e room for
the working of the ship.

AN INSECURE POSITION.

The last entry made by Cook in his Ship's Journal, and probably the last
words he ever wrote, runs as follows:

"Sunday 17. Fine pleasant weather and variable faint breezes of wind. In
the evening Mr. Bligh returned and reported that he had found a bay in
which was good anchorage and fresh water, tolerable easy to come at. Into
this bay I resolved to go to refit the ships and take in water. As the
night approached, the Indians retired to the shore, a good [many] however
desired to sleep on board, curiosity was not their only motive, at least
not with some of them, for the next morning several things were missing,
which determined me not to entertain so many another night. At 11 A.M.
anchored in the bay which is called by the natives [a blank, filled in by
another hand, Karakakoa] in 13 fathoms of water over a sandy bottom, and
a quarter of a mile from the North-East shore. In this situation the
South point of the bay bore South 1/4 West, and the North point West 1/4
South. Moored with the stream anchor to the Northward. Unbent the sails
and struck yards and topmasts. The ships very much crowded with Indians
and surrounded by a multitude of canoes. I have nowhere in this sea seen
such a number of people assembled at one place, besides those in the
canoes, all the shore of the bay was covered with people and hundreds
were swimming about the ships like shoals of fish. We should have found
it difficult to have kept them in order had not a chief or servant of
Terreeoboo's, named Parea, now and then [shown] his authority by turning
or rather driving them all out of the ship.

"Among our numerous visitors was a man named Touahah, who we soon found
belonged to the church; he introduced himself with much ceremony, in the
course of which he presented me with a small pig, two coconuts and a
piece of red cloth which he wrapped round me. In this manner all or most
of the chiefs introduced themselves, but this man went further, he
brought with him a large hog and a quantity of fruits and roots, all of
which he included in the present. In the afternoon I went ashore to view
the place accompanied by Touahah, Parea, Mr. King and others; as soon as
we landed Touahah took me by the hand and conducted me to a large Morai,
the other gentlemen with Parea, and four or five more of the natives
followed."

Mr. King describes this Morai as being about forty yards long by twenty
br