look-out was kept. On the night
of the 24th a tree-trunk was reported, but when morning came nothing
further was seen. It has since been ascertained they were then a little
to the north of Pitcairn Island, afterwards the home of the mutineers of
the Bounty; but Cook did not feel himself at liberty to make any
deviation from his course "to look for what he was not sure to find,"
although he thought he was "not far from those islands discovered by
Quiros in 1606."

On 26th march one of the marines committed suicide by drowning. It seems
he had misappropriated a piece of sealskin, and his fellow-soldiers,
indignant that such a thing should have been done by one of the cloth,
made his life uncomfortable and threatened that he should be reported for
theft. This was the fifth death since leaving England, and none by
disease.

The 4th April, at 10.30 A.M., Banks's servant, Peter Briscoe, sighted
land, and the course of the ship was altered to give them a chance of
inspecting it. It was found to be one of those peculiar circular reefs
surrounding a lagoon, called atolls, which exist in some quantity in the
Pacific. There was no anchorage, so they made no attempt to land, but
were able to see it was inhabited. Some twenty-four persons were counted
through the glasses, and were described as copper-coloured, with black
hair; they followed the ship as if prepared to oppose a landing. The reef
was covered with trees, amongst which the coconut palm was conspicuous.
Cook gave it the name of Lagoon Island; it is now known as Vahitahi, and
is one of the Low Archipelago. Being now in Wallis's track, islands were
sighted almost every day, and almost all appeared inhabited, but owing to
the want of safe anchorage, no communication could be held with the
natives.

On 10th April Osnaburg Island was passed, and next day King George Land
was sighted; but the wind failed, and they did not get close in till the
12th, when canoes came out to the ship, bringing branches of trees which
were handed up the side, with signs directing they should be placed
conspicuously in the rigging, as a token of friendship offered and
accepted. When this had been done the natives produced a good supply of
trade in the shape of vegetables and fruit; amongst the last Banks
enumerates bread-fruit, bananas, coconuts, and apples (a species of hog
plum). These were very acceptable and beneficial to the crew after such a
lapse of time without vegetable food except the