1769- to been defcribed; thefe probably belonged to the birds, and
^ March. ^ came them from the land, which we judged to be at a
great diftance. Mr. Banks alfo, about this time, found a
large cuttle-fi£h, which had juft been killed by the birds,
floating in a mangled condition upon the water; it was very
different from the cuttle-filhes that are found' in the European
feas; for its arms, inftead of fuckers, were furnifhed
with a double row of very lharp talons, which refembled
thofe of a cat, and, like them, were retractable into a fheath.
of ikin, from which they might be thruft at pleafure. Of
this cuttle-fifh we made one of the belt foups we had ever
tailed.
WcdneC. 8. The albatroffes now began to leave us, and after the 8th
there was not one to be feen. We continued our courfe
Friday *4. without any memorable event till the 34th, when fome o f
the people who were upon the watch in the night, reported
that they faw a log of wood pafs by the fhip; and that the
fea, which was rather rough, became fuddenly as fmooth as
a mill-pond. It was a general opinion, that there was land
to windward ; but I did not think myfelf at liberty to fearch
for what I was not fure to find ; though I judged we were
not far from the iflands that were difcovered by Quiros in
1606. Our latitude was 32° 1 x'S. and longitude 127" 55'W.
Saturday 25. On the 25th, about noon, one of the marines, a young
fellow about twenty, was placed as centry at the cabbin
door; while he was upon this duty, one of my fervants was
at the fame place preparing to cut a piece of feal-fkin into
tobacco-pouches : he had promifedone tofeveral of the men,
but had refufed one to this young fellow, though he had alked
him feveral times; upon which he jocularly threatened to fteal
one, if it Ihould be in his power. It happened that the fer-
vant being called haftily away, gave the Ikin in charge to
the
the centinel,, without regarding what had paffed between 17^.
them. The centinel immediately fecured. a piece o f the Ikin,
which the other miffing at his- return, grew angrybut after
fome altercation, contented himfelf with taking it away, declaring,
that, for fo trifling an affair, he would not complain,
of him to the officers.- But it happened that one of his fellow
fbldiers, over-hearing the difpute, came to the knowlege of
what had happened, and told it to the reft; who, taking.it
into their heads to. Hand, up for the honour of their corps,
reproached the offender with great bitternefs, and reviled
him in the mod opprobrious terms •, they exaggerated his.
offence into a crime of the deepeft die; they faid it was a.
theft by a centry, when he was upon duty, and of a thing
that had been committed to his truft ; they declared it a d is grace
to affociate with him ; and the Serjeant, in particular,,
faid that, if the perfon from whom the Ikin had been ftolen
would not complain, he would complain himfelf; for that
his honour would fuffer if the offender was not punilhed..
From the feoffs and reproaches of thefe men of honour, the
poor young fellow retired to his hammock in an agony of
confufion and fhame. The Serjeant foon after went to-him,,
and ordered him to follow him to the deck: he obeyed without
repLy; but it being in the dulk of the evening, he flipped
from the Serjeant and went forward : he was feen by
fome of the people, who thought he was gone to the head;.
but a fearch being, made for him afterwards, it was, found
that he had thrown himfelf overboard ; and I was then firft
made acquainted with the theft and its circumftances.
The lofs of this man was the more regretted as he was.
remarkably quiet and induftrious, and as the very adlioru
that put an end to his life was a proof of an ingenuous-
mind; for to fuch, only difgrace: is infupportable-
Oas