f which were
to be seen.

"Wednesday 6th January 1779. The next morning the people visited us
again, bringing with them the same articles as before. Being near the
shore I sent Mr. Bligh, the Master, in a boat to sound the coast, with
orders to land and look for fresh water. On his return he reported that
at two cable lengths from the shore he had no soundings with a 160
fathoms of line; that when he landed he found no fresh water, but rain
water lying in holes in the rocks, and that brackish with the spray of
the sea, and that the surface of the country was wholly composed of large
slags and ashes, here and there partly covered with plants. Between 10
and 11 o'clock we saw the Discovery coming round the south point of the
Island and at 1 P.M. she joined us, when Captain Clerke came on board and
informed me that he had cruised four or five days where we were separated
and then plyed round the last part of the Island, but meeting with
unfavourable winds, was carried some distance from the coast. He had one
of the islanders on board all the time; it was his own choice, nor did
not leave them the first opportunity that offered."

This is the last entry made by Cook in the Journal he was preparing for
publication, and is a fair sample of the manner in which the entire
Journal was written, and certainly does not justify the sneers that have
been uttered about bad grammar and spelling, the double negative
notwithstanding. In handwriting, spelling, and grammar he can compare
well with his press either in the Navy or civil life; and many of the
examples of bad spelling given have been abbreviations common in the
Navy, which his critics did not understand.

KARAKAKOA BAY.

On 17th January they anchored in Karakakoa Bay, where large numbers of
canoes laden with provisions for sale came out; Cook estimates that at
one time there were no less than a thousand round the ship, their
occupants entirely unarmed. They soon proved to be adepts at thieving;
one man stole the rudder of a boat, so Cook ordered a shot or two to be
fired over the escaping thief, but "as it was not intended that any of
the shot should take effect, the Indians seemed rather more surprised
than frightened," and the man got away. The lids of the Resolution's
coppers were stolen, and the discovery had her rigging much cut about for
the sake of the iron. The decks were so crowded with the natives that
Burney says it kept a quarter of the crew hard at work to mak