ying the ship, but that a strong guard would be necessary,
to prevent molestation from the inhabitants. They saw no hogs, but
brought off two fowls and some cocoa-nuts, plantains, and bananas. While
the boats were on shore, two canoes came up to them with six men: They
seemed to be peaceably inclined, and were much the same kind of people
as the inhabitants of King George's Island, but they were clothed in a
kind of matting, and the first joint of their little fingers had been
taken off; at the same time about fifty more came down from the country,
to within about an hundred yards of them, but would advance no farther.
When our people had made what observations they could, they put off, and
three of the natives from the canoes came into one of the boats, but
when she got about half a mile from the shore, they all suddenly jumped
overboard, and swam back again.

Having received this account, I considered that the watering here would
be tedious, and attended with great fatigue: That it was now the depth
of winter in the southern hemisphere, that the ship was leaky, that the
rudder shook the stern very much, and that what other damage she might
have received in her bottom could not be known. That for these reasons,
she was very unfit for the bad weather which she would certainly meet
with either in going round Cape Horn, or through the streight of
Magellan: That if she should get safely through the streight, or round
the cape, it would be absolutely necessary for her to refresh in some
port, but in that case no port would be in her reach; I therefore
determined to make the best of my way to Tinian, Batavia, and so to
Europe by the Cape of Good Hope. By this route, as far as we could
judge, we should sooner be at home; and if the ship should prove not to
be in a condition to make the whole voyage, we should still save our
lives, as from this place to Batavia we should probably have a calm sea,
and be not far from a port.

In consequence of this resolution, at noon I bore away, and passed
Boscawen's Island without visiting it. It is a high round island,
abounding in wood, and full of people; but Keppel's Isle is by far the
largest and the best of the two.

Boscawen's Island lies in latitude 15 deg. 50' S. longitude 175 deg. W. and
Keppel's Isle in latitude 15 deg. 55' S. longitude 175 deg. 3' W.

We continued a W.N.W. course till ten o'clock in the morning of Sunday
the 16th, when we saw land bearing N. by E. and hauled u