36
Atlii ftate of fermentation. The wan look of all on board fuffi-
ciently proved, that our meeting with the Marquefas prevented
a fatal and general attack of noxious diftempers,
which would have found ns an eafy prey, and might, in
a fhort fpace of time, have made great havock in our Ihip.
It mutt be allowed, at the fame time, that, as far as human
art, and a humane beneficent difpofition will go, our worthy
furgeon, Mr. Patton, took the befit precautions poflible
to preferve the healths of all on board, by fuggefting the
proper methods to captain Cook, and by watching over us
with unremitted affiduity. I will venture to affirm, that
it is to him alone, under Providence, that many of us are
indebted for our lives ; and that his country owes him the
prefervation of thofe valuable and ufeful members of the
commonwealth, who were fent out on this dangerous expedition.
Great commendations are likewife due to captain
Cook, who left no experiment untried which was propofed
to him, and which feemed to promife fuccefs. The fate
of the voyage depended upon the health of the crew, and
he had the more merit in taking his meafures agreeably to
this reflection, fince, however obvious it may feem, it has
feldom guided other naval commanders.
The fhort flay at the Marquefas had not been fufficient
to reftore our patients to perfect health, and thofe who had
the bilious cholic were rather worfe than before, having
ventured to eat flatulent fruits, which were extremely dangerous
gerous in. a weak ftomach. Captain Cook himfelf was far A’/” ;
from being recovered ; for though he had experienced the
bad effeCts of expofing himfelf to the burning rays of the
fun at Eafter Ifland, he had been aCtive all the time, in pur-
ehafing provifions, and fuperintending his people on fhore.
The. effort which I had made in climbing the mountain, had
likewife been too violent for my precarious ftate of health,
and threw me into a dangerous bilious diforder, which was
the more mortifying, as it happened juft at a time, when
the fcene for my occupations was to open.
We fleered S. S. W. from St. Chriflina, and afterwards
changed the courfe to S, W. and W. .'-S. bringing to, every
night, for greater fafety, as we were now very near the archipelago
of low iflands, which had always been looked
upon as a very intricate part of the Pacific Ocean. The
Dutch navigators, in particular, have given an unfavourable
idea of i t ; for Schouten calls it the Bad Sea, and Rogge-
wein the Labyrinth. ; The latter loft one of his fhips, the
African Galley, on a low ifland, which, from that unfortunate
accident, he called Pernicious Ifland. This circum-
ftance having happened within the memory of man, is-
known among the Society Ifl.es ; from whence we may conclude,
that Pernicious Ifland cannot be at a great diftance
from that group.
On the 1 7th we difcovered a low ifland, about ten o’clock Sunday i7.
in the morning, and coming up with it about noon, . we
were'