CHAPTER IX 



THE RETURN TO ENGLAND 



At dawn on September 3rd Cook and his com- 

 panions sighted the coast of New Guinea, and 

 before noon a small party of the travellers 

 landed. They saw human footprints on the 

 sands, and suddenly three natives, stark naked, 

 dashed, with savage cries, out of a neighbouring 

 wood. They ran towards the strangers, and one 

 of them, coming nearer than the rest, flung a 

 Icind of stick, which fell beside them, and pro- 

 duced, without any noise, a flash resembling that 

 of gunpowder. The two others flung their spears 

 at the Englishmen, who replied by firing shot, 

 then bullets. But, as Cook had no intention of 

 exploring this country and unfurling the British 

 flag, he returned to the boat with the rest of the 

 party. On the way back to the Endeavour they 

 passed about sixty Indians gathered on the beach, 

 who threw their silent fires, the mysterious com- 

 position of which Cook never discovered. 



Without staying further on the New Guinea 

 coast, the Endeavour sailed westward. Cook's 

 aim was to reach the island of Java as soon as 

 possible, and to call at Batavia, the capital of 

 the Dutch possessions in the East Indies. 



86 



