CHAPTER VIII 



THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS AND THE NEW HEBRIDES 



In the course of his journey Cook sighted and 

 even discovered several little islands. He de- 

 cided to land on one of them, with the naturalists 

 and a party of men. The natives unanimously 

 displayed symptoms of violent hostility, and 

 welcomed the Englishmen with stones and 

 spears. Cook would have been wounded by a 

 spear, which grazed his shoulder, if he had not 

 had the presence of mind to duck. Making up 

 his mind that no communication was possible 

 with the warlike natives, he decided not to re- 

 main in this barbarous place, and set sail, but 

 not before he had unfurled the British flag on 

 the island, to which he gave the suggestive name 

 of Savage Island. 



Twenty days after his departure from Ulietea, 

 Cook landed on one of the Friendly Islands 

 which he had not had time to explore on his last 

 journey to the archipelago discovered by Tas- 

 man. This island, which the Dutch navigators 

 had called Rotterdam, and which the natives 

 called Annamooka, was a paradise of greenery 

 and flowers. 



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