oderate, we again made sail;
but, about midnight, it blew so violently, as to split both the fore
and main topsails. On the morning of the 7th, we bent fresh sails,
and had fair weather, and a light breeze. At noon, the latitude, by
observation, was 20 deg. 1' N., the W. point of the island bearing S., 7 deg.
E., and the N.W. point N., 38 deg. E. As we were, at this time, four or
five leagues from the shore, and the weather very unsettled, none
of the canoes would venture out, so that our guests were obliged to
remain with us, much, indeed, to their dissatisfaction; for they were
all sea-sick, and many of them had left young children behind them.

In the afternoon, though the weather was still squally, we stood in
for the land, and being about three leagues from it, we saw a canoe,
with two men paddling towards us, which we immediately conjectured
had been driven off the shore by the late boisterous weather; and
therefore stopped the ship's way, in order to take them in. These poor
wretches were so entirely exhausted with fatigue, that had not one of
the natives on board, observing their weakness, jumped into the canoe
to their assistance, they would scarcely have been able to fasten it
to the rope we had thrown out for that purpose. It was with difficulty
we got them up the ship's side, together with a child, about four
years old, which they had lashed under the thwarts of the canoe, where
it had lain with only its head above water. They told us, they had
left the shore the morning before, and had been from that time
without food or water. The usual precautions were taken in giving
them victuals; and the child being committed to the care of one of the
women, we found them all next morning perfectly recovered.

At midnight, a gale of wind came on, which obliged us to double reef
the topsails, and get down the top-gallant yards. On the 8th, at
day-break, we found that the foremast had again given way, the fishes,
which were put on the head, in King George's, or Nootka Sound, on the
coast of America, being sprung, and the parts so very defective, as
to make it absolutely necessary to replace them, and, of course, to
unstep the mast. In this difficulty, Captain Cook was for some time in
doubt, whether he should run the chance of meeting with a harbour in
the islands to leeward, or return to Karakakooa. That bay was not
so remarkably commodious, in any respect, but that a better might
probably be expected, both for the pur