1773*
Octobeh.
Friday 8.
Sunday 10.
not conformed to the general cuftom of cutting off the
hair.
After a fliort converfation with the natives, of whom we
bought a variety of their tools, on account of their elegant
carving, we returned on board to breakfaft, and immediately
after weighed the anchors and fet fail. The pro-
vifions lying in confufed heaps on the decks, prevented
our going into the open fea immediately. We therefore
kept Handing off and on, under fhelter of this ifland, and
did not take our departure till towards evening, when we
lhaped our courfe foutherly.
The next morning, the weather being nearly calm, we
caught a fhark, eight feet long, confequently bigger than
airy we had feen before. In the afternoon we faw the
little ifle which Tafman calls Pylftaerts Ifland. This name
refers to the birds, which -the Dutch navigators obferved
there, and which in all probability were tropic birds. Pyl-
ftaert literally fignifying arrow-tail, alludes to the two long
feathers in the tail of this bird, from whence its French
name of faille-en-queue is likewife derived *. Its latitude is
22° 26' S. and its longitude 170° 59' W. A contrary S.
W. wind which fprung up towards evening,* obliged us to
cruize about fill the 10th in the morning, when we came
* See Mr. Dalrymple’s Colleflion, vol. II, p. 75. where.they are-called mitd
J u r i s ,
in
48 t
in fight of this little iflet again. It is of a moderate height,
and has two hummocks, of which the fouthernmoft is the
higheft. We recovered-the trade-wind by degrees, fo that
we were out of fight of this ifland about two o’clock in the
afternoon, and having bid adieu to the tropical iflands of
this ocean, directed our courfe a fecond time towards New
Zeeland. We had now made fuch good ufe of the four
months, after our departure from thence, as to have croffed
the South Sea in the middle latitudes, in the depth of
winter, examined a fpace of more than forty degrees of
longitude between the tropics, and refrelhed our people at
Taheitee, the Society Iflands, and the Friendly Iflands during
one and thirty days. The feafon for profecuting bur dif-
coveries in high fouthern latitudes advanced, and the favage
rocks of New Zeeland were only to give us fhelter, whilffi
we changed our fair-weather rigging, for fuch as might
refill the ftorms and rigours of more inhofpitable climates.
V ol. 1 .’ Q_q q CHAP .