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roljtledge's world library

THE

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE

CAPTAIN COOK.

©■

eA^zt/uvest
CollectiorL

ROUTLEDGE'S WORLD LIBRARY

*' Syllables govern the world."— John Sklden.

THE

, THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE

CAPTAIN COOK

WITH AN INTRODUCTION

BY THE

REV. HUGH REGINALD HAWEIS, M.A.

LONDON
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS

BROADWAY, LUDGATE HII.L
NEW YORK: 9 LAFAYETTE PLACE

1886

•^
^

Lond.

INTRODUCTION

By the Rev. H. R. HAWEIS, M.A.

Captain Cook was assassinated at Owhyhec, one of the Sand-
wich Islands, in 1779, the very year that Nelson was made a
pobt-captain.

Both were masters each of an art which had been brought
to perfection behind the wooden walls of old England, before the
advent of ironclads and steam-power.

The navigation of Cook and the fighting of Nelson may have
been superseded by modern appliances and inventions, but the
great discoveries were made and the great battles were won
before the mechanical facilities of transit and destruction are
what they have since become. To me there is a charm as of
chivalric days about those old ships. The interest of human
endeavour, the triumph of human ingenuity, resource, and
courage over obstacles almost insuperable with the instruments
at hand, seem to lend a poetic interest and enduring moral to
the feats of those early giants who, with such inadequate means,
compassed such magnificent ends.

^Hfi

INTRODUCTION.

Captain Cook may almost be called the Columbus of the South
Seas, for he first proved New Zealand to be an island, and not,
as was supposed, a continent— by sailing round it.

He was a self-made man. A poor peasant lad, born at Marton
in Yorkshire in 1728. lie went to sea in the usual way, seems
always to have had a passion for drawing maps and making
drafts of river-channels, and very soon distinguished himself in
this direction at the siege of Quebec. From early boyhood he
was always on the high seas.

He went out in 1763 to Newfoundland as surveyor to Captain
Graves, and afterwards acted under Sir Hugh Palliser. The
Royal Society next employed him to command a ship sent to the
South Seas to observe the transit of Venus. The account of his
voyage to these strange regions excited so much interest that he
was soon despatched on another voyage of discover}'. He got as
far as 71" 10' south latitude when, concluding that he would be
frozen up in icebergs if he ventured any further, he returned to
England in 1775. The Royal Society gave him a gold medal
for his services to science and geography, and his journals were
edited by Dr. Douglas, afterwards Bishop of Salisbury.

Cook sailed for the last time in July, 1776, on what is commonly
known as his third voyage, to try and discover a northern
passage to the Pacific Ocean. He got as far as '^'j^ 44' north,
when his ships, Rcsolutio7i and Discovery, were again stopped by
ice. Turning back, he began the exploration of the Sandwich
Islands, and lost his life at the age of fifty-one in an unhappy
skirmish with the natives, February 14th, 1779.

Captain Cook was a man of singular uprightness, courage,
and generosity. He was fair but firm in his dealings with the

INTRODUCTION,

vii

natives, and a born ruler of men. His crew adored him, and his
friends j:^ave him tiie devotion of their lives. His powers ot
observation were extraordinary : not a bird or a tree, not a
custom, or native peculiarity, or an incident escaped him. He
put everything down in his journal with the fidelity of a Boswell
on Johnson, or of White writing the histor}' of Selborne. This
made his narrative as amusing as " Robinson Crusoe," and
rather more instructive, because faithfully true.

The combination of such varied mental and moral qualities
enabled him to use the rough materials then alone at the
disposal of Arctic explorers with signal results. He dealt like
a father with his men, and like a king, or, as they thought, a god,
with the natives ; and he has added such treasures to geographi-
cal science that his name has become almost co-extensive with
the word " Discovery" as it applies to the South Seas.

Any one who has sailed for thousands of miles upon the ocean
will know that there is a considerable sameness, perhaps mono-
tony, about the days which ''follow and resemble one another."
From such monotony Cook's narrative is not altogether free,
but the enforced curtailment here adopted will I tru.^t remove
even that slight element of dulness without impairing the general
drift and consecutiveness of the story.

H. R. HAWEIS.

THE THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE

CAPTAIN COOK.

CAPTAIN COOK, on his first voya^^e to the South Seas,
returned home by the Cape of Good Hope, in July, i/7i, and
again this experienced circumnavigator performed his second
voyage in the Resolution^ which sailed from England in July, 1772,
and returned on the 30th of the same month in 1775. The general
object of this and the preceding voyage round the world, was to
search for unknown tracts of land that might exist within the bosom
of the immense expanse of ocean that occupies the southern hemi-
sphere, and to determine the existence or non-existence of a southern
continent. During these voyages the several lands of which any
account had been given by the Spaniards or Dutch, were carefully
looked for, and most of them found, visited, and accurately
surveyed. The Terra Austraha del Espiritu Santo of Quiros,
which he regarded as part of a southern continent, was circum-
navigated by Captain Cook, who assigned to it its true position and
extent. Bougainville did no more than discover that the land
here was not connected ; but Captain Cook explored the whole
group. Byron, Wallace, and Carteret had each of them con-
tributed towards increasing a knowledge of the amazing profusion
of islands that exist in the Pacific Ocean, within the limits of the
southern tropic, but how far that ocean reached to the west, what
lands bounded it on that side, and the connection of those lands
with the discoveries of former navigators, remained absolutely
unknown till Captain Cook decided the question, and brought
home ample accounts of them and their inhabitants.

ririRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

'I'liat nolhinj:; might be left unattempted, though much had been
.ilrr;i(ly done, Captain Cook, whose professional knowledge could
only l)e e(|iiallcd by the persevering diligence with which he had
employed it in the course of his former researches, was caded upon
once more to resume his survey of the globe. This brave and ex-
perienci'd conunander might have spent the remainder of his da\ s
in the conunand to which he had been appointed in Greenwich
llos|)ital ; but he cheerfully relin(|uished this honourable station in
a letter lo the Admiralty, dated February loth, 1776, placed his
services at the disi)osal of their lordships, and undertook a third
vi>yage, which, in one respect, was less fortunate than any former
exiHHliiion. being jierformcd at the exi:)ense of the precious and
most valiial)le life of its conductor. Former circumnavigators had
returned to I'-urope by the Cape of Good Hope ; the arduous and,
as we now know, impossible task was assigned to Captain Cook of
attempting it by reaching the high northern latitudes between Asia
and America. lie was ordered to proceed to Otaheite, or the
Society Islands, ami then, having crossed the equator into the
northern trojiic, to hoUl such a course as might most probably give
success to the attempt of tinding out a northern passage. But that
the reader may be enabled to judge with precision of the great
outlines (->( tlie present important voyage, of the various objects it
had in view, and how far they were carried into execution, it may
be proper 10 insert a copy of the Admiralty's instructions to
l"aptain Cook.

"Whereas, the Earl of Sandwich hath signified to us his
n\ajesty"s pleasure, that an attempt should be made to find out
.1 northern passage by sea from the Pacitic to the Atlantic Ocean ;
and, whereas, we have in pursuance thereof caused his majesty's
sloops a\\\-('.'.v //('/•; and Pis^oiu-rvio be titted, in all respects, proper
to proceed upon a voyage for the purpose above mentioned ; and
from the experience we liave had of your abilities and good con-
tluct in your late voyages, have thought tit to entrust you with the
conduct oi the present intended voyage, and with that view
appointed you to command the tirst-mentioned sloop, and directed
C\\[itain Clerke, who commands the other, to follow your orders for
his further proceedings ; you are hereby required and directed to
proceed with the said two sloops directly for the Cape of Good
Hope, unless you sliall judge it necessary to stop at Madeira, the
Cape de \'crd, or Canary Islajids, to take in wine for the use of

CAPTAIN COOK,

i been

could
le had
i upon
nd ex-
s da\ s
jnwich
tion in
ed his
I third
former
jis and
»rs had
IS and,
;!ook of
;n Asia

or the
ito the
)ly give
iut that
e great
jects it

it may
ions to

us his
ind out
Ocean ;
ajesty's
proper
d ; and
od con-
ith the
at view
directed
ders for
jcted to
)f Good
-ira, the
; use of

their companies ; in which case you are at liberty so to do, taking
care to remain there no longer than may be necessary for that pur-
pose ; and on your arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, you are to
refresh the sloops' companies with as much provision and water as
can be conveniently stowed.

" If possible, you are to leave the Cape of Good Hope by the end
of October or beginning of November next, and proceed to the
southward in search of some islands, said to have been lately seen
by the French, in the latitude 48 deg. south, and under or near tlie
meridian of Mauritius. In case you find those islands, you are to
examine them thoroughly for a good harbour ; and upon discovering
one, make the necessary observations to facilitate the finding it
again, as a good port in that situation may hereafter pro\e very
useful, although it should afford nothing more than shelter, wood,
and water. You are not, however, to spend too much time in looking
out for those islands, or in the examination of them, if found, but lo
proceed to Otaheite, or the Society Isles (touching at New Zealand
in your way thither if you should judge it necessary and convenient),
and taking care to arrive there time enough to admit of your giving
the sloops' companies the refreshment they may stand in need of
before you prosecute the further object of these instructions. Upon
your arrival at Otaheite, or the Society Isles, you are to land Omai
at such of them as he may choose, and to leave him there.

*' You are to distribute among the chiefs of those islands such
part of the presents with which you have been supplied as you shall
judge proper, reserving the remainder to distribute among the
natives of the countries you may discover in the northern hemi-
sphere ; and having refreshed the people belonging to the sloops
under your command, and taken on board such wood and water as
they may respectively stand in need of, you are to leave those
islands in the beginning of February, or sooner if you shall judge it
necessary, and then to proceed in as direct a course as you can to
the coast of New Albion, endeavouring to fall in with it in the
latitude of 45 deg. north, and taking care in your way thither not to
lose any time in search of new lands, or to stop at any you may
fall in with, unless you find it necessary to recruit your wood and
water.

" You are also in your way thither, strictly enjoined not to touch
upon any part of the Spanish dominions on the western continent
of America, unless driven thither by some unavoidable accident, in

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

which case you are to stay no longer there than shall be absolutely
necessary, and to be very careful not to give umbrage or otfence to
any of the inhabitants or subjects of his Catholic Majesty. And, if
in your further progress to the northward, as hereafter directed, you
find any subjects of any European prince or state upon any part of
the coast you may think proper to visit, you are not to disturb
them, or give them any just cause of offence, but, on the contrary,
to treat them with civility and friendship.

" Upon your arrival on the coast of New Albion, you are to put
into the first convenient port to recruit your wood and water and
procure refreshments, and then to proceed northward along the
coast as far as the latitude of 65 deg., or farther, if you are not
obstructed by lands or ice ; taking care not to lose any time in
exploring rivers or inlets, or upon any other account until you get
in the before-mentioned latitude of 65 deg., where we could wish
you to arrive in the month of June next. When you get that length
you are very carefully to search for and explore such rivers or
inlets as may appear of considerable <"xtent, and pointing towards
Hudson's or Baffin's Bays, and if, from your own observations or
from information from the natives (who, there is reason to believe,
are the same race of people, and speak the same language — of which
you are furnished with a vocabulary — as the Esquimaux), there
shall appear to be a certainty, or even a probabilitv, of a water
passage into the afore-mentioned bays, or either of them, you are,
in such case, to use your utmost endeavours to pass through with
one or both of the sloops, unless you shall be of opinion that the
passage may be effected with more certainty, or with greater pro-
bability, by smaller vessels ; in which case you are to set up the
frames of one or both of the small vessels with which you are pro-
vided, and when they are put together, and are properly fitted,
stored, and victualled, you are to despatch one or both of them
under the care of proper officers, with a sufficient number of petty
officers, men, and boats, in order to attempt the said passage ;
with such instructions for rejoining you, if they should fail, or for
their further proceedings, if they should succeed in the attempt, as
you shall judge most proper. But, nevertheless, if you shall find it
more eligible to pursue any other measures than those above pointed
out, in order to make a discovery of the before-mentioned passage
(if any such there be), you are at liberty ; and we leave it to your
discretion to pursue such measures accordingly.

CAPTAIN COOK.

