154 CAPTAIN COOK'S VOYAGES 



The sight of the head, and the relation of the above 

 circumstances, struck him with horror, and filled his mind 

 with indignation against these cannibals. Curiosity, how- 

 ever, got the better of indignation, especially when Captain 

 Cook considered that it would avail but little ; and being 

 desirous of becoming an eye-witness of a fact which many 

 doubted, he ordered a piece of the flesh to be broiled and 

 brought to the quarter-deck, where one of these cannibals 

 ate it with surprising avidity. This had such an effect on 

 some of the sailors as to make them sick. This youth 

 was killed in a skirmish between two parties. 



That the New Zealanders were cannibals could now no 

 longer be doubted. The account given of this in Captain 

 Cook's former voyage being partly founded on circum- 

 stances, was, as he afterwards understood, discredited by 

 many persons. He was resolved that his statements 

 should be no longer so, and took the right means. Few 

 consider what a savage man is in his natural state, and 

 even after he is in some degree civilized 1 



On the 25th they weighed with a light breeze. The 

 morning before they sailed, Captain Cook wrote a memoran- 

 dum, setting forth the time he arrived, the day he sailed, 

 the route he intended to take, and such other information 

 as he thought necessary for Captain Furneaux, in case he 

 should put into the Sound, and buried it in a bottle under 

 the root of a tree in the garden, in such a manner as must 

 have been found by him, or any European who might put 

 into the cove. 



Every one being unanimously of opinion that the Adven- 

 ture could neither be stranded on the coast, nor be in 

 any of the harbours thereof, they gave up looking for her, 

 and all thoughts of seeing her any more during the voyage, 

 as no rendezvous was absolutely fixed upon after leaving 

 New Zealand. 



On quitting the coast, and giving up all hopes of being 

 joined by their consort, not a man was dejected, or thought 

 the dangers they had yet to go through were the least 

 increased by being alone. 



On the 12th of December, in lat. 62 10' S., long. 172 W., 

 they saw the first ice island 11 farther south than the first 

 ice they saw in the preceding year. 



On the 14th they fell in with several large islands, and 

 about noon, with a quantity of loose ice, through which 

 they sailed. Grey albatrosses, blue peterels, pintadoes, and 

 fulmers were seen. As they advanced, with a fresh gale at 

 west, they found the number of ice islands increase rapidly, 

 also a considerable quantity of loose ice. They tacked, 

 stretched to the north, and soon got clear of it, but not 



