fresh food and civilisation. Australia had produced them little but
occasional fish and a few turtle. The salt provisions of those days were
most unpalatable, and the effect of their continued hard work and
inadequate food for so long, for they were now over two years from
England, with no communication of any kind with the outer world, were
telling on them, though they were still free from scurvy.

Cook, therefore, after landing once in New Guinea, unwillingly turned his
ship's head towards Batavia.

The complaints grew louder as he passed by Timor without attempting to
communicate, and falling in with the island of Savu, he yielded to
importunity, and touched there to get refreshments.

Thence he went by the south shore of the chain of islands to Sunda Strait
and Batavia.

So far all had gone well. It was undoubtedly far the most successful
voyage ever made. Much had been done--more than his orders directed--to
explore unknown lands, and the dire enemy of seamen, scurvy, had been
conquered.

But his luck was not to last.

It was absolutely necessary to remain some time at Batavia, while the
roughly repaired damage to the ship was made good in the Dutch dockyard.

Two months and a half in the sickly climate of Batavia, during a bad time
of the year, wrought a sad change in his ship's company. The port they so
much desired proved but the door of the grave to many of them, and Cook