•• But, should you be satisfied that there is no passage through
the bays, sufficient for the purposes of navigation, you are, at the
proper season of the year, to repair to the port of St. Peter and
St. Paul, in Kamtschatka, or wherever else you shall judge more
proper, in order to refresh ycur people and pass the winter ; and
in the spring of the ensuing year, 1778, to proceed from thence to
the northward, as far as in your prudence you may think proper, in
further search of a North-east or Noilh-west passage from the
Pacific Ocean into the Atlantic, or North Sea ; and, if from your
own observation, or any information you may receive, there shall
appear to be a probability of such a passage, you are to proceed as
above directed ; and having discovered such a passage, or failed in
the attempt, make the best of your way back to England, by such
route as you may think best for the improvement of geography and
navigation ; repairing to Spithead with both sloops, where they are
to remain till further orders.

" And at whatever places you may touch in the course of your
voyage, where accurate observations of the nature hereafter
mentioned have not been made, you are, as far as your time will
allow, very carefully to observe the situation of such places, both
in latitude and longitude ; the variation of the needle ; bearings ot
headlands ; height, direction, and course of the tides and currents ;
depths and soundings of the sea ; shoals, rocks, &c. ; and also to
survey, make charts, and take views of sucl. bays, harbours, and
different parts of the coast, and to make such notations thereon as
may be useful either to navigation or commerce. You are also
carefully to observe the nature of the soil and the produce thereof ;
the animals or fowls that inhabit or frequent it ; the fishes that are
found in the rivers or upon the coast, and in what plenty ; and
in case there are any peculiar to such places, to describe them
minutely, and to make as accurate drawings of them as you can ;
and if you find any metals, minerals, or valuable stones, or any
extraneous fossils, you are to bring home specimens of each ; ai
also of the seeds of such trees, shrubs, plants, fruits, and grains,
peculiar to those places, as you may be able to collect, and to
transmit them to our secretary, that proper experiments and exami-
nations mpy be made of them. You are likewise to examine the
genius, temper, disposition, and number of the natives and inhabi-
tants, where you find any ; and to endeavour, by all proper means,
to cultivate a friendship with them^ making them presents of such

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

trinkets as you may have on board, and they may like best ; inviting
them to traffic, and showing them every kind of civility and regard,
but taking care, nevertheless, not to suffer yourselves to be surprised
by them, but to be always on your guard against any accidents.

" You are also, with the consent of the natives, to take pos-
session, in the name of the King of Great Britain, of convenient
situations in such countries as you may discover, that have not
already been discovered or visited by any other European power ;
and to distribute among, the inhabitants such things as will re-
main as traces and testimonies of your having been there ; but if
you find the countries so discovered are uninhabited, you are to
take possession of them foi his majesty, by setting up proper marks
and inscriptions as first discoverers and possessors.

" But forasmuch as, in undertakings of this nature, several emer-
gencies may arise not to be foreseen, and therefore not particularly
to be provided for by instructions beforehand, you are, in such
cases, to proceed as you shall judge most advantageous to the
service on which you are employed ; and you are, by all oppor-
tunities, to send to our secretary, for our information, accounts of
your proceedings, and copies of the surveys and drawings you shall
have made ; and upon your arrival in England, you are imme-
diately to repair to this office, in order to lay before us a. Tull account
of your proceedings in the whole course of your voyage, taking
care, before you leave the sloop, to demand from the officers and
petty officers the log-books and journals they may have kept, and
to seal them up for our inspection, and enjoining them, and the
whole crew, not to divulge where they have been, until they have
permission so to do ; and you are to direct Captain Gierke to do
the same with respect to the officers, petty officers, and crew of the
Discovery.

'' Should any accident happen to the Resolution in the course of
the voyage, so as to disable her from proceeding any further, you
are in such case to remove yourself and her crew into the Discovery,
and to prosecute your voyage in her, her commander being hereby
strictly required to receive you on board, and to obey your orders,
the same in every respect as when you were actually on board the
Resolution; and in case of your inability by sickness, or otherwise,
to carry these instructions into execution, you are to be careful to
leave them with the next officer in command, who is hereby required
to execute them in the best manner he can.

CAPTAIN COOK.

iviting
egard,
prised
ts.

s pos-
enient
/e not
ower ;
ill re-
but if
are to
marks

emer-
:ularly
such
to the
oppor-
mts of
u shall
imme-
ccount
taking
jrs and
pt, and
nd the
y have

to do
J of the

urse of
or, you
jovery,
hereby
orders,
ard the
erwise,
eful to
squired

"The above instructions were given July 6th, 1776, under the
hands of the Earl of Sandwich, Lord C. Spencer, Sir H, I'alliscr ;
and, by command of their lordships, signed, Philip Stephens, Secre-
tary of the Admiralty/'

In order to carry this noble and extensive plan into execution, on
the 14th of February, 1776, the Resolution and Discox'try^ having
been completely equipped in the dock at Dcptford, were put into
commission. Captain Cook hoisted his pendant on board the
former sloop, and the command of the Discovery^ of 300 tons bur-
then, which had been purchased into the service, was gi\ en to Cap-
tain Clerke, who had been Captain Cook's second lieutenant on
board the Resolution^ in his second voyage round the world. Both
ships were well fitted out, and supplied abundantly with ever\' article
necessary for a long voyage ; and on the 8th of June, while they
lay in Long Reach, they had the satisfaction of a \-isit from Earl
Sandwich, Sir Hugh Palliser, and others of the Board of Admiralty,
to ascertain whether everything had been completed pursuant to
their orders and for the convenience of their crews. They honoured
Captain Cook with their company to dinner on .that day, and were
saluted on their coming on board and on their going on shore, with
seventeen guns and three cheers. To convey some permanent
benefit to the inhabitants of Otaheite and of the other islands which
they might happen to visit, his Majesty ordered a supply of some
useful animals, with hay and corn for their support. They were
also furnished with a sufficient quantity of valuable European gar-
den seeds which might add fresh supplies of food to the vegetable
productions of 'the newly-discovered islands. They had also an
extensive assortment of iron, tools, and trinkets, to facilitate a
friendly commerce and intercourse with the inhabitants of such new
countries as might be discovered. A variety of other articles, which
might be conducive to health, comfort, or convenience, were also
added. In furtherance of geographical science, a variety of astro-
nomical and nautical instruments were intrusted by the Doard of
Longitude to Captain Cook and Mr. King, his second lieutenant,
who volunteered to supply the place of a professional observer. The
Board likewise intrusted them with the time-keeper, by Kendal,
Captain Cook had employed on his last voyage, and which
had given great satisfaction. Another chronometer and a similar
assortment of astronomical and other instruments were put
on board the Discovery for the use of Mr. William Bailey, who

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

was engaged as an observer on board that sloop. Thoup^h
several young men among the sea-officers were capable of being
employed in constructing charts, drawing plans, and taking
views of the coasts and headlands, nevertheless, Mr. Webster
was engaged to embark with Captain Cook for the purpose of
supplying the defects of written accounts, by taking accurate
drawings of tlic most memorable scenes and transactions. Mr.
Anderson, also, surgeon to Captain Cook, added to his pro-
fessional abilities a great proficiency in natural history. This
gentleman had already visited the South vSea Islands in the same
ship, and enabled the captain to enrich his history of his voyage
with useful and valuable remarks. The vocabularies of the
Friendly and Sandwich Islands, and of the natives of Nootka, had
been furnislicd to the commander by this useful associate, and a
fourth vocabulary, in which the language of the Esquimaux was
compared with that of the Americans on the opposite side of the
continent, had Ijeen prepared by the captain himself. The con-
fessed abilities and great assiduity of Mr. Anderson, in observing
everything that related either to natural history or to manners and
language, and the desire manifested by Captain Cook on all occa-
sions to h:.ve the assistance of that gentleman, afforded proof of the
great value of his collections. The Resoliitioii had the same com-
plement of ofticers and men that she had in her former voyage, and
the establ'shment of the Di'sco:'(j?y varied from that of the Adven-
ture in the single instance of her having no marine officer on board.
This arrangement was linally completed at Plymouth, and on the
gth of July they received the party of marines allotted for the
voyage. On board both vessels were 192 persons, officers included.
Those of the Resolution were Lieutenants Gore, Kin,cr, and William-
son ; Biigh,* master ; Anderson, surgeon ; and Philips, lieutenant
of marines. The officers of the Discovery were lieutenants Burney
and Rickman ; Edgar, master ; and Law, surgeon.

* Mr. \V'iIlij.m IJligli was the same officer who commanded the Bonnfy, the crew
of which mutinied on April 8, 1789, off Otaheite, and having bound Lieutenant Hligh,
turned him adrift in the long-boat with eighteen men, and, with onlv 150 lbs. of biscuit,
,32 lbs. of poik, and a 28-gallon cask of water. Mr. Bligh ultimately reached Timor,
having traversed 3,618 miles in forty-six days. The /'a«t/(7ra was despatched from
England to bring the mutineers to justice, and eighteen were brouglit off the island;
but the frigate was wrecked, when several men were drowmed. Ten of the mutineers
reached^ England and were tried by court-martial, when three were hanged in June,
1792. Fletcher Christian, the ringleader, and the mutineei

to Pitcairn's Island, where they were discovered in iSog.

?ers proceeded in the Bounty

CAPTAIN COOK.

It is with Captain Cook's third and last fatal voyage of explora-
tion in which he lost his life that the present volume alone deals,
and we give the narrative in an abbreviated form, chiefly in, the
Captain's own words.

Contrary winds and other circumstances of little consequence
prevented the ships from clearing the Channel till the 14th of
July, 1776.

Nothing material happened till the ist of August, when we
arrived off Teneriffe, one of the Canaries, where several of the
gentlemen landed. It is said that none of the al^original inhabi-
tants remain here as a distinct people, but that the produce of their
intermarriage with the Spaniards may still be traced in a strong
and muscular race dispersed over the islands.

On the 4th we weighed anchor and proceeded on our voyage.
At nine o'clock in the evening of the loth we saw the island of
Bonavista, bearing south, distant little more than a league, though
at this time we thought ourselves much farther off. This, however,
proved a mistake, for after hauling to the eastward till twelve
o'clock to clear the sunken rocks that lie about a league from the
south-east point of the island, we found ourselves at that time close
upon them, and but just weathered the breakers. Our situation,
for a few moments, was very alarming. I did not choose to sound,
as that might have heightened the danger instead of lessening it.
For some days preceding the 6th of October we had seen alba-
trosses, pintadoes, and other petrels, and now saw three penguins,
which induced us to sound, though we found no ground at 150
fathoms.

On the loth of October we arrived at the Cape of Good Hope,
and found in the bay two French East India ships, the one outward
and the other homeward bound.

Nothing remarkable happened till the evening of the 31st, when
it began to blow excessively hard from the south-east and continued
for three days, during which time there was no comaiiunication
between the ship and the shore. The JRcsolntion was the only ship
in the bay that rode out the gale without dragging her anchors.
We felt its effects not less sensibly on shore ; the tents and
observatory were torn to pieces, and the astronomical quadrant
narrowly escaped irreparable damage. On the 3rd of November
the storm ceased.

The Discovery^ having been detained some days at Plymouth

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

after the Resolution^ did not arrive here till the loth. Captain
Gierke informed me that he had sailed from Plymouth on the ist of
August, and should have been with us a week sooner if the late gale
of wind had not blown him off the coast. Upon the whole, he was
seven days longer in his passage from England than we had been.
He had the misfortune to lose one of his marines, who fell over-
board ; but there had been no other mortality among his peopiv%
and they now arrived well and hearty.

While the ships were getting ready, some of our officers made an
excursion into the neighbouring country.

Here I added to my original stock of live animals by purchasing
two young bulls, two heifers, two young stone horses, two mares,
two rams, several ev.es and goats, and some rabbits and poultry.
All of them were intended for New Zealand; Otaheite, and the
neighbouring islands, or any other place in the course of our
voyage where there might be a prospect of their proving useful to
posterity. Having given Captain Clerkc a copy of my instructions,
and an order directing him how to proceed in case of separation,
we repaired on board on the morning of the 30th. At five in the
afternoon we weighed and stood out of the bay. We steered a
south-east course, with a very strong gale from the westward,
followed by a mountainous sea, which made the ship roll and
tumble exceedingly, and gave us a great deal of trouble to preserve
from injury the cattle we had on board. Notwithstanding all our
care, several goats, especially the males, died, as also some sheep.
This misfortune was, in a great measure, owing to the cold, which
we now began to feel most sensibly.

