174 CAPTAIN COOK 



vultures soared over this animal republic, of 

 which they seemed the majestic guardians. 



On leaving Staten Island, Cook steered south- 

 east. After sighting two little frozen islands, 

 which he named Willis Island and Bird Island, 

 he reached on January 17th a great stretch of 

 land, on which he disembarked. He thought at 

 first that it was the mysterious southern conti- 

 nent, but he soon discovered that he was on an 

 island. This frozen land presented a sinister 

 aspect. The summits of its high and rocky moun- 

 tains were lost in clouds. The valleys were deep 

 in snow. There was not a tree or a shrub, only 

 here and there a tuft of grass or a patch of moss. 

 On landing on this desolate coast Cook unfurled 

 the British flag, and took possession of it in the 

 name of His Majesty George III. In honour of 

 the King he called it South Georgia, though it 

 was a double honour, to evoke in the name of 

 this barren and desolate spot the name of the 

 sovereign of England. 



After this Cook continued his journey over the 

 southern waters of the Atlantic. He discovered 

 several little islands or groups of the South 

 Sandwich Islands. In connection with his dis- 

 covery of this land he explained his ideas upon 

 the southern continent in his Journal, ^'I con- 

 cluded that what we had seen, which I named 

 Sandwich Land, was either a group of islands, 



