ma 7ch fcurvy before; and feveral, though exceffively weak, felt no
inconvenience at prefent. It is true, the little fupply at
Eafter Ifland ferved only as a whet to our appetite, and
made us all extremely eager in our wifhes of reaching the
Marquefas of Mendoja, whither we now directed our eourfe.
Very fortunately for us the wind frefhened the next day,
and continued fo for fome time, giving life to our hopes,
and infpiring more chearfulnefs than we had known for
fome months paft.
In a few days, however, we were much alarmed to find
feveral people fickening again, and particularly complaining
o f conftipations and bilious diforders, which are deadly in
hot climates. Among thefe was our excellent furgeon
himfelf, whofe illnefs gave us more pain than almoft any
thing elfe. The moft unlucky circumftance was, that the
patients could not eat the potatoes which we had brought
from the fliore, becaufe they were too flatulent for their
weakened ftomaehs.
Thuiflay i+. A calm which happened on the 24th, our latitude being
about 1 70 fouth, was very difagreeable to the lick, and
brought fome of them very low. Captain Cook himfelf was
obliged to keep his bed again, being affiidted- with fome
alarming fymptoms. However the wind returned in the
afternoon, and frefhening confiderably in a day or two,
cooled the air very pleafantly. This weather was very fa-
lutary to all the bilious patients ; fo that they appeared on
deck,
deck, and walked, or rather crawled about, though exceedingly
emaciated.
My father ordered his Taheitian dog, the only one which
Hill remained alive after our departure from the Friendly
Iflands, to be killed; it was cut into quarters, which were
ferved up to captain Cook during feveral days, and gave
him fome nourifliment, as he could not venture to tafte the
Ihip’s provifions. By fuch fmall helps we fucceeded in pre-
ferving a life upon which the fuccefs of the voyage in a
great meafure depended.
We daily faw Tropic birds and Ihearwaters after leaving
Eafter Ifland, and frightened many Ihoals of flying fifli out
of the water. Thefe fifh were remarkably numerous on
the 27th, when we faw none but fmall ones, the largeft not
exceeding the length of a finger, and the leaft fcarcely fo
long as one of its-joints. Our latitude-that day, at noon,
was 1 30 1 3' fouth*
Since the calm on the 24th we had a fine fteady gale
from the eaftward, which fpeeded our eourfe prodigioufly.
The weather in general was ferene, and the colour of the
ocean a fine rich blue, bearing always a confiderable relation
to that of the Iky. Dolphins, bonitos, and fharks appeared
from time to time, and various birds at war with
flying fifhes enlivened the feene. To add to our comfort,
the heat of the fun became perfectly agreeable to us, being
tempered by the rapid motion of the air, and permitted us
B 2
>77*- M arch,
Saturday 27,
A p r il»
to