Nothing very interesting hr^ppened from the 5th of December till
the 26th of January, when they arrived at Van Diemen's Land,
where, as soon as they had anchored in Adventuie Bay, Captain
Cook says, I ordered the boats to be hoisted out. In one of them
I went myself to look for the most commodious place for furnishing
ourselves with the necessary supplies, and Captain Clerke went in
his boat upon the same service. Early next morning I sent Lieu-
tenant King to the east side of the bay, with two parties, one to cut
wood and the other grass, under the protection of the marines, as,
although none of the natives had appeared, there could be no doubt
that some were in the neighbourhood. I also sent a launch for
water, and afterwards visited all the parties myself. In the evening
we drew the seine at the head of the bay, and at one haul caught a

CAPTAIN COOK.

great quantity of fish ; most of them were of that sort known to
seamen by the name of clcpliant tish. In the afternoon, next day,
we were agreeably surprised, while cutting wood, with a visit from
eight men and a boy, natives of the country. They approached us
from the woods, without betraying any marks of fear, for none of
them had any weapons, except one, who held in his hand a stick,
about two feet long and pointed at one end. 'I'hey were of common
stature, but rather slender. Their skin was black, and also their hair
which was as woolly as that of any native of (Guinea ; but they were
not distinguished by remarkaljly thick lips nor Hat noses. On the
contrary, their features were far from being disagreeable ; most of
them had their hair and beards smeared with red ointment, and
some had their faces also painted with the same composition. They
received our presents without the least appearance of satisfaction,
and when some bread was offered them they either returned it or
threw it away without even tasting it. They also refused some
elephant fish, both raw and dressed. However, upon giving them
some birds, they did not return these, and easily made us compre-
hend that they were fond of such food. I had brouglit two pigs
ashore with a view to leave them in the woods. The instant these
came within reach they seized them, as a dog would have done, by
the ears, and were carrying them off immediately, with no other
apparent intention than to kill them.

Being desirous of knowing the use of the stick which one of our
visitors carried in his hand, I made signs to them to show me, and
so far succeeded that one of them set up a piece of wood as a mark,
and threw at it from a distance of about twenty yards. But he had
little reason to commend his dexterity, for, after repeated trials, he
was still very wide of the mark. Omai, to show them how much
superior our weapons were to theirs, then fired his musket at it,
which alarmed them so much that, notwithstanding all he could do
or say, they ran instantly into the woods. Thus ended our first
interview with the natives.

Immediately after their final retreat I ordered the two pigs —
being a boar and a sow — to be carried about a mile within the
woods, at the head of the bay, and saw them left there, by the side
of a fresh-water brook. A young bull and a cow, and some sheep
and goats, were also at first intended to have been left by me, as
an additional present to Van Diemen's Land. But I soon altered
my intention, from a persuasion that the natives, incapable of

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

entering into my views of improving their country, would destroy
them.

The morning of the 29th \vc had a dead cahn, which continued
all day, and cffoctuiilly prevented our sailing. 1 therefore sent a
party over to the cast point of the bay, to cut grass, and another,
^vhich I accompanied, to cut wood. We had observed several of
the natives sauntering along the shore, which assured us that,
though their consternation had made them leave us so abruptly
the day before, they were convinced that wc intciided them no
mischief, and were desirous of renewing the intercourse. We had
not been long landed before about twenty of them, men and boys,
joined us, without expressing the least sign of fear or distrust.
One of this company was conspicuously deformed, but was not
more distinguishable by the hump on his back than by the drollery
of his gestures, and the seeming humour of his speeches, which he
was very fond of exhibiting, as we supposed, for our entertainment.
His language appeared to me to be different from that spoken by
the inhabitants of the more northern parts of this country, whom
I met with in my first voyage, which is not extraordinary, since
those we now saw and those we then visited differ in many other
respects.

Some of our present group wore round their necks three or four
loose folds of small cord, made of the fur of some animal, and
others of them had a narrow slip of the kangaroo skin tied round
their ankles. I gave to each of them a string of beads and a medal,
which they appeared to receive with some satisfaction. They
seemed to set no value on iron, or iron tools, and were even ignorant
of the use of fish-hooks, if we might judge of their manner of look-
ing at some of ours, which we showed to them, though it is certain
they derive no inconsiderable part of their subsistence from the sea.
We saw, however, no vessels in which they could go on the water.
Their habitations were little sheds or hovels, built of sticks and
covered with bark. After staying about an hour with the wooding
party and the natives, I went over to the grass-cutters. Having
seen the boats loaded, I returned on board to dinner, and some time
after was joined by Lieutenant King. From him I learnt that soon
after my departure several women and children made their appear-
ance. These females wore a kangaroo skin tied over the shoulders
and round the waist, apparently to support their children when
carried on their backs, for in all other respects they were as naked

CAPTAIN COOK,

four
and
OLind
\edal,
rhcy
orant
ook-
rtain
sea.
vater.
and
cding
aving
I time
soon
pear-
ilders
when
laked

as the men, and had their bodies tattooed in the same manner.
They differed from the men in iriat as some of them had their heads
completely shorn, in others this operation liad been performed on
only one side, while the rest of them had all the upper part of
the head shorn close, leaving a circle of hair all r;)und, somewhat
like the tonsure of Romish priests. Many of the children had fine
features and were thought pretty, but the same cannot be said of
the persons of the women, especially those advanced in years.

Mr. Anderson, with his usual diligence, spent the few days we
remained in Adventure I5ay in examining the country. The only
animal of the ([uadrupcd kind we got was a sort of opossum, about
twice the size of a large rat. It is of a dusky colour above, tinged
with a brown or rusty cast, and whitish below. About a third of
the tail towards its tip is white, and bare imderneath, by which it
probably hangs on the branches of trees in its search for berries.
The kangaroo, without doubt, is a native of this island, as the people
we met with had some pieces of their skins ; and we several times
saw an animal, though indistinctly, in the woods, which, from its
size, could be no other.

In the woods, the principal sorts of birds are large brown hawks,
or eagles, crows, nearly the same as ours in England, yellowish
paroquets, and large pigeons ; there are also three or four small
birds, one of which is of the thrush kind. On the shore were
sevenJ common sea-gulls, a few black oyster- catchers, or sea-pies,
and a pretty plover, of a stone colour, with a black hood. About
the lake, behind the beach, a few wild ducks were seen, and some
shags used to perch upon the high lealiess trees near the shore. The
sea affords a more plentiful supply to the inhabitants, and at least
as great a variety as the land. Of these, the elephant fish are the
most numerous, and though inferior to many other hsh, were very
palatable food. Superior in quality to the elephant fish was a sort
partaking of the nature both of a round and a tlat fish, having the
eyes placed very near each other, the fore part of the body very
much flattened or depressed, and the rest rounded. It is of a
brownish-sandy colour, with rusty spots on the upper part and
below. P>om the quantity of slime it was always covered with, it
seems to live after the manner of flat fish at the bottom. Upon the
rocks are plenty of muscles and some other small shell-fish. There
are also great numbers of sea-stars, some small limpets, and large
quantities of sponge, one sort of which thrives on shore iDy the sea,

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

and has a most delicate texture. Among the insects are grass-
hoppers, butterflies, and several sorts of small moths, finely varie-
gated. There are two sorts of dragon-flies, gad-tlies, camel-flies,
several sorts of spiders, and some scorpions, but the last are rather
rare. The most troublesome, though not very numerous tribe of
insects, are the mosquitoes, and a large black ant, the pain of whose
bite, while it lasts, is almost intolerable.

The inhabitants whom we met with here had little of that fierce
and wild appearance common to people in their situation, but on
the contrary seemed mild and cheerful, without reserve or jealousy
of strangers. With respect to their personal activity or mental
capacity, they do not seem to possess the first in any remarkable
degree ; and as for the latter, they have apparently less than even
the half-animated inhabitants of Terra del Fuego, who have not
invention sufficient to make clothing for defending themselves from
the rigour of the climate, though furnished with the materials.
Their colour is a dull black, and not quite so deep as that of the
African negro. Their hair, however, is perfectly woolly, and is
clotted or divided into small parcels like that of the Hottentots,
with the use of some sort of grease, mixed with a red paint or ochre,
which they smear in great abundance over their heads. Their
noses, though not flat, are broad and full ; their eyes are of a mid-
dling size, with the white less clear than in us, and though not
remarkably quick or piercing, such as give a frank, cheerful cast
to the whole countenance. Their mouths are rather wide, and they
wear their beards long, and clotted with paint in the same manner
as the hair on their heads.

At eight o'clock in the morning of the 30th of January, a light
breeze springing up at west, we weighed anchor and put to sea
from Adventure Bay. We pursued our course to the eastward,
without meeting with anything worthy of note, till the night of the
6th of February, when a marine belonging to the Discovery fell
overboard, and was never seen afterwards.

At daybreak on the i6th I set out with a party of men in five
boats to collect food for our cattle. Captain Gierke, and several of
the ofiicers, also Omai, and two of the natives, accompanied me.
We proceeded about three leagues up the Sound and then landed
on the east side, at a place where I had formerly been. Here we
cut as much grass as loaded the two launches. As we returned
down the Sound, we visited Grass Gove, memorable as the scene of

CAPTAIN COOK,

the massacre of Captain Furneaux's people. Whilst we were at
this place our curiosity prompted us to enquire into the circum-
stances attending the melancholy fate of our countrymen, and
Omai was made use of as interpreter for this purpose. The natives
present answered all the questions that were put to them on the
subject with out reserve, and like men who are under no dread of
punishment for a crime of which they are not guilty; for we already
knew that none of them had been concerned in the unhappy trans-
action. They told us, that while our people were sitting at dinner,
surrounded by several of the natives, some of the latter stole, or
snatched from them, some bread and fish, for which they were
beaten. This being resentea a quarrel ensued, and two New
Zealanders were shot dead, by the only two muskets that were
fired ; but before our people had time to discharge a third, or to
load again those that had been fired, the natives rushed in upon
them, overpowered them with their numbers, and put them all to
death. We stayed here till the evening, when, having loaded the
rest of the boats with grass, celery, and scurvy-grass, we embarked
to return to the ships, where some of the boats did not arrive till
one o'clock the next morning ; and it was fortunate that they got
on board then, for it afterwards blew a perfect storm. In the
evening the gale ceased, and the wind having veered to the east,
brought with it fair weather.

By this time more than two-thirds of the inhabitants of the
Sound had settled themselves about us. Great numbers of them
daily frequented the ships while our people were busy melting
some seal-blubber. No Greenlander was ever fonder of train-oil
than our friends here seemed to be. They relished the very skim-
mings of the kettle, but a little of the pure stinking oil was a
delicious feast. Having got on board as much hay and grass as we
judged sufficient to serve the cattle till our arrival at Otaheite, and
having completed the wood and water of both ships, on the 24th of
February we weighed anchor and stood out of the cove. While we
were unmooring and getting under sail, many of the natives came
to take their leave of us, or rather to obtain, if they could, some
additional presents from us before our departure. Accordingly,
I gave to two of their chiefs, two pigs, a boar, and a sow. They
made me a promise not to kill them, though I must own I put no
great faith in this. The animals which Captain Furncaux sent on
shore here, and which soon after fell into the hands of the natives,

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

I was now told were all dead ; but I was afterwards informed that
Tiratou, a chief, had a great many cocks and hens in his pos-
session, and one of the sows.

