anguage.

POISONOUS FISH.

After leaving, many of those on board were very ill for a week or ten
days from having eaten of a fish which Forster calls a red sea bream, and
Cook believed to be the same as those which poisoned de Quiros's people,
and in his account says that:

"The fish had eaten of poisonous plants, all parts of the flesh became
empoisoned. The ship appeared like the Hospital of a city which had the
plague; there was none who could stand on their feet."

Owing to the care of the surgeons, however "all were recovered."

The next land seen was a small group of islands, named Shepherd's
Islands, "in honour of my worthy friend, the Plumian Professor of
Astronomy at Cambridge"; and Mr. Forster complains that Cook's "rashness
and reliance on good fortune become the principal roads to fame, by being
crowned with great and undeserved success." This was very out of place at
the time, for Cook was exercising the very greatest precautions, as he
fully recognised the dangers by which they were surrounded. He always
stood off and on during the night, and only proceeded through unknown
waters by day. Several of these islets were of a peculiar formation, and
one high columnar rock was named the Monument; Forster gives its height
as 140 yards, the other accounts are satisfied with feet. Many of the
group were inhabited, but no favourable opportunity for landing occurred.

On 1st August a fire broke out on board, and Forster writes:

"Confusion and horror appeared in all our faces at the bare mention of
it, and it was some time before proper measures were taken to stop its
progress, for in these moments of danger few are able to collect their
faculties and act with cool deliberation."

After about half a page of this, on fires in general, he observes:

"Providentially the fire of this day was very trifling and extinguished
in a few moments."

Then a few days after a marine, who had fallen overboard, was smartly
picked up, and being well looked after by his comrades, was soon showing
no ill effects of his accident, thus giving Mr. Forster an opportunity to
write of it as an example of "the result of an esprit du corps to which
sailors, at present, are utter strangers." An utterly unwarranted sneer.

At Erromango, on 4th August, Cook went in with the boats, and the natives
tried to induce them to come on shore, but something roused suspicion
after he and one man had got into the water, so, making signs that he
w