[CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.  FALSE BAY]

The usual time for His Majesty’s ships to leave False Bay and go round to Table Bay, I found to be the latter end of September; but being then unacquainted with the precise time, and knowing of the loss of the Sceptre in Table Bay, on November 5, from a heavy gale at north-west, I determined to go into False Bay; unless we should get previous information that it had been quitted by the squadron.  At noon, the extremes of the land bore N. by W. 1/2 W. and E. 1/2 N. The Cape Point bore north, three leagues; and our observed latitude being 34 deg. 32’, showed the Requisite Tables to be erroneous in the position of this point; but that 34 deg. 23’, as assigned to it by captain King, was correct.*

[* See Cook’s third Voyage, Vol.  III. page 484.]

At one o’clock we hauled round the rocks which lie off the Cape Point, and steered into False Bay.  Near these rocks were two whales; and one or more of what seamen call thrashers were engaged in a furious combat with them, at a less distance than half a mile from the ship.  The sinewy strength of the thrasher must be very great; for besides raising his tail high out of the water to beat the adversary, he occasionally threw the whole of his vast body several feet above the surface, apparently to fall upon him with greater force.  Their struggles covered the sea with foam for many fathoms round.

At three o’clock we got sight of the squadron lying in Simon’s Bay.  It consisted of His Majesty’s ships Lancaster, Jupiter, Diomede, Imperieuse, Hindoostan, Rattlesnake, and Euphrosyne, under the command of vice-admiral sir Roger Curtis, Bart.  The master of the Lancaster came on board to pilot the ship to a proper berth, and I went on shore to wait upon the vice-admiral.  On showing my orders, and presenting an account of the supplies and the work requisite to put the Investigator in the same state as on leaving England, I found that the naval magazines could furnish only some part, and that many articles, especially biscuit, were not to be obtained; but with great consideration for the service on which I was sent out, the commander in chief ordered every request to be granted either in the articles specified, or by substitution; and a thorough caulking, both within and without side of the ship, being the work most essential to be done, a gang of caulkers, collected from the squadron, was sent on board on the following morning.

SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER 1801

The water which is conducted in pipes to the wharf, for the convenience of shipping, was said not to keep well at sea; and the master of the Lancaster, from whom this information was obtained, recommended, as much superior, that which drains through the sand, from the hills on the north side of Simon’s Bay.  I went, accordingly, to make an examination; and found that by sinking a cask in the sand, with the head out and the upper hoops taken off, the water drained through the spaces between the staves, sufficiently fast for our purpose.  This plan was therefore adopted; and the watering of the ship immediately commenced.