m
through the salt water, by which means they received a warmth that while
wet with rain they could not have.

This afternoon we saw a kind of fruit on the water which Nelson told me
was the Barringtonia of Forster and, as I saw the same again in the
morning, and some men-of-war birds, I was led to believe that we were not
far from land.

We continued constantly shipping seas and baling, and were very wet and
cold in the night; but I could not afford the allowance of rum at
daybreak.

Wednesday 13.

At noon I had a sight of the sun, latitude 14 degrees 17 minutes south.
Course west by north 79 miles; longitude made 14 degrees 28 minutes west.
All this day we were constantly shipping water and suffered much cold and
shiverings in the night.

Thursday 14.

Fresh gales at south-east and gloomy weather with rain and a high sea. At
six in the morning we saw land from south-west by south eight leagues to
north-west by west three-quarters west six leagues, which soon after
appeared to be four islands, one of them much larger than the others, and
all of them high and remarkable. At noon we discovered a small island and
some rocks bearing north-west by north four leagues, and another island
west eight leagues, so that the whole were six in number; the four I had
first seen bearing from south half east to south-west by south; our
distance three leagues from the nearest island. My latitude observed was
13 degrees 29 minutes south, and longitude by account from Tofoa 15
degrees 49 minutes west; course since yesterday noon north 63 degrees
west distance 89 miles. At four in the afternoon we passed the
westernmost island.

Friday 15.

At one in the morning another island was discovered bearing
west-north-west five leagues distance, and at eight o'clock we saw it for
the last time bearing north-east seven leagues. A number of gannets,
boobies, and men-of-war birds were seen.

These islands lie between the latitude of 13 degrees 16 minutes and 14
degrees 10 minutes south: their longitude according to my reckoning 15
degrees 51 minutes to 17 degrees 6 minutes west from the island Tofoa.*
The largest island I judged to be about twenty leagues in circuit, the
others five or six. The easternmost is the smallest island and most
remarkable, having a high sugar loaf hill.

(*Footnote. By making a proportional allowance for the error afterwards
found in the dead reckoning I estimate the longitude of these islands to
be from 167