the ihips amply fuppiied with wood ; and' had carried on
board about twelve tons o f water to each.
Monday 14. On th e 14th, a party o f men were fent on ihore to cut
brooms, w h ich we were in want of, and the branches o f
fpruce-trees for brewing beer. Towa rd noon, every body
w as taken o n b o a rd ; for the wind, fre ihen in g, had raifed
fu ch a fu r f on the beach, that the boats could not continue
to land without great difficulty. Some doubts b e in g ftilL
entertained,, whether the coaft w e were n ow upon belonged
to an illand, or the American con tin en t; and the
ihallownefs o f the water putting it out o f our power to determine
this with our ffiips, I fent Lieutenant King, with,
two boats under his command, to make fuch fearches as:
m igh t leave no room for a variety o f opinions on the fu b -
Tuefday 15. *_ Next day, the ihips removed over to the ba y, which
is;
fometimes to a frightful cripple-belonging to the family,, and fometimes to h e r child..
I purchafed all the fiih they, had, coniifting o f very fine falmon, falmon-trout, and?
mullet; which were delivered moft faithfully to the man I fent for them. T h e man*
was about five feet two inches high,,, and well made; his colour,, o f a light copper
his hair black and fhort, and with little beard. He.had two holes in his under-lip,,
but no ornaments in them. The-wonfan was fhort and fquat, with a plump round
fa c e ; wore a deer-lkin jacket.with a large hood ; and'had on wide boots. T h e teeth
-of both were black,; and feenled as i f they had been filed down level with the gums..
T h e woman w as pun£tured from the lip to the chin.”
* Captain K ing has been ib good as to communicate his inftru&ions on this occa*r
fion, and the particulars o f the fatigue he underwent, in carrying them into executions:
u Y o u are to proceed to the Northward as far as the extreme point we faw oil
Wednefday laft, or a little further^ i f you think it neceilary ; land there, and en^
o ts deavour,. from the heights,, to.difcover whether the land you are then upon,, fup-
“ pofed to be the iiland o f Alafchka, is really an ifland, or joins to the land on the
“ Eaft, fuppofed to be the continent o f America.. I f the former, you are to fatisfy
“ .yotirfelf with the depth o f water in the channel between them, and which way the
“ flood-tide comes. B ut i f you, find the tvyo: lands conne&ed, loie no time in found-
“ ing ; but make the.beft of your way back to the fhip, which you wilhfind at anchor
“ near the point.of land we anchored under, on.Friday laft. I f you perceive any likelihood
1778;
September.
t h e p a c i f i c o c e a n .
4&3
«77«. is on the South Eaft fide o f Cape Denbigh, where w e an- _
chored in the afternoon. Soon after, a few o f the natives ■Sep‘?nfan;
came o ff in their fmall canoes, and bartered fome dried fal-
mon for fuch trifles as our people had fo g iv e them.
« ! T d ° ! l Change o f weather for the worfe, you are, in that cafe, to return to the
imp,. although you have not performed the fervice you are fent upon. And at anv
« p i g Y° U H I S t0 H i l0nger Up° n I than four or five days i but the fiooner
U is done the better. I f any unforefeen, or unavoidable accident, ihould force the
| ihips o f f the coaft fo that they cannot return at a reafonable time, the rendezvous
is at the harbour o f Samganoodhaj that is, the place where we laft completed our
water.” r
“ To Lieutenant K in g.” | , “ J A M I E S ' C O O K . »
“ O u r cutter being hoifted out, and thefignal made for the Difcovery’ s, a te ig h ta t
night, on the 14th, we fet out. I t was a little unlucky, that the boats crews had been much
fatigued during the whole day in bringing things from the lhore. T h e y pulled ftoutly
without reft or intermillion, toward the land, till one o’ clock in the morning o f the
15th. I wanted much to have got clofe to it, to have had the advantage o f the wind,
which had very regularly, in theevenmg, blown from the land, and in the day-time
down the Sound, from the North North Eaft, and was contrary to our courfe • but
the men were, at this time, too much fatigued to prefs them farther. W e , therefore
fet our fails, and flood acrofs the bay, which the coaft forms to the W e ft ofBaldhead'
and fteered for it. But, as I expeaed, by three o’ clock, the wind headed u s ; and!
as it was in vain to endeavour to fetch Baldhead with our fails, w e again took to the
oars. T h e Difcoyery’ s boat (being a heavy king’s-built cutter, while ours was one
from Deal) had, in the night-time, detained us veiymuch, and now we foon pulled
W i Z S V , n0r.WOuld 1 wait> bemg in great hopes to reach the extreme
point that vyas in fight, time enough to afcend the heights before dark, as the weather
was at this time remarkably clear and fine; and we could fee to a great dlftance. B y
two o clock we had got within two miles o f Baldhead, under the lee o f the high
land and in fmooth water ; but, at the moment our obje£t was nearly attained,
all the men, but two, were fo overcome with fhtigue and fleep, -that- my iitmoft
endeavours to make them put on were ineffeaual. T h e y , at length, dropped
Bieir oars, quite exhaufted, and fell afleep in the bottom o f the boat. -Indeed “ confi.
dering that they had fet out fatigued, and had now been fixteen hours, out o f the
eighteen..fince.they left the fhip, pulling in a poppling fea, it was- no wonder that
their ftrength and fpints ihould be worn out for want o f fieep and refreihments. T h e
two gentlemen, who were with me, and myfelf, were now obliged to lay bold o f the
c a r s ; and, by a little after three, we landed between the Baldhead and a projeaing
point to the Eaftward.” ,