We had not been long at anchor near Motuara before three or
four canoes, filled with natives, came off to us from the south-east
side of the Sound, and a brisk trade was carried on with them for
the curiosities of this place. In one of these canoes was Kahoora.
This was the third time he had visited us without betraying the
smallest appearance of fear. Next morning, he returned again
with his whole family — men, women, and children to the number
of twenty and upwards. Omai was the first who acquainted me
with his being alongside the ship, and desired to know if he should
ask him to come on board. 1 told him he might, and accordingly
he introduced the chief into the cabin, saying, " There is Kahoora :
kill him ! " He afterwards expostulated with me very earnestly.
" Why do you not kill him ? You tell me if a man kills another in
England that he is hanged for it. This man has killed ten, and
yet you will not kill him, though many of his countrymen desire it,
and it would be very good.'' Omai's arguments, though specious
enough, having no weight with me, I desired him to ask the chief
why he had killed Captain Furneaux's people. At thi5 question
Kahoora folded his arms, hung down his head, and looked hke one
caught in a trap, and 1 firmly believe he expected instant death ;
but no sooner was he assured of his safety than he became cheerful.
He did not, however, seem wilhng to give me an answer to the
question that had been put to him till I had again and again re-
peated my promise that he should not be hurt. Then he ventured
to tell us that one of his countrymen having brought a stone
hatchet to barter, the man to whom it was offered took it, and
would neither return it nor give up anything for it, on which the
owner of it snatched up the bread as an equivalent, and then the
quarrel began.

Polygamy is allowed amongst these people, and it is not uncom-
mon for a man to have two or three wives. The women are
marriageable at a very early age ; and it would appear that one who
is unmarried is but in a forlorn state. Their public contentions are
frequent, or rather perpetual ; for it appears from their number of
weapons and dexterity in using them, that war is their principal
profession. Before they begin the onset they join in a war-song, to
which they all keep exactest time, and soon raise their passions to

CAPTAIN COOK,

a degree of frantic fury, attended with the most horrid distortion of
the eyes, mouths, and tongues, to strike terror into their enemies,
which makes them appear to those who have not been accustomed
to such a practice more Uke demons than men, and would almost
chill the boldest with fear. After the battle succeed the horrid
orgies of cannibahsm, when, after cutting in pieces, even while yet
alive, the bodies of their enemies, and dressing them on a fire, they
devour the flesh, not only without reluctance, but with pecuHar
satisfaction.

On the 25th of February we sailed from New Zealand, and had
no sooner lost sight of the land than our two young adventurers
repented heartily of the step they had taken. All the soothing en-
couragement we could think of availed but httle. They wept both
in public and private, and made their lamentations in a kind of
song, which was expressive of the praises of their country. Thus
they continued for many days ; but at length their native country
and their friends were forgotten, and they appeared to be as firmly
attached to us as if they had been born amongst us.

On the 29th of March, as we were standing to the north-east,
the Discovery made the signal of seeing land, which we soon dis-
covered to be an island of no great extent. On approaching the
shore, we could perceive with our glasses that several of the natives
were armed with long spears and clubs, which they brandished in
the air with signs of threatening, or, as some on board interpreted
their attitudes, with invitations to land. Most of them appeared
naked, except, having a sort of girdle, which, being brought up
between the thighs, covered that part of the body. But some of
them had pieces of cloth of different colours, white, striped, or
chequered, which they wore as a garment thrown about their
shoulders, and almost all of them had a white wrapper about their
heads, not unlike a turban. They were of a tawny colour, and of a
middling stature. At this time a small canoe was launched in a
great hurry from the further end of the beach, and putting off with
two men, paddled towards us, when I brought to. They stopped
short, however, as if afraid to approach, until Omai, who addressed
them in the Otaheitean language, in some measure quieted their
apprehensions. They then came near enough to take some beads
and nails, which were tied to a piece ci' wood and thrown into the
canoe. Omai, perhaps improperly, put the question to them,
whether they ever ate human flesh t which they answered in the

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

negative with a mixture of indignation and abhorrence. One of
them, whose name was Mourooa, being asked how he came by a
scar on his forehead, told us that it was the consequence of a wound
he had got in fighting with the people of an island, which lies to
the north-eastward, who sometimes came to invade their country.
They afterwards took hold of a rope, but still would not venture on
board.

Mourooa was lusty and well made, but not very tall. His features
were agreeable, and his disposition seemingly no less so, for he
made several droll gesticulations which indicated both good-nature
and a share of humour. His colour was nearly of the same cast
with ihat common to the people of Southern Europe. The other
man was not so handsome. Both of them had strong straight hair
of a jet colour, tied together on the crown of the head with a bit of
cloth. They wore girdles of a substance made from the Morns
papyri/era, in the same manner as at the other islands of this ocean.
They had on a kind of sandals made of a grassy substance inter-
woven, and as supposed, intended to defend their feet from the
rough coral rock. Their beards were long, and the inside of
their arms, from the shoulders to the elbows, and some other
parts, were punctured or tattooed after the manner of the inhabi-
tants of almost all the other islands in the South sea.o The lobe of
their ears was slit to such a length, that one of them stuck there a
knife and some beads which he had received from us, and the same
person had two polished pearl shells, and a bunch of human hair,
loosely twisted, hanging about his neck, which was the only orna-
ment we observed. The canoe they came in was not above lo feet
long, and very narrow, but both strong and neatly made. They
paddled either end of it forward indifferently.

While we were thus employed in reconnoitring the shore, great
numbers of the natives thronged down upon the reef, all armed.
Mourooa, who was in my boat, probably thinking that this warlike
appearance hindered us from landing, ordered them to retire back.
As many of them complied I judged he must be a person of some
consequence among them ; indeed, if we understood him right, he
was the king's brother. wSo great was the curiosity of several of the
natives that they took to the water, and, swimming off to the boats,
came on board them without reserve. Nay, we found it difficult to
keep them out, and still niore difficult to prevent them carrying off
everything they could lay their hands upon. At length, when they

CAPTAIN COOK,

same
hair,
orna-
[o feet
They

perceived that we were returning to the ships, they all left us
except our original visitor, Mourooa ; he, though not without evi-
dent signs of fear, kept his place in my boat, and accomprnied me
on board the ship.

The cattle and other new objects that presented themselves to
our visitor did not strike him with much surprise. Perhaps his
mind was too much taken up about his own safety to allow him to
attend to other things. I could get but little information from him,
and therefore, after he had made a short stay, I ordered a boat to
carry him in toward the land. As soon as he got out of the cabin
he happened to stumble over one of the goats. His curiosity now
overcoming his fear, he stopped, looked at it, and asked Omai what
bird this was, and not receiving an immediate answer from him, he
repeated the question to some of the people upon deck. The boat
having conveyed him pretty near to the surf, he leaped into the sea

^ and swam ashore. He had no sooner landed than a multitude of
his countrymen gathered round him as if in eager curiosity to learn

* from him what he had seen, and in this situation remained when
we lost sight of them.

After leaving Mangeea, as this island was called, on the after-
noon of the 30th of March, we continued our course northward all
that night and till noon on the 31st, when we again saw land in the
direction of north-east by north, di:'tant eight or ten leagues, and
next mornincr vve iiot abreast of its north end. I sent three armed
boats to look for anchoring ground and a landing-place. In the
meantime we worked up under the island with the ships. Just as
the boats were putting off, we observed several single canoes
coming from the shore. They first went to the Disco7'c?y, she
being the nearest ship ; and soon after three of the canoes came
alongside the Resolution^ each conducted by one man. They are
long and narrow, and supported by outriggers. Some knives,
beads, and other trifles were conveyed to our visitors, who gave us
a few cocoa-nuts upon our asking for them, though they did not
part with them by way of exchange for what they had received
from us, for they seemed to have no idea of bartering, nor did they
appear to estimate any of our presents at a high rate. With a little
persuasion one of them came on board, and the other two, en-
couraged by his example, soon followed him. Their whole
behaviour denoted that they were quite at ease.
After their departure another canoe arrived, conducted by a man

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

who brought a bunch of plantains specially as a present to me, for
whom he asked by name, which he had learnt from Omai, who
was sent before us in a boat with Mr. Gore. In return for this
civility I gave him an axe and apiece of red cloth, when he paddled
back to the shore well satisfied. I afterwards understood from
Omai that this present was sent from the king or principal chief of
the island. Not long after, a double canoe, in which were twelve
men, came towards us, who, as they drew near the ship, recited
some words in concert, by way of chorus, one of their number first
standing up, and giving the word before each repetition. When
they had finished their solemn chant, they came alongside and
asked for the chief. As soon as I showed myself, a pig and a few
cocoa-nuts were conveyed up into the ship, and the principal
person in the canoe made me an additional present of a piece of
matting. Our visitors were conducted into the cabin and to other
parts of the ship, where some objects seemed to strike them with a
degree of surprise, though nothing fixed their attention for a
moment. They were afraid to come near the cows and horses,
nor did they form the least conception of their nature. But the
sheep and goats did not surpass the limits of their understanding,
for they gave us to understand that they knew them to be birds.
1 made a present to my new friend of what I thought would be
most acceptable to him, but on his going away he seemed rather
disappointed than pleased. I afterwards understood that he was
very desirous of obtaining a dog, of which animal this island could
not boast.

I despatched Lieut. Gore with three boats, two from the Resolic-
Hon and one from the Discovoy. Two of the natives, who had
been on board, accompanied him, and also Omai, who went in his
boat as interpreter. The ships being a full league from the island
when the boats put oft", it was noon before we could work up to it.
We ihen perceived a prodigious number of the natives abreast of
the boats. In order to observe their motions, and to be ready to
give such assistance as our people might want, I kept as near the
shore as was prudent. Some of the islanders now and then came
off to the ships in their canoes, with a few cocoa-nuts, which they
exchanged for anything that was offered to them. These occa-
sional visits served to lessen my solicitude about the people who
had landed, for though we could get no information from our
visitors, yet their venturing on board seemed to imply that their

CAPTAIN COOK,

me, for
ai, who
for this
)addled
id from
;hief of

twelve
recited
ler first

When
de and
d a few
incipal
liece of

other
with a

for a
horses,
3ut the
mding,

birds.
>uld be

rather
he was
L could

Rcsohc-
10 had
in his
island
p to it.
east of
ady to
iar the

1 came
h they
\ occa-
le who
)m our
t their

countrymen on shore had not made an improper use of the con-
fidence placed in them. At length, a little before sunset, we had
the satisfaction of seeing the boats put off. When they got on
board, 1 found that Mr. Gore himself, Omai, Mr. Anderson, and
Mr. Burney, were the only persons wlio had landed.

Omai was Mr. Gore's interpreter ; but that was not the only ser-
vice he performed this day, for being asked by the natives a great
many questions concerning us, his answers, according to the
account he gave me, were not a little marvellous ; for instance, he
told them that our country had ships as large as their island, on
board which were instruments of war of such dimensions that
several people might sit within them ; and that one of these was
sufficient to crush the whole island at one shot. This led them to
inquire what sort of guns we actually had in our two ships. He said
that though they were but small in comparison with those he had just
described, yet, with such as they were, we could, with the greatest

ease, and at tlie distance

the island and kill

the ship:
soul

ere from the shore, destroy
every soul m it. They persevered in their
inquiries regarding the means by which this could be done, and
Omai explained the matter as well as he could. He happened
luckily to have a few cartridges in his pocket, which were produced ;
the balls and the gunpowder were submitted to inspection, and to
supply the defects of his description. In the centre of the circle
formed by the natives, the inconsiderable quantity of gunpowder,
collected from his cartridges, was properly disposed upon the
ground, and set alight by means of a bit of burning wood from the
oven where the dinner was dressing. The sudden blast, and loud
report, the mingled flame and smoke that instantly succeeded, now
filled the whole asseiibly with astonishment. They no longer
doubted the tremendous power of our weapons, and gave full credit
to all Omai had said. This probably induced them to liberate the
gentlemen, whom they, at first, appeared inclined to detain.

Omai found three of his countrymen here, whose story is an
affecting one, as related by him. About twenty persons had em-
barked on board a canoe at Otaheite, to cross over to the neigh-
bouring island, Ulietea. A violent contrary wind arising, they
could neither reach the latter nor get back to the former. The
intended passage being a very short one, their stock of provisions
was very scanty, and soon exhausted. The hardships they suffered,
while driven along by the storm, are not to be conceived, and they

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

passed many days without sustenance. Their numbers gradually
diminished, until', worn out by famine and fatigue, four only su.'vived,
when the canoe upset ; however, they kept hanging by the side of the
vessel till Providence brought them in sight of the people of this
island, who immediately sent out canoes and brought them ashore.
Of the four one was since dead, but the three survivors spoke highly
of the treatment they here met with ; and so well satisfied were
they with their situation; that they refused the offer made to them,
at Omai's request, of giving them a passage on board our ships, to
restore them to their native islands. This will serve to explain
better than a thousand conjectures how the detached parts of the
earth, and in particular how the islands of the South Seas, may
have been first peopled, especially those that lie remote from any
inhabited continent, or from each other.

