620

CAPTAIN COOK’S SECOND VOYAGE.

nounce. The captain obferved that they could pronounce moll of the Englifh wordswith great eafe. They exprefs their admiration by hiding like a goofe.

To judge of the country by the little they faw of it, it mult be fertile; but theirfruits are not fo good as thofe of the Society or Friendly Ifles. They left them a dogand a bitch ; and there is no doubt they will be taken care of, as they were very fondof them.

After they had got to fea, they tried what effedt one of the poifoned arrows wouldhave on a dog. Indeed they had tried it in the harbour the very firft night, butthey thought the operation had been too flight, as it had no effedt. The furgeon nowmade a deep incifion in the dog’s thigh, into which he laid a large portion of the poi-fon, juft as it was fcraped from the arrows, and then bound up the wound with abandage. For feveral days after they thought the dog was not fo well as he had beenbefore ; but whether this was really fo, or only fuggefted by imagination, is uncertain*He was afterwards as if nothing had been done to him, and lived to be brought hometo England. However, there is no doubt of this fluff being of a poifonous quality,as it could anfwer no other purpofe. The people feemed not unacquainted with thenature of poifon ; for when they brought them water on fliore, they firft tailed it, andthen gave them to underftand they might with fafety drink it.

This harbour, which is fituated on the north-eaft fide of Mallicollo , the captainnamed Port Sandwich ; and it is fo fheltered that no winds can difturb a fhip at anchorthere. Another great advantage is, you can lie fo near the fhore, as to cover you 1 'people, who may be at work upon it.

Soon after they got to fea, they flood over for Ambrym . On the 24th they reachedan ifland near Apee, about four leagues in circuit; it is remarkable by having threehigh peaked hills upon it, by which it has obtained that name. They now fleered tothe eaft ; and having weathered Threehills, flood for a groupe of fmall ifles which heoff the fouth-eaft point of Apee. Thefe Were called Shepherd’s Ifles, in honour otDr. Shepherd, Plumian Profeffor of Aftronomy at Cambridge.

The night before they came out of Port Sandwich, two reddifli fifh, about the fiz®of a large bream, and not unlike them, were caught with hook and line. On thefefifh moft of the officers, and fome of the petty-officers, dined the next day. Th enight following, every one who had eaten of them was feized with violent pains mthe head and bones, attended with a fcorching heat all over the fkin, and numbnefs,in the joints. There remained no doubt that this was occafioned by the fifh being oia poifonous nature, and having communicated its bad effedls to all who partook orof them; even to the hogs and dogs. One of the former died about fixteen hoursafter ; it was not long before one of the latter fhared. the fame fate ; and it was a weekor ten days before all the gentlemen recovered. Thefe mull have been the fame f° r£of fifh mentioned by Ouiros, under the name of Pargos, which poifoned the crewsof his flips, fo that it was fome time before they recovered ; and they would doubtle shave been in the fame fituation, had more of them been eaten.

Continuing their courfe to the fouth, at five P. M. drew near the fouthern lands*which they found to confift of one large ifland, whofe fouthern and weftern extremitiesextended beyond their fight, and three or four fmaller ones lying off its north fi cThe two northerninoft are much the largeft, have a good height, and lie in £ edirection of eafl-by-fouth, and weft-by-north from each other, diftant two leag ueS *They named the one Montague, and the other Hinchinbrook, and the large iu anSandwich,