16th and 17th, had been fo heavy as to make the 
fliips labour exceedingly, was much abated. The next day, 
we faw no appearance of land; and at noon, we fleered a 
point more to the Southward, viz. Weft by South, in the 
hopes of finding the trade winds (which blew almoft inva¬ 
riably from the Eaft by North) frefher as we advanced within 
the tropic. It is fome what lingular, that though we faw no 
birds in the forenoon, yet toward evening we had again a 
number of boobies and man-of-war birds about us. This 
feemed to indicate, that we had paffed the land from whence 
the former flights had come, and that we were approaching 
fome other low ifland. 
The wind continued very moderate, with fine weather, 
till the 23d, when it frefhened from the North Eaft by Eaft, 
and increafed to a ftrong gale, which fplit fome of our old 
fails, 
1779 - 
March. 
V--- * 
Wednef. 17* 
Thurfday 18. 
Friday 19. 
Tuefday z% t 
