ught into the country."

This is a fair example of the observations and deductions to be found
scattered through Cook's Journals, and an improvement on the would-be
scientific and classical rubbish put into his mouth by his editors.

A MASTHEAD WATCH.

At last, on 4th August, they got away from the Endeavour River, only to
find themselves surrounded by difficulties. Cook or one of the other
officers was continually at the masthead on the look-out, and at length,
by keeping very close in shore, they managed to creep past Cape Flattery,
and thought the worst was over, but a landing at Point Lookout showed a
very unsatisfactory prospect. In hopes of getting a better view Cook went
out to Lizard Island, and from there could see, far away to the east, the
white breakers on the Great Barrier Reef. This island, on which the only
living things to be seen were lizards, they found, from the large piles
of shells and remains of fires, was visited periodically by the blacks; a
remarkable voyage for their miserable canoes.

Having only three months' supplies at short allowance left, Cook, after a
consultation with his officers, made out through an opening in the
Barrier Reef that he had seen from Lizard Island, and observes:

"Having been entangled among Islands and Shoals more or less ever since
the 26th May, in which time we have sailed 360 leagues by the Lead,
without ever having a Leadsman out of the chains, when the ship was under
sail, a Circumstance that perhaps never happened to any ship before, and
yet it was here absolutely necessary."

But their satisfaction in getting outside was diminished when it was
found that the increased working of the ship's timbers necessitated the
continual use of one pump.

Cook was afraid that being forced outside the Barrier Reef he would be
unable to put to the proof the opinion he had formed that New Guinea and
New Holland were not joined. He did not know till after his return to
England, that the point had already been settled in 1606, by Louis Vaez
de Torres, and he readily yields the honour of the discovery in the
Introduction to his Second Voyage. The log of Torres's voyage was lost
for many years, and was found at Manilla, when that place was taken by
Admiral Cornish in 1762. Cook had with him a copy of De Brye's Voyages,
published in 1756, which contained three charts that he found to be
"tolerably good" with regard to New Guinea, and he evidently formed the
opinion that both t