d here is high and mountainous; the islands which lie off it are also
most of them high, and of a small circuit, having an appearance rather
of barrenness than fertility. At this time we saw smoke in many places
at a considerable distance inland, and therefore conjectured that there
might be a lagoon, river, or inlet, running up the country, the rather
as we had passed two places which had the appearance of being such; but
our depth of water was too little to encourage me to venture where I
should probably have less. We had not stood to the northward above an
hour, before we suddenly fell into three fathom; upon which I anchored,
and sent away the master to sound the channel which lay to the leeward
of us, between the northermost island and the main: It appeared to be
pretty broad, but I suspected that it was shallow, and so indeed it was
found; for the master reported at his return that in many places he had
only two fathom and a half, and where we lay at anchor we had only
sixteen feet, which was not two feet more than the ship drew. While the
master was sounding the channel, Mr Banks tried to fish from the cabin
windows with hook and line: The water was too shallow for fish; but the
ground was almost covered with crabs, which readily took the bait, and
sometimes held it so fast in their claws, that they did not quit their
hold till they were considerably above water. These crabs were of two
sorts, and both of them such as we had not seen before: One of them was
adorned with the finest blue that can be imagined, in every respect
equal to the ultra-marine, with which all his claws and every joint was
deeply tinged; the under part of him was white, and so exquisitely
polished, that in colour and brightness it exactly resembled the white
of old china: The other was also marked with the ultra-marine upon his
joints and his toes, but somewhat more sparingly; and his back was
marked with three brown spots, which had a singular appearance. The
people who had been out with the boat to sound reported, that upon an
island where we had observed two fires, they had seen several of the
inhabitants, who called to them, and seemed very desirous that they
should land. In the evening, the wind veered to E.N.E. which gave us an
opportunity to stretch three or four miles back by the way we came;
after which the wind shifted to the south, and obliged us again to
anchor in six fathom.

At five in the morning, I sent away the master to sear