With a gentle breeze at east we got up with Wateeoo on the
3rd of April, and I immediately despatched Mr. Gore with two
boats to endeavour to procure some food for our cattle. As there
seemed to be no inhabitants here to obsfuct our taking away what-
ever we might think proper, our boats no sooner reached the west
side of the island than they ventured in, and Mr. Gore and his
party got safe on shore. The supply obtained here consisted of
about a hundred cocoa-nuts for each ship ; we also got our cattle
some grass, and a quantity of the " wharra" tree, as it is called at
Otaheite. Though there were at this time no settled inhabitants
upon the island, indubitable marks remained of its being at least
occasionally frequented ; in particular, a few empty huts were
found, in one of which Mr. Gore left a hatchet and some nails, to
the value of what we took av/ay.

As soon as the boats were hoisted in, I made sail again to the
northward. Although Hervey's Island, discovered in 1773, was
not above fifteen leagues distant, yet we did not sight it till day-
break in the morning. As we drew near it we observed several
canoes put off towards the ships, each containing from three to six
men. They stopped at the distance of about a stone's throw from
the ship, and it was some time before Omai could prevail upon
them to come alongside ; but no entreaties could induce any of
them to venture on board. Indeed, their disorderly and clamorous
behaviour by no means indicated a disposition to trust us or treat
us well. We afterwards learnt that they had attempted to take some
oars out of the Discovery s boat that lay alongside, and struck a

CAPTAIN COOK.

adually
jf.vived,
e of the
; of this
ashore.
; highly
id were
3 them,
hips, to
explain
; of the
IS, may
om any

on the
'ith two
LS there
ly what-
he west
and his
isted of
r cattle
lUed at
ibitants
at least

s were
lails, to

to the
[73, was
ill day-
several
e to six
)w from
il upon

any of
morous
Dr treat
:e some
truck a

man who endeavoured to prevent them. They also cut away, with
a shell, a net with meat which hung over the ship's stern, and
absolutely refused Lo restore it, though wc afterwards purchased it
of them. Those who were about our ship behaved in the same
daring manner. At the same time they immediately showed a
knowledge of bartering^ and sold some fish they had for small
nails, of which they were immoderately fond, and called them
" goorc." They also caught with the greatest avidity bits of j^aper
or anything else that was thrown to them. These people seemed
to differ, as much in ])crson as in disposition, from the natives of
Wateeoo, though the distance between the two islands is not great.
Their colour was of a deeper cast, and several had a fierce, rugged
aspect resembhng the natives of New Zealand. The polished
shell of a pearl oyster, hung about their neck, was the only personal
decoration that we observed amongst them, for not one of them had
adopted that mode of ornament, so generally prevalent amongst
the natives of this ocean, of puncturing or tattooing their bodies.
Though singular in this, we had the most unequivocal proofs of
their being- of the same common race, and their language ap-
proached still nearer to the dialect of Otaheite than that of Wateeoo
or Mangeca.

On the 7th of April I steered west by south, with a fine breeze
easterly. 1 proposed to proceed first to Middleburgh, or Eooa,
thinking, if the wind continued favourable, that we had food enough
on board for the cattle to last till we should reach that island ; but
about noon on the next day, those faint breezes that had attended
and retarded us so long, again returned, and I found it necessary to
haul more to the north, to get into the latitude of Palmerston and
Savage Islands, discovered in 1774, during my last voyage, so that,
if necessity required it, we might have recourse to them. At length,
at daybreak on the I3tli, we saw Palmerston Island, distant about
five leagues, though we did not reach it till eight o'clock the next
morning. I then sent four boats, with an officer in each to search
the coast for the most convenient landing-place.

The boats first examined the south-easternmost part, and failing
there, ran down to the east, where we had the satisfaction of seeing
them land. About one o'clock one of the boats came on board,
laden with scurvy-grass and young cocoa-nut trees, which afforded
a feast for the ca.ttle. Before evening I went ashore in a small
boat, accompanied by Captain Gierke, and landing in a small creek.

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

fourd everybody hard at work. Upon the bushes that front the
sea, or even farther in, we found a great number of men-of-war
birds, tropic birds, and two sorts of boobies, which, at this time,
were laying their eggs, and so tame that they suffered us to take
them off with our hands.

At one part of the reef, which looks into or bounds the lake that
is within, there was a large bed of coral, almost even with the sur-
face, which arfords, perhaps, or.e of the most enchanting prospects
that nature has anywhere produced. Its base was fixed to the
shore, but reached so far in, that it could not be seen, so that it
seemed to be suspended in the water, which deepened so suddenly
that, at the distance of a few yards, there might be seven or eight
fathoms. The sea was, at this time, quite unruffled ; and the sun
shining brightly, exposed the various sorts of coral in the most beauti-
ful order. This scene was enlivened by numerous species of fishes
gliding along in apparent security. There were no traces of inhabi-
tants having ever been here, if we except a small piece of a canoe
that was found upon the beach, which might have drifted from some
other island. After the boats were laden, I returned on board,
leaving Mr. Gore with a party to pass the night on shore, in order to
be ready to commence work early next morning. Next day was
accordingly spent, as the precedi ig one had been, in collecting food
for the cattle. Having secured a sufficient supply by sunset, I ordered
everybody on board, but there being little or no wind, I determined
to wait, anc to employ the following day in trying to get some
cocoa-nuts from the next island, where we could observe that those
trees were in greater abundance than where we had already landed.
With this view, I went with the boats to the west side of the island,
and ha\ '-.g landed with little difficulty, immediately set the people
to gather cocoa-nuts, which we found in great abundance. Omai,
who was with me, caught with a scoop net, in a very short time, as
much fish as served the whole party on shore for dinner, besides
sending some to both ships. Here were also great abundance of
birds, particularly men-of-war and tropic birds, so that we fared
sumptuously. Omai was of the greatest use in these excursions,
for he not only caught the fish, but dressed them and the birds we
killed in an oven with heated stones, after the fashion of his country,
with a dexterity and good-humour that did him great credit. We
found this islet nearly a half larger than the other, and almost en-
tirely covered with cocoa-palms, so that we got there above twelve

(

CAPTAIN COOK.

J that front the

|of men-of-war

., at this time,

led us to take

the lake that

with the sur-

Iting prospects

Is fixed to the

teen, so that it

d so suddenly

seven or eight

\ ; und the sun

he most beauti-

pecies of fishes

aces of inhabi-

iecc of a canoe

ifted from some

:ned on board,

horc, in order to

Next day was

L collecting food

lunsct, 1 ordered

d, I determined

ng to get some

serve that those

already landed.

de of the island,

y set the people

ndance. Omai,

y short time, as

dinner, besides

It abundance of

) that we fared

hese excursions,

nd the birds wc

•n of his country,

eat credit. We

, and almost en-

jre above twelve

hundred cocoa-nuts, which were equally divided amongst the whole
crew.

The nine or ten low islets, comprehended under the name of
Palnicrbton Island, may be reckoned the heads or summits of the
rccT of coral rocks that connects them together, covered only with
;i thin coat of sand, yet clothed, as already observed, with trees and
plants. The heat, which had been great for a month, became now
much more disagreeable from the close rainy weather, and, froni
the moisture attending it, threatened soon to be noxious. However,
it is remarkable that though the only fresh provisions we had
received since lea\ing the Cajie of Good Hope was that at New
Zealand, there was not a single person sick on board from the con-
stant use of salt food, or \ irissitudes of climate.

In the night of the 24th of April we passed Savage Island, which
I had discovered in 1774. I steered for the south, and then hauled
up for Annamooka. It was no sooner daylight than we were
visited by six or seven canoes from different islands, bringing with
them, besides fruits and roots, two pigs, several fowls, some large
wood-pigeons, small rails, and large violet-coloured coots. All
these they exchanged with us for beads, nails, hatchets, &c. They
had also other articles of commerce, but I ordered that no curiosi-
ties should be purchased till the ships had been supplied with pro-
visions, and leave had been given for that purpose. Knowing also,
from experience, that if all our people traded with the natives
according to their own caprice, perpetual quarrels would ensue, I
ordered that particular persons should manage the traffic both on
board and on shore, prohibiting others to interfere. Before mid-
day, Mr. King, who had been sent to Kamango, returned with
seven hogs, some fowls, a quantity of fruit and roots, and some
grass for the cattle. His party was very civilly treated at Kamango,
the inhabitants of which did not seem to be numerous. Their
huts, which stood close to each other within a plantain walk, were
but indifferent, and not far from them was a pretty large pond of
fresh water, tolerably good, but there was no appearance of any
stream. The chief of the island, named Tooboulangee, and another,
whose name was Taipa, came on board with Mr. King. They
brought with them a hog as a present to me, promising more the
next day, and they kept their word.

On the 6th we were visited by a great chief from Tongataboo,
whose name was Feenou, and whom Taipa introduced to us as king

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

ofalltlic I'^riond'y Isles. All the natives made their obeisance to
liim by bow inj; iheir heads as low as his feet, the soles of which
they also louched wiih each hand, tirst with the palm and then with
the back part ; and there would be little room to suspect that a
person received with so much respect could be anythin<^'' less than
the king. In the afternoon I went lo i>ay this great man a visit,
having iirst received a present of two fish from him, brought on
board by one of his servants. As soon as I landed he came up to
me, and appeared to be about thirty years of age, tall, but thin,
with more of the European cast of features than any I had yet seen
here. After a short stay, our new visitor and five or six of his
attendants accompanied me on board. I gave suitable presents to
them all, and entertained them in such a manner as I thought
would be most agreeable. In the evening 1 attended them on shore
in my boat, into which the chief ordered three hogs to be put, as a
return for the presents he had received from me.

The first day of our arrival at Annamooka, one of the natives
had stolen out of the ship a large junk axe ; I now aj)plied to
Feenou, who was my guest on the 8th, to exert his authority to get
it restored to me, and so implicitly was he obeyed, that it was
brought on board while we were at dinner. These people gave us
very frequent opportunities of remarking what expert thieves they
were, and c\en some of the chiefs did not refrain from stealing.
V)n the lower class a flogging seemed to make no greater impression
ihan it would have done upon the mainmast, and when any of them
ihappcned to be caught in the act, their superiors, far from inter-
ceding for them, would often advise us to kill them. As this was a
punishment we did not choose to infiict, they generally escaped
without any punishment, until Captain Clerk, .it length hit upon a
mode of treatment which appeared to have some effect. He put
them under the hands of the barber, and completely shaved their
heads, thus pointing them out as objects of ridicule to their country-
men, and enabling our people to deprive them of future opportuni-
ties to repeat their rogueries, by keeping them at a distance.

P'eenou, understanding that 1 meant to proceed directly to Tonga-
taboo, importuned mc strongly to alter this plan, to which he ex-
pressed as much aversion as if he had some particular interest to
promote by diverting me from it. In preference to it, he warmly
recommended an iskmd, or rather a group of islands, called Hapaee,
lying to the north-east. There, he assured us, we could be supplied

h
it

n.j&iitiiilTUnniaiBtwwMi

CAPTAIN COOK.

obeisance to
''cs of which
nd tlicn with
'•''P^-^-t that a
'»«■ icss than
man a visit,
brought on
c came up to
ill, but thin,
had yet seen
^f six of his
- presents to
i-i I thought
lem on shore
^c put, as a

the natives
V apphcd to
lioiity to get
that it was
ople gave us
thieves they
>m steahng.
1" impression
''^ny of them
from inter-
3 this was a
lly escaped

hit upon a
t- He put
laved their
-ir country-
opportuni-
nce.

