THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS 133 



solute jewel of verdure, set in the crown of the 

 Pacific Islands and well cut by the expert hands 

 of man. "I thought I was transported into the 

 most fertile plains in Europe," wrote Cook in 

 his Journal. "There was not an inch of waste 

 ground; the roads occupied no more space than 

 was absolutely necessary; the fences did not take 

 up above four inches each ; and even this was not 

 wholly lost, for in many were planted some use- 

 ful trees or plants. It was everywhere the same ; 

 change of place altered not the scene. Nature, 

 assisted by a little art, nowhere appears in more 

 splendour than at this isle." 



The politeness and affability of the inhabitants 

 did not preclude them from a very pronounced 

 and active inclination to theft. In the course of 

 the visits which they made to the ships, the na- 

 tives carried off, with singular dexterity, every- 

 thing which fell to their hands. One of them 

 even possessed himself of the many volumes 

 which he found on a bookshelf in one of the 

 cabins. 



William Wales, one of the distinguished as- 

 tronomers who accompanied the expedition, 

 found himself one day in a situation which Cook 

 described as "sad but laughable." The boat 

 carrying the scientist could not reach the shore 

 owing to lack of water, so he took off his shoes 

 and stockings in order to wade. Having landed, 



