VOYAGE OF THE ENDEAVOUR 403 



in the Bay of Islands, and, rounding Cape Maria van 

 Diemen and the Three Kings, proved that Tasman had Tasman's 

 been right when he had claimed the discovery of a sea-way discover of 

 to Chili. Off the Three Kings the sailors celebrated a sea-way 

 their second Christmas "in the old-fashioned way," ate was correct> 

 goose-pie, and " in the evening all hands were as drunk 

 as our forefathers used to be upon like occasions." Then 

 Cook sailed down the West coast, charting its features 

 with " a mingled audacity and caution " that are greatly 

 admired by the modern hydrographer. He passed the 

 islands which screen Auckland with the remark that they 

 probably " formed some good harbours." He noted the 

 noblest hill he had ever seen, and named it Mount Egmont. 

 Then he came to a " very broad and deep Bay or Inlet, the 

 Southern side of which seemed to form several Bays." 

 Into one of these Bays he determined to go, in order 

 to careen the ship and to obtain refreshment. He sailed 

 up an inlet which he named Queen Charlotte Sound, and 

 anchored in " a very snug cove," which he named Ship 

 Cove. He calculated that Tasman's Murderers' Bay was 

 fifteen miles away ; in reality it was seventy miles away. 

 The natives heaved a few stones, but became friendly after 

 conversation with Tupia. They had no tradition of 

 Tasman's visit ; and, in fact, the tribe which had murdered 

 the Dutchmen in 1642 had itself been murdered long before 

 1770. 



The business now was to determine whether Tasman and also his 

 had been right when he had inferred from the currents p S 



cl JJcLood 



that the great Bay was in reality the entfance to a passage, existed. 

 Cook made the same inference and proved that it was right. 

 While Banks and Solander were botanising, he "climbed 

 to the top of a hill, and in about an hour returned in high 

 spirits, having seen the Eastern Sea and satisfied himself 

 of the existence of a strait communicating with it." An 

 old native further told him that the land South of the 

 passage was not a continent, but consisted of two islands 

 that might be circumnavigated in a few days. On the 7th 

 of February, 17/0, he sailed through "our new straits" 

 which, says Banks, " are to be called Cook's Straits " 