' to Tonga-
ich he ex-
intertst to
lie warrnly
d Plapaee,
e supplied

plentifully with provisions, in the easiest manner ; and to add weight
to his advice, he engaged to attend us thither in person. He carried
his point, and Hapaee was made choice of for our next sfition ; as
it had never been visited by any luiropean ships, the examination of
it became an object with me. After some unimportant transactions,
at daybreak, in the morning of the i6th, we steered north-east for
Hapaee, which was now in si;^ht. Next day we came to an anchor,
and the ships were soon iilled with the natives. 'J'hey brought
hogs, fowls, fruit, and roots, ^\•hich they exchanged for hatchets,
knives, nails, beads, and cloth. I went on shore, accompanied by
Omai and I-'eenou, landing at the north part of Lefooga, a little to
the right of the sliip's station. The chief conducted me to a hut
situated close to the sea-beacii, which I had seen brought tb.ither but
a few moments before, for our reception ; Feenou, Omai^ and I
seated ourselves, while the other chiefs and the multitude formed a
circle on the outside, and also sat down. I was then asked how
long I intended to slay? On my replying five days, Taipa was
ordered to come and sit by me, and proclaim this to the people.
He then harangued them in a sijcech mostly dictated by Feenou ;
the purport of it, as 1 learned from Omai, was, that they were all,
both old and young, to look upon me as a friend, who intended to
remain with them a {^\n days ; that, during my stay, they must not
steal anything, or molest me in any other way ; and that it was
expected that tiiey should bring hogs, fowls, fruits, (Sic, to the
ships, where they would receive in exchange for them such and
such articles, which he enumerated. Taipa then took occasion to
signify to me, that it was necessary I should make a present to the
chief of the island, whose name was Earoupa. I was not unpre-
pared for this ; and gave him some articles that far exceeded his
expectations. My liberality brought on me new demands, of the
same kind, from the chiefs of other isles who were present, and
from Taipa himself.

After viewing the watering-place we returned to our former sta-
tion, w'here I found a baked hog and some yams, smoking hot,
ready to be carried on board for my dinner. T invited Feenou and
his friends to partake of it, and we embarked for the ship, though
none but himself sat down with us at the table. After dinner I
conducted them on shore, and before I returned on board, the chief
gave me a fine large turtle and a quantity of yams. Our supjjly of
provisions was copious, for in the course of the day wc got, by

C 2

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

■

barter, alongside the ship, about twenty small hogs, besmes fruit
and roots. Next morning early, Feenou and Omai, who scarcely
ever quitted the chief, and now slept on shore, came on board.
The object of the visit was to require my presence upon the island.
I saw a large concourse of people already assembled, and guessed
that something more than ordinary was in agitation, but could not
tell what, nor could Omai inform me. I had not long landed before
a hundred of the natives appeared in sight, and advanced laden
with yams, bread-fruit, plantains, cocoa-nuts, and sugar-canes.
They deposited their burthens in two piles, or heaps, on our left.
Soon after a number of others arrived, bearing the same kind of
articles, which were collected into two heaps on the right ; to these
were tied two pigs and six fowls, and to those on the left six pigs
and two tvrtles. As soon as this munificent collection of provisions
was laid down in order, and disposed to the best advantage, the
bearers of it joined the multitude, who formed a large circle round
the whole. Presently after a number of men entered the circle, or
area, before us, armed with clubs, made with green branches of the
cocoa-nut tree ; they paraded about for a few minutes and then
retired, one half to one side and the other half to the other side,
seating themselves before the spectators. Soon after they suc-
cessively entered the lists, and entertained us with single combats :
one champion rising up and stepping forward from one side, chal-
lenged those of the other side, by expressive gestures more than by
words, to send one of their body to oppose him. If the challenge
was accepted, which was generally the case, the two combatants
put themselves in proper attitude, and then began the engagem.ent,
which continued till one or other owned himself conquered, or till
their weapons were broken. As soon as each combat was over the
victor squatted himself down, facing the chief, and then rose up and
retired. At the same time some old men, who seemed to sit as
judges, applauded them in a few words, and the multitude, especially
those on the side to which the victor belonged, celebrated the glory
he acquired in two or three huzzas.

This entertainment was now and then suspended for a few
minutes, and during these intervals there were looth wrestling and
boxing matches. The first were performed in the same manner as
at Otaheite, and the second differed very little from the method
practised in England. But what struck us most with surprise was
to see a couple of lusty wenches step forth and begin boxing, with-

gf, besiaes fruit
li, who scarcely
:ame on board,
upon the island,
ed, and guessed
n, but could not
ig landed before
advanced laden
»d sugar-canes,
aps, on our left,
e same kind of
right ; to these
the left six pigs
an of provisions
advantage, the
■ge circle round
-d the circle, or
branches of the
lutes and then
the other side,
ifter they suc-
ingle combats :
one side, chal-
3 more than by
f the challenge
vo combatants
le engagement,
nquered, or till
It was over the
len rose up and
emed to sit as
ude, especially
ated the glory

ed for a few
wrestling and
nie manner as
1 the method
! surprise was
boxing, with-

CAPTAIN COOIC

out the least ceremony, and with as much art as the men. This
contest, however, did not last above half a minute before one of
them gave in ; the conquering heroine received the same applause
from the spectators which they bestowed on the successful combat-
ants of the other sex. We expressed some dislike at this part of
the entertainment, which, however, did not prevent the other
females from entering the lists. They appeared to be girls of spirit,
and would certainly have given each other a good drubbing if the
old women had not interposed between them. All these combats
were exhibited in the midst of at least 3,000 people, and were
conducted with the greatest good humour on all sides.

As soon as these diversions were ended, the chief told me that
the heaps of provisions on our right hand were a present to Omai,
and those on our left hand, being about two-thirds of the whole
quantity, were given to me. He added that I might take them on
board whenever it was convenient, but that there would be no oc-
casion to set any of our people as guards over them, as I might be
assured that not a single cocoa-nut would be taken away by the
natives. So it proved, for I left everything behind, and returned to
the ship to dinner, carrying the chief with me ; and when the provi-
sions were removed on board in the afternoon, not a single article was
missing. There was as much as loaded two boats, and I could not
but be struck with the munificence of Feenou, for this present far
exceeded any I had ever received from any of the sovereigns of the
various islands I had visited in the Pacific Ocean, I lost no time in
convincing our friend that I was not insensible of his liberality, for,
before he quitted the ship, I bestowed upon him such commodities
as I guessed were most valuable in his estimation.

P'eenou had expressed a desire to see the marines go through the
military exercise ; and as I was desirous of gratifying his curiosity,
I ordered them all ashore from both ships in the morning. After
they had performed various evolutions and fired several volleys,
with which the numerous body of spectators seemed wtII pleased,
the chief entertained us, in his turn, with an exhibition which,
as was acknowledged by us all, was performed with a dexterity and
exactness far surpassing the specimen we had gi^en of our difterent
manceuvres. It was a kind of dance so entirely different from any-
thing I had ever seen, that I can give no descripiion that will con-
vey any tolerable idea of it to my readers. It was performed by
men, and 105 persons took part in it. Each of them had in his

3«

THIRD AND. LAST VOYAGE OF

hand an instrument neatly made, shaped somewhat like a paddle,
two feet and a half in length, with a small handle and a thin blade,
so that: they were very light. With these instruments they made
many and various flourishes, each of which was accompanied with
a dilTerent movement. At first the performers ranged themselves
in three lines, and by various evolutions each man changed his
station in such a manner, that those who had been in the rear came
to the front. Nor did they remain long in the same position. At
one time they extended themselves in one line ; they then formed
in a semicircle, and lastly in two square columns. While this last
movement was executing, one of them advanced and performed an
antic dance before me, with which the whole ended. The musical
instruments consisted of two drums, or rather tv;o hollow logs of
wood, from which some varied notes were produced by beating on
them with two sticks. It did not, however, appear to me that the
dancers were much assisted by these sounds, but by a chorus of
vocal music, in which all the performers joined at the same time.
Their song was not destitute of pleasing melody, and all their
corresponding motions were executed with so much skill, that the
numerous body of dancers seemed to act as if they were one great
machine. It was the opinion of every one of us, that such a per-
formance would have met with universal applause in a European
theatre ; and it so far exceeded any attempt we had made to enter-
tain them, that they seemed to pique themselves upon the superior-
ity they had over us. As to our musical instruments, they held none
of them in the least esteem, except the drum, and even that they
did not think equal to their own.

In order to give them a more favourable opinion of English
amusements, and to leave their minds fully impressed with the
deepest sense of our superior attainments, I directed some fireworks
to be got ready, and after it was dark played them off in the
presence of Feenou, the other chiefs, and a vast concourse of their
people. Our water and sky rockets, in particular, pleased and
astonished them beyond all conception, and the scale was now
turned in our favour. This, however, seemed only to furnish them
with an additional motive to proceed to fresh exertions of their very
singular dexterity; nnd our fireworks were no sooner ended, than a
succession of dances began. As a prelude to them, a band of music
or chorus of eighteen men seated themselves before us in the centre
of the circle. Four or five of this band had pieces of large bam-

b
o)

|ike a paddle,
id a thin blade,
nts they made
■ompanied with
red themselves
n changed his

the rear came

position. At
y then formed
^Vhile tliis last
performed an

The musical
lollow Jogs of
by beating on

me that the
y a chorus of
le same time,
^nd all their
skill, that the
^ere one great
t such a per-

■ a European
lade to enter-
the superior-
ey held none
^en that they

1 of English
ed with the
me fireworks
^ off in the
Lirse of their
pleased and
le was now
Lirnish them ,
5f their very
'ded, than a :
nd of music

^ the centre
iarge bam-

CAPTAIN COOK.

boo, from three to five or six feet lonc^, the upper end open, but the
other end closed by one of the joints. With this closed end tlie
performers kept constantly striking the ground, though slowly, thus
producing different notes, according to the different lengths of the
instruments, but all of them of the hollow or bass sort ; to counter-
act which, a person kept sti iking quickly, and with two sticks, a
piece of the same substance, split and laid along the ground, and
by that means furnishing a tone as acute as those produced by the
others were grave. The rest of the band, as well as those who per-
formed upon the bamboo, sang a slow and soft air, which so tem-
pered upon the harsher notes of the above instrument, that no
bystander, however accustomed to hear the most perfect and varied
modulation of sweet sounds, could avoid confessing the vast power
and pleasing effect of this simple harmony. Soon after they had
finished^ n ne women exhibited themselves, and sat down fronting
the hut where the chief was. A man then ^ose and struck the first
of these women on tliC back with both fists joined ; he proceeded
in the same manner to the second and third, but when he came to
the fourth, whether from accident or design, I cannot tell, instead
of the back, he struck her on the breast. Upon this a person rose
instantly from the crowd, who brought him to the ground with a
blow on the head, and he was carried off without the least noise or
disorder. But this did not save the other five women from so odd
a ceremony ; for a person succeeded him, \vho treated them in the
same manner. Their disgrace did not end here, for when they
danced, they had the mortification to find their performance twice
disapproved of, and were obliged to repeat it.

On the morning of the 23rd, as we were going to unmoor, in
order to leave the inland, Fcenou, and his prime niliuster, Taipa,
came alonf^side in a sailiuir canoe, and informed me that thc^' were
setting out for Vavaoo, an island which they said was about two
days' sail to the northward of Hapaee. The object of their voyage,
they would have me believe, was to get for me an additional suftply
of hogs, and some red-fcathercd caps for Omai to ca-iry to
Otaheite, where they are in high esteem. Fecnou assured me that
he should be back in four or five days, and desired me not to sail
till his return, when he promised he would accompany me to
Tongataboo. 1 thought this a good opportunity to acquir? some
knowledge of Vavaoo, and proposed to him to go thither with the
ships : but he seemed not to approve of the plan, and, by way of

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

diverting me from it, told me that there was neither harbour nor
anchorage about it. 1 therefore consented to wait in my present
station until his return, and he immediately set out.

