drink than I have done; indeed, few men have had
the same opportunity or been driven to the same necessity. It has,
however, in a great measure been owing to such little innovations that I
have always kept my people, generally speaking, free from that dreadful
distemper, the Scurvy."

This extract shows how bitterly Cook felt the stupid ingratitude of his
men for the constant care he took of them, and is one of the very few
passages in his Journals in which he speaks in their disfavour. This,
curiously, was erased by some unknown hand; King asserts it must have
been done by Gore, as he is certain it was not by either Cook or Clerke,
who took command after Cook's death.

FAULTY SAILS.

In trying to weather the south-east end of Mowee in heavy weather, the
leach ropes of the main topsail and two topgallant sails gave way, and
the sails were blown to pieces. Cook says, "neither the cordage, canvas,
nor indeed hardly any other stores used in the Navy, are equal in quality
to those in general use in the merchant service"; and he relates how such
failures have constantly resulted in "infinite trouble, vexation, and
loss." He illustrates his complaint by the fact that rigging, blocks, and
sails that were purchased with his ship, although they had been fourteen
months in use, wore longer than any of the things of the same kind put on
board new from the king's stores.

On 24th December they succeeded in getting to windward of the island, but
the signal to the Discovery to tack having been omitted she stood on, and
it was some days before she rejoined company. January 1779 was ushered in
with heavy rain, but clearing away before noon they were able to approach
to about five miles from the shore, where they lay to and traded with the
natives. The next three days were spent working slowly down the coast and
keeping a good look-out for their consort, occasionally stopping to do a
little trading with the islanders, some of whom came as much as fifteen
miles out to them. The chief article of commerce was salt, which was of
very good quality. On the 5th January the southern point of Owhyhee was
rounded, and they lay off a large village, where they were quickly
surrounded by canoes laden "with hogs and women": the latter are not held
up as patterns of all the virtues. Vegetables seemed to be scarce, and
Cook concluded that either the land could not produce them, or the crops
had been destroyed by volcanic action, very recent traces o