of the sound. The Indians of Shag
Cove were there; this we knew by a cock which was in one of the canoes,
and by a long single canoe, which some of our people had seen four days
before in Shag Cove, where they had been with Mr Rowe in the cutter.

We were detained in the Sound by contrary winds four days after this
melancholy affair happened, during which time we saw none of the
inhabitants. What is very remarkable, I had been several times up in the
same cove with Captain Cook, and never saw the least sign of an
inhabitant, except some deserted towns, which appeared as if they had
not been occupied for several years; and yet, when Mr Burney entered the
cove, he was of opinion there could not be less than fifteen hundred or
two thousand people. I doubt not, had they been apprized of his coming,
they would have attacked him. From these considerations, I thought it
imprudent to send a boat up again; as we were convinced there was not
the least probability of any of our people being alive.

On the 23d, we weighed and made sail out of the Sound, and stood to the
eastward to get clear of the straits; which we accomplished the same
evening, but were baffled for two or three days with light winds, before
we could clear the coast. We then stood to the S.S.E. till we got into
the latitude of 56 deg. south, without any thing remarkable happening,
having a great swell from the southward. At this time the wind began to
blow strong from the S.W., and the weather to be very cold; and as the
ship was low and deep laden, the sea made a continual breach over her,
which kept us always wet; and by her straining, very few of the people
were dry in bed or on deck, having no shelter to keep the sea from them.

The birds were the only companions we had in this vast ocean, except,
now and then, we saw a whale or porpoise; and sometimes a seal or two,
and a few penguins. In the latitude of 58 deg. S., longitude 213 deg.[16] east,
we fell in with some ice, and, every day, saw more or less, we then
standing to the east. We found a very strong current setting to the
eastward; for by the time we were abreast of Cape Horn, being in the
latitude of 61 deg. S., the ship was a-head of our account eight degrees. We
were very little more than a month from Cape Palliser in New Zealand to
Cape Horn, which is an hundred and twenty-one degrees of longitude, and
had continual westerly winds from S.W. to N.W., with a great sea
following.

[Footnote 16: Abou