In my walk on the 25th I happened to step into a house, where I
found a woman shaving a child's head with a shark's tooth stuck
into the end of a piece of stick. I observed that she first wetted
the hair with a rag dipped in water, applying her instrument to that
part which she had previously soaked. The operation seemed to
give no pain to the child, although the hair was taken off as close
as if one of our razors had been employed. Encouraged by what I
now saw, I soon after tried one of those singular instruments upon
myself, and found it to be an excellent, substitute. However, the
men of these islands have recourse to another contrivance when
they shave their beards. The operation is performed with two
shells, one of which they place under a part of the beard, and with
the other, applied above, they scrape that part off. In this manner
they are able to shave very close. The process is indeed rather
tedious, but not painful, and there are men amongst them who
seem to profess the trade. It was as common, while we were here,
to see our sailors go ashore to have their beards scraped off after the
fashion of Hapaee, as it was to see their chiefs come on board to be
shaved by our barbers. Finding that little or nothing of the pro-
duce of the island was now brought to the ships, I resolved to
change our station, and in the afternoon of the 26th of May,
I hauled into a bay that hes between the south end of Lefooga and
the north end of Hoolaiva, and there anchored.

About noon a large saihng canoe came under our stern, in which
was a person named Futtafaihe, or Poolaho, or both, who, as the
natives then on board told us, was "l^ing of Tongataboo and all the
neighbouring islands. It being my interest, as well as my inclina-
tion, to pay court to all the great men without making inquiry into
the validity of their assumed titles, I invited Poolaho on board.
He brought with him, as a present, two fat hogs, though not so fat
as himself. If weight of body could give weight in ran^- or power,
he was certainly the most eminent man in that respect we had seen.
I found him to be a sedate, sensible perso*^.. He viewed the ship
and the several new objects with uncommon attention, and asked
many pertinent questions ; one of which was, what could induce us
to visit these islands ? After he had satisfied his curiosity in look-
ing at the cattle and other novelties which he met with on deck, I

CAPTAIN COOK,

?r harbour nor
in my present

house, where I
:'s tooth stuck
le first wetted
niment to that
ion seemed to
:en off as close
ged by what I
truments upon
However, the
trivance when
med with two
Jard, and with
n this manner
indeed rather
?st them who
we were here,
sd off after the
=>n board to be
r? of the pro-
I resolved to
26th of May,
: Lefooga and

tern, in which
who, as the
'O and all the
s my inclina-
■ inquiry into
to on board,
gh not so fat
r>^' or power,
we had seen,
'ed the ship
ti, and asked
Id induce us
'sity in Jook-
h on deck, I

desired him to walk down into the cabin. To this his attendants
objected, saying, that if he were to accept of the invitation, it must
happen that people would walk over his head ; but the chief him-
self, less scrupulous in this respect than his attendants, waived all
ceremony and walked down.

Poolaho sat down with us to dinner, but he ate little and drank
less. When he arose from the table he desired me to accompany
him ashore. I attended him in my own boat, having first made
presents to him of such articles as I observed he valued most,
and were even beyond his expectation lo receive. I was not dis-
appointed in my view of thus securing his friendship, for the
moment the boat reached the beach, he ordered two more hogs to
be brought and delivered to my people. He was then carried out
of the boat by some of his own people upon a board resembling a
hand-barrow, and went and seated himself in a small house near
the shore, which seemed to have been erected there for his accom-
modation. He placed me at his side, and his attendants seated
themselves in a semicircle before us outside the house. Behird
the chief, or rather on one side, sat an old woman with a sort of fan
in her hand, whose office it was to prevent his being pestered with
the flies. I stayed till several of his attendants left him, first
making him obeisance by bowing the head down to the sole of his
foot, and touching or tapping the same with the upper and under
side of the fingers of both hands. Others, who were not in the
circle, came, as it seemed, on purpose and paid him this mark of
respect, and then retired without speaking a word. I was charmed
with the decorum that was observed, and had nowhere seen the
hke, not even among more civilised nations.

Poolaho,-theking, as I shall now call him, came on board betimes
next morning, and brought, as a present to me, one of their caps,
or rather bonnets, composed of the tail feathers of the tropic bird,
with the red feathers of the paroquets wrought upon them or jointly
with them. They are made so as to tie upon the forehead, without
any crown, and have the form of a semicircle, whose radius is 18 or
20 inches.- At daybreak the next morning I weighed with a fine
breeze, and stood to the westward with a view to return to Anna-
mooka. We were followed by several sailing canoes, in one of
which was the king. He quitted us in a short time, but left his
brother and five of his attendants on board. We had also the com-
pany of a chief, just then arrived from Tongataboo, whose name

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

was Tooboiieitoa. The moment he arrived he sent his canoe away,
and declared that he and five more who came with him would sleep
on board ; so that I had now my cabin filled with visitors. They
brought plenty of provisions with them, for which they always had
suitable returns.

About noon next day, Feenou arrived from Vavaoo. He told us
that several canoes, laden with hogs and other provisions, which
had sailed with him from that island, had been lost, owing to the
late stormy weather, and that everybody on board perished. This
melancholy tale did not seem to affect any of his countrymen that
heard it ; and as to ourselves, we were by this time too well ac-
quainted with his character to give much credit to such a story.
The following morning, Poolaho and the other chiefs, who had been
wind-bound with him, arrived. I happened at this time to be ashore,
in company with Feenou, who now seemed to be sensible of the
impropriety of his conduct in assuming a character that did not
belong to him. I left him to visit this greater man, whom I found
sitting with a few people before him : but, as everyone hastened to pay
court to him, the circle increased pretty fast. I had the most con-
vincing proof of P^ecnou's inferiority, for he placed himself amongst
the rest that sat before Poolaho as attendant on his majesty. Both
he and Poolaho went on board with me to dinner, but only the latter
sat at table. Feenou, having made his obeisance in the usual way,
saluting his sovereign's foot with his head and hands, retired out of
the cabin. The king had before told us that this would happen, and it
now appeared that Feenou could not eat or drink in his royal presence.

P^cenou had taken up his residence in our neighbourhood, but he
was no longer the leading man. However, we still found, him to be
a person of consequence, and we had daily proofs of his opulence
and liberality, by the continuance of his valuable presents. We
now heard that there were other great men of the island whom we
had not yet seen ; in particular they mentioned a person, consider-
ably over sixt}-, named Alareewagee, and another called Toobou,
who, they said, were of the lirst consequence. And so I found them
to be when 1 paid them a visit on shore, which they returned —
coming off to the ship accompanied by three or four inferior chiefs.
When dinner Avas laid upon the table, not one of them would sit
down or eat anything that was served up ; on expressing my sur-
prise at this, they were all taboo, as they said, which signifies that
a thing is forbidden. Dinner being over, and having gratified their

CAPTAIN COOK.

lis canoe away,
"m -would sleep
isitors. They
ley always had

0. He told us
•visions, which
t, owing to the
irished. This
untrymen that
■ too well ac-
such a story,
who had been
ie to be ashore,
snsible of the
' that did not
vhom I found
astened to pay
the most con-
rnself amongst
lajesty. Both
only the latter
he usual way,
retired out of
lappen, and it
oyal presence.
Thood, but he
-ind him to be
his opulence
resents. We
nd whom we
:on, consider-
lled TooboLi,
I found them
y returned—
iferior chiefs,
em would sit
sing my sur-
signifies that
ratified their

curiosity by showing to them every part of the ship, I then con-
ducted them ashore. As soon as the boat reached the beach,
P^eenou and some others stepped out. Young I'uttafaihc following
them, was called back by Mareewagee, who now paid the heir-
apparent the same obeisance, and in the same manner that I had
seen it paid to the king. By this time I had acquired some certain
information about the relative situations of the several great men,
whose names have been so often mentioned. I now knew that
Mareewagce and Toobou were brothers. Feenou was one of
Mareewagee's sons, and Tooboueiloa was another.

Next day was fixed upon by jMareewagee for giving a grand
haiva, or entertainment, to which we were all invited. P'or this
purpose a large space had been cleared before the temporary hut of
the chief, near our post, as an area where the per'jrmances were to
be exhibited. In the morning great multitudes of the natives came
in from the country, every one carrying upon his shoulders a pole,
about six feet long, with a yam suspended at each end. These
yams and poles were deposited on each side of the area, so as to
form two large heaps, decorated with different sorts of small fish,
and piled up to the greatest advantage : they were Tvlareewagee's
present to Captain Gierke and me. Everything being thus pre-
pared, about eleven o'clock they began to exhibit various dances,
which they called " mai." The music consisted, at first, of seventy
men as a chorus, who sat down ; and amidst them were placed
three instruments, which we called drums from their effect, and the
natives "naffa;" these instruments produce a rude though loud
and powerful sound. 'I'he first dance consisted of four ranks of
twenty-four men each, lioldmg in their hands a little thin light
wooden instrument, about two feet long, and in shape not unlike a
small oblong paddle. With these, which are called *^ pagge," tliey
made a great many different motions, all which were accompanied
by corresponding attitudes of the body. Their motions were at first
slow, but quickened as the drums beat faster, and the whole time
they recited sentences in a musical tone, which were answered by
the chorus ; at the end of a short space they all joined, and finished
with a shout ; then the rear rank, dividing, sliifted themselves very
slowly round each end, and meeting in the front, formed the first
rank, the whole number continuing to recite the sentences as before.
The other ranks did the same successively, till that which at first
was the front became the rear ; and their evolutions continued in

7V/«Z> A.yr> LAST VOYAGE OF

\ <

tnc same mannpr fiii *u i
retreated a J t""c anrf t" ""^ "''>°'<^ bocfv dSri ' /''' ^"^ =""S

face aside as if asham.H ^t"""' ^''''^ ""e n ,vh ;>, f; '"°['°" '^at
one, and that acraln r ' ' ' 1^" ''^'^k rank- itosoH K 1'"-"^ ''"''' t'«^
At that instam two '?'''^"'P'^ce,asinS^^^^ "'^ ^o"'
clubs which tl«.l •■"?" entered verv h»«Y '^^/ornier dances

in their la^ds^"^ '",,''""''^ ; *eydS ul"k;f ^ "-^^^'^ed the
force and ^Z^t ^t '"« ^V-^"''-^^^troke ' be^^re7h ''"'■''"•? "'^'"
■ngquiteclose, thevn .^ " ''""■"">' ■"■"-•a-edthl"',?'" ""h great
with a spear -i .f^never interfered. To Tw ""' "^°"gh stand-
ifin searWsome'bo'd"? ''T'^ '"■"'nneTjook ^^'^'r^^^d a Per"on
='de of the crowd ini^ '°/''™>^ 't at. 'HeXn f, °"J '^g^'X' as
attitude, as if T n" ^^ ^'■°"'' and put himl,/'^" ^^^'''y to one

bending'the kn ee a HM ' *° ,=""^^ ^ith^ his sTe ' "? '" ''^^^^"enin^
continued in thi, „ ^' ""^l treniblintr as ,> f "^ °ne of theni
the other side td^f """ ""'^ "^ ^^^^'^ZlZ^'X «'"'' «ffe. iTe

of1teer:hf :f;"?.n^ tSrat-^ii^^ wit'^ t,s,buthe

to Wmself.' As' soon' ^'^'^''"■'-'^ds unders'toodTH'" ""= P^««nce
stepp vd up to the kin" .1 "''^ g^eat personnii f ^"P/"°r «nk
retired. He immel^f^eTv .P"' ^'^ "^^nds to "leffelf '' ^'"^^' =''«
and then received ?h^.^K^- ""'PP"' h's fineers in, "' ?"^ "^en she
single instance we .L^'u'-''"'^^ °f ail he" foL ^ ^i?=^ of wine
ence to any person t\ '^^^^^'^^A of his nav„° !,■■'• ^^^"^ '^as the
to. be pIaye?ot??„\,^' 'he king's des!ve'^f^ord«ed' "^^--^of --ever!
this exhibition did X , "'"- '' ''"t unfortunatl J°"'^ fi'v-works
wents were to be exnlt"^"'' ^^'Pectat on T '^; ''^'"? damaged
populace was by thTsS °" ^"''^r side"'and th. '"°''' ^'ertlin-'

''"^^""^-«--«eT«osV^S:U';e

CAPTAIN COOK,

/f^'o"- They

[^ and sun^r

tvvo parts,

o^ circuJar

o another

^^ch, with

vvirJcd the

otion that

' \^'^^\ Xh^
t^ie front

-r dances

cised the

I".? theni

\^^ great

^^ stand-

^ person
P^b^, as
V to one
eateninrr
5f them^
?e. He'
oved to

for i\iQ
hen he
'e per-

buthe

ssence

r rank |

h she f

n she

wine,

ever-

orks

ged,

ain-

the

us.

