on their latitude, by
observation, was 66 degrees 36 minutes 30 seconds South, the sea being
free from ice. However, in the evening they found themselves completely
blocked by an enormous field, extending, as far as the eye could reach,
from the south-east round to the west; and as the summer was nearly over,
Cook decided it was unwise to attempt anything further southwards, and
ordered a retreat to the north. Again making for the land claimed to have
been discovered by the French, he spent some days searching for it, but
nothing was seen except some floating weed and a few birds that are
supposed never to get far away from land. On 8th February a brisk gale
sprang up, accompanied by very hazy weather, thickening into fog, and the
two vessels separated. The Resolution cruised about, firing guns and
burning flares, but no response was heard, and when the weather cleared
up, the Adventure was not to be seen. Poor Mr. Forster was dreadfully
scared when he realised the two ships had parted company; he says that
none of the crew "ever looked around the ocean without expressing concern
on seeing our ship alone on this vast and unexplored expanse." He seems
to have been thoroughly unhappy, for he describes the whole voyage, from
the Cape to New Zealand, as a series of hardships such as had never
before been experienced by mortal man. Cook conjectured, rightly as it
proved, that being a little to the south of Tasman's track, Furneaux
would make for the rendezvous he had been given at New Zealand, and
therefore felt himself free to push on to the south-east, as he judged
that if any large body of land was in the vicinity, it must lie in that
direction, for the swell coming from the south-west precluded the
possibility of any mass of land being in that quarter.

On 17th February a display of the Aurora Australis was reported to Cook,
who speaks of it as something quite new to him, although Banks noted a
display during the voyage of the Endeavour between Timor and Batavia. The
present one is described as having a spiral motion, the direction not
strongly defined, and at times strong flashes of light. A second display
was seen on the 25th, but not so marked. On this day, too, some of the
ship's boats engaged in watering from a small iceberg, had a narrow
escape from destruction as the berg turned completely over whilst they
were at work.

The weather becoming very unsettled the Resolution was obliged to make to
the north, and on 8