ee or four small islands, that
before appeared to be connected. At sun-set the point bore S. 77 deg. W.,
distant three leagues, from which the coast seemed to trend away west. At
this time, the isle of Ambrym extended from N. 3 deg. E. to N. 65 deg. E. The isle
of Paoon from N. 76 deg. E. to S. 88 deg. E.; and the isle of Apee from S. 83 deg. E.
to S. 43 deg. E. We stood for this last isle, which we reached by midnight, and
then brought-to till day-break on the 24th, when we made sail to the S.E.,
with a view of plying up to the eastward on the south side of Apee. At
sun-rise we discovered several more islands, extending from the S.E. point of
Apee to the south as far as S.E. by S. The nearest to us we reached by ten
o'clock, and not being able to weather it, we tacked a mile from its shore
in fourteen fathoms water. This island is about four leagues in circuit, is
remarkable by having three high peaked hills upon it, by which it has
obtained that name. In the p.m. the wind veering more to the north, we
resumed our course to the east; and having weathered Threehills, stood for
the group of small isles which lie off the S.E. point of Apee. These I
called Shepherd's Isles, in honour of my worthy friend Dr Shepherd, Plumian
professor of astronomy at Cambridge. Having a fine breeze, I had thoughts
of going through between them; but the channels being narrow, and seeing
broken water in the one we were steering for, I gave up the design, and
bore up, in order to go without, or to the south of them. Before this could
be accomplished, it fell calm, and we were left to the mercy of the
current, close to the isles, where we could find no soundings with a line
of an hundred and eighty fathoms. We had now land or islands in every
direction, and were not able to count the number which lay round us. The
mountain on Paoon was seen over the east end of Apee, bearing N.N.W. at
eight o'clock. A breeze at S.E. relieved us from the anxiety the calm had
occasioned; and we spent the night in making short boards.

The night before we came out of Port Sandwich, two reddish fish, about the
size of large bream, and not unlike them, were caught with hook and line.
On these fish most of the officers, and some of the petty officers, dined
the next day. The night following, every one who had eaten of them was
seized with violent pains in the head and bones, attended with a scorching
heat all over the skin, and numbness in the joints. There remained no