We still, hcv.'cvcr, had thieves about us, and, encouraged by the
negligence of our people, ue had continual instances of their
depredations. Some of the officers, bclonrjng to both ships, who
had made an excursion into the interior of the island without my
leave or knowledge, returned this evening, after an absence of two
days. They had taken with them their muskets, with the neces-
sary ammunition, and several small articles of the favourite com-
modities, all of which the natives had the dexterity to steal from
them in the course of their expedition. Feenou and Poolaho upon
this occasion very justly observed, that if any of my people at any
time wanted to go into the country, they ought to be acquainted
with it, in which case they would send proper persons along with
them, and then they would be answerable for their safety. Though
I gave myself no trouble about the recovery of the things stolen
upon this occasion, most of them, through Feenou's interposition,
were recovered, except one musket and a few other articles of
inferior value.

We had now recruited the ships with wood and water, and had
finished the repairs of the sails. However, as an eclipse of the sun
was to happen on the 5th of July, and it was now the 25th of June.
I resolved to defer sailing till that time had elapsed, in order to
have a chance of observing it. Having therefore some days of
leisure before me, a party of us, accompanied by Poolaho, set out
early next morning in a boat for Mooa, the village where he and the
other great men usually reside. As we rowed up the inlet, we met
fourteen canoes fishing in company, in one of which was PoolaLo's
sons. In each canoe was a triangular net, extended between two
poles, at the lower end of vvl-tich was a cod to receive and secure the
fish. They had already .aght some fine mullet, and they put
about a dozen into our beat. I desired to see their method of
fishing, which they readily complied with. A shoal of fish was sup-
posed to be in one of the banks, which they instantly enclosed in a
large net like a sieve, or set-net. This the fishers, one getting into
the water out of each boat, surrounded v/ith the triangular nets in
their hands, with which hey scooped the fish out of the seine, or
caught them as they attempted to leap over it.

Leaving the prince and fishing party, we proceeded to the botiom
of the bay. Here we observed a fiataoka, or burying-place, which
was much more extensive, and seemingly of more consequence,
than any we had seen at the other islands. We were told that it

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

bclonfijed to the king. It consisted of three pretty large houses,
situated upon a rising ground, with a small one at a distance, all
ranged longitudinally. They were covered and paved with tine
pcl)i3les, and the whole was enclosed by large llat stones of hard
coral rock, properly hewn, placed on their edges ; one of the
stones measured twelve feet in length, two in breadth, and above
one in thickness. Within one of these houses were two rude
wooden busts of men. On inquiring what these images were
intended for, we were told they were merely memorials of some
chiefs who had been buried there, and not the representations of
any deity. In one of them was a carved head of an Otaheitean
canoe, which had been driven ashore on their coast and deposited
here.

After we had refreshed ourselves we made an excursion into the
country, attended by one of the king's ministers. Our train 'vas not
great, as he would not sufter the rabble to follow us. He also
obliged all those whom we met upon our progress to sit down till we
had passed, which is a mark of respect due only to their sovereigns.

By far the greater part of the country was cultivated, and planted
with various sorts of productions. There were many public and
well-beaten roads, and abundance of foot-paths leading to every
part of the island. It is remarkable that when we were on the most
elevated parts, at least a hundred feet above the level of the sea,
we often met with the same coral rock which is found on the shore,
and yet these very spots, with hardly any soil upon them, were
covered v/ith luxuriant vegetation. We saw some springs, but the
water was either stinking or brackish. When we returned from our
walk, which was not till the dusk of the evening, our supper was
ready, and consisted of a baked hog, some fish, and yams, all
excellently well cooked after the method of these islands. As there
was nothing to amuse us after supper, we followed the custom of
the country, and lay down to sleep, our beds being mats spread
upon the iloor, and cloth to cover us. The king, who had made
himself very happy with some wine and brandy which we had
brought, slept in the same house, as well as several others of the
natives.

On the 30th I visited Futtafaihe, and we spent the night ashore ;
but we were a good deal disturbed by a singular instance of luxury
in which their principal men indulge themselves — that of being
beaten while they are asleep. Two women sat by Futtafaihe and

CAPTAIN COOK.

performed this operation, tlip.t was called ' ^ "^e-toogc," by beating
briskly on his body and legs with l)oth fists, j on a drum, till he
fell asleep, and continuing it the whole night, with some short in-
tervals. When once the person is asleep, they abate a little in the
strength and quickness of beating, but resume it if they observe any
appearance of his waking. In the morning we found that Futta-
faihe's women relieved each otlicr, and went to sleep by turns. In
any other country it would be supposed that such a practice would
put an end to all rest ; but here it certainly acts as an opiate, and
is a strong proof of what habit may effect. The noise of this, how-
ever, was not the only thing that kept us awake, for the people who
passed the night in the house not only conversed among each other
frequently, as in the day, but all got up before it was light, and
made a hearty meal of fish and yams, which were brought to them
by a person who seemed to know very well the appointed time for
this nocturnal refreshment.

I had prolonged my stay at this island on account of the approach-
ing ecHpse ; but on the 2nd of July, on looking at the micrometer
belonging to the Board of Longitude, I found some of the rack-work
broken, and the instrument useless till repaired, which there was
not time to do before it was intended to be used. Preparing now
for our departure, I got on board all the cattle, poultry, and other
animals, except such as were destined to remain, and on the follow-
ing day we unmoored, that we might be ready to take advantage of
the first favourable wind. The king, who was one of our company
this day at dinner, took particular notice of the plates, which induced
me to make Him an offer of one, either of pewter or of earthenware.
He chose the first, and then began to tell us the several uses to
v/hich he intended to apply it, two being of so extraordinary a nature
that I cannot omit mentioning them. He said that whenever he
should have occasion to visit any of the other iskiiids, he would
leave this plate behind him at Tongataboo as a sort of representa-
tive in his absence, that the people might pay it the same obeisance
as they did to himself in person. He was asked what had been
usually employed for that purpose before he got this plate, and we
had the satisfaction of learning from him that this singular honour
had been hitherto conferred on a v.-ooden bowl in which he washed
his hands. The other extraordinary use to which he meant to apply
this plate, in the place of the wooden bowl, was to discover a thief.
He said that when anything was stolen, and the thief could not be

TIIlRn AND LAST VOYAGL: OF

found out, the people were all assembled together before him, when
he washed his hands in water in this vessel, after wliich it was
cleaned, and then the whole multitude advanced one after another
and touched it in the same manner that thev toucii his foot when
they ])ay him obeisance ; if the ^"uilty person touched it he died
immediately upon the spot, not by violence, but l)y the hand of
Providence, and if any one refused to touch it, his refusal was a
clear proof that he was the man.

Un the 6th of July we were ready to sail, but the wind being un-
favourable, were under the necessity of waiting two or three days.
We took our iinal leave of Tongataboo on the loth, and early in
the morning of the second day reached Middlebuigh, or Eooa. We
had no sooner anchored than Taoofa, the chief, and several other
natives visited us on board, and seemed to rejoice much at our
arrival. This Taoofa knew me when 1 was here during my last
voyage, and I now went ashore with him in search of fresh water,
which was the chief object that brought me to ICooa. I was first
conducted to a brackish spring, between low and high water mark,
in the cove where we landed. Finding that we did not like this,
our friends took us a little inland, where, in a deep chasm, we found
very good water : but rather than undertake the tedious task of
bringing it down to the shore, I resolved to rest content with the
supply that the ships had got at Tongataboo. I put ashore the ram
and the two ewes of the Cape of Good Hope breed, entrusting them
to the care of Taoofa, who seemed proud of his charge. As we lay
at anchor this island bore a very different aspect from any wc had
lately seen, and formed a most beautiful landscape.

In the afternoon of the 13th, a party of us made an excursion to
the highest part of the island ; and as the plains and meadows are
adorned witli tufts of trees, intermixed with plantations, they form
a very beautiful landscape in every point of view. While I was sur-
veying this delightful prospect, I could not help flattering myself
with the pleasing idea, that some future navigators may, from the
same station, behold these meadows stocked with cattle, brought to
these islands by the ships of England : and that the completion of
this single benevolent purpose, independently of all other consider-
ations would sufficiently mark to posterity that our voyages had not
been useless to the general interests of humanity. The next morn-
ing I planted a pine apple, and sowed the seeds of melons and other
vegetables in the chiefs plantation. I had some encouragement

CAPTAIN COOK.

indeed, to flatter myself that my endeavours of this kind would not
be fruitless. On this day there was served up at mv dinner a dish
of turnips, being tlic prochice of the seeds I had Icff ouring n^y last
voyage. I had fixed on the 15th for saiUng, till 'iaoofa pressed nie
to stay a day or two longer, to receive a present he had prepared for
me, consisting of two small heaps of yams and some fruit, which
seemed to be collected by a kiixi of contribution, as at the other
isles. For this liberality I made an adequ.atc return, and soon
weighed.

We now took leave of the Friendly Islands, after a stay of nearly
three months, during which time we lived with the natives in the
most cordial friendship. Some accidental differences, it is true,
now and then happened, owing to their great propensity to thieving,
which was too often encouraged by the negligence of our own
people. The time employed amongst them was not thrown away :
and we expended very little of our sea provisions, subsisting in
general upon the produce of the islands while we stayed, and carry-
ing away with us a quantity of refreshments, sufficient to last till we
arrived at another station, where we could depend upon a fresh
supply. I was not sorry, besides, to have had an opportunity of
bettering the condition ( these good people, by leaving the useful
animals before-mentioned among them ; and at the same time,
those designed for Otaheite received fresh strength in the pastures
of Tongataboo. But besides the immediate advantages which both
the natives of the Friendly Islands and ourselves received by this
visit, future navigators from Europe, if any such ever tread in our
steps, will profit by the knowledge acquired of the geography of this
part of the Pacific Ocean ; and the more philosophical reader, who
loves to view human nature in new situations, will, perhaps, find
matter of amusement, if not of instruction, in the information which
I have been enabled to convey to him concerning the inhabitants
of this Archipelago. According to the information that we received
then this Archipelago is very extensive. About 150 islands were
reckoned up to us by the natives, who made use of bits of leaves to
denote their number.

At daybreak on the morning of the 12th we saw the island of
Maitea, and soon after Otaheite. When we first drew near the
island, several canoes came off to the ship, each conducted by two
or three men. But, as they were common fellows, Omai took no
particular notice of them, nor they of him. At length a chief, whom

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

M^ I

I had known before, named Ootee, and Omai's brother-in-law, and
three or four more persons, all of whom knew Omai, came onboard.
There was nothing either tender or striking in their meeting, but,
on the contrary, there seemed to be a perfect indifference on both
sides, till Omai, having taken his brother-in-law down into the
cabin, opened the drawer whore he kept his red feathers, and gave
him a few. This being presently known among the rest of the
natives upon deck, the face of affairs was entirely changed, and
Ootce, who would hardly speak co Omai before, now begged that
they might be friends, and exchanged names. Omai accepted the
honour, and confirmed it with a present of red feathers ; and Ootee,
by way of return, sent ashore for a bog. It was evident to every
one of us, that il was not the man, but his property, they were in
love with : such was Omai's first reception among his countrymen.
The important ne vs of red feathers being on board our ships having
been conveyed on shore by Omai's friends, day had no sooner
begun to break next morning, than we were surrounded by a multi-
tude of canoes, crowded with people bringing hogs and fruit to
market. At first, a quantity cf feathers not greater than what
might be got from a tom-tit would purchase a hog of forty or fifty
pounds weight, but as almost everybody in the ships was possessed
of some of this precious article of trade, it fell in its value above 500
per cent, before night.

Soon after we had anchored, Omai's sister came un board to see
him. I was happy to observe that, much to tne honour of them
both, icir meeting was marked with expressions of the tenderest
affection, easier to be conceived than described. This moving
scene having closed, and the ship being properly moored, Omai
and I went on shore. My first object was to pay a visit to a man
whom my friend represented as a very extraordinary persorr.ge
indeed, for he said that he was the god of Bolabola. We found
him seated under one of those small awnings which they usually
carry in their larger canoes. He was an elderly man, and had lost
the use of his