396 THE DISCOVERY OF AUSTRALIA 



.on his Excellency by sending ashore an electrical machine 

 which " shocked him fully as much as he chose." At 

 the Equator, all who had not crossed before must be ducked, 

 from Cook and Banks to dogs and cats, or must buy off 

 in brandy. At Rio there was trouble, for the Governor 

 declared that Cook was the usual English pirate, and locked 

 up his sailors in loathsome dungeon on the ground that 

 they were smuggling. Cook's suspicion was that they 

 were " smuggling " the clothes off their own backs for 

 rum. His Scotch temper rose, and he and the Governor 

 bombarded one another with " memorials." On Christmas 

 Day they were at sea, and, says Banks, " all good Chris- 

 tians, i.e. all good hands got abominably drunk, so that 

 all through the night there was scarce a sober man in 

 the ship. Weather, thank God, moderate, or the Lord 

 knows what would have " become of us." They took 

 the route round Cape Horn, and, on the East coast of 

 Tierra del Fuego, Banks led a botanical expedition to some 

 distant hills. They were surprised by a snow-blizzard, 

 and had to camp for the night. Two seamen and a negro 

 got the rum-bottle ; the negro and one seaman died ; 

 and the other seaman was unable to walk. Buchan the 

 artist fell in a fit, and fat unhappy Solander lay down 

 on the snow, and said he must sleep. But the weather 

 cleared next day ; the survivors reached the ship ; and the 

 botanists were soon supremely happy, collecting shells 

 and plants. 



Cook sails They sailed from Tierra del Fuego on the 2 1st of January, 

 continent I 7^9- Their task now was to look for the continent 



which, according to Dalrymple, ran " but a very little 

 West of the common track towards Juan Fernandez." 

 Cook and Banks were unbelievers, and their unbelief 

 grew. On the 1st of March they were in Latitude 38! 

 and five hundred and sixty leagues West of Chili. They 

 were, in fact, sailing through the thick of Dalrymple's 

 continent ! Yet Cook noted that there were not even 

 any currents : " a great sign that we have been near 

 no land of any extent, because near land are generally 

 found currents." Banks's unbelief was outspoken and 



