ere
now more than ever necessary, and the poor battered collier was taken
into the "Endeavour" river. Tupia and others were also showing signs
of scurvy; so a hospital tent was erected on shore, and with a supply
of fresh fish, pigeons, wild plantains, and turtles they began to
improve. Here stands to-day the seaport of Cooktown, where a monument
of Captain Cook looks out over the waters that he discovered.

[Illustration: CAPTAIN COOK'S VESSEL BEACHED AT THE ENTRANCE OF
ENDEAVOUR RIVER, WHERE THE SEAPORT OF COOKTOWN NOW STANDS. From an
engraving in the Atlas to Cook's first _Voyage_.]

The prospect of further exploration was not encouraging. "In whatever
direction we looked, the sea was covered with shoals as far as the
eye could see." As they sailed out of their little river, they could
see the surf breaking on the "Great Barrier Reef." Navigation now
became very difficult, and, more than once, even Cook himself almost
gave up hope. Great, then, was their joy when they found themselves
at the northern promontory of the land which "I have named York Cape
in honour of His late Royal Highness the Duke of York. We were in great
hopes that we had at last found out a passage into the Indian Seas."
And he adds an important paragraph: "As I was now about to quit the
eastern coast of New Holland, which I am confident no European had
ever seen before, I once more hoisted the English colours, and I now
took possession of the whole eastern coast in right of His Majesty
King George III., by the name of New South Wales, with all the bays,
harbours, rivers, and islands situated upon it."

This part of the new land was called by the name of New South Wales.

So the _Endeavour_ sailed through the straits that Torres had
accidentally passed one hundred and sixty-four years before, and, just
sighting New Guinea, Cook made his way to Java, for his crew were sickly
and "pretty far gone with longing for home." The ship, too, was in
bad condition; she had to be pumped night and day to keep her free
from water, and her sails would hardly stand the least puff of wind.
They reached Batavia in safety and were kindly received by the Dutch
there.

Since leaving Plymouth two years before, Cook had only lost seven men
altogether--three by drowning, two frozen, one from consumption, one
from poisoning--none from scurvy--a record without equal in the
history of Navigation. But the climate of Batavia now wrought havoc
among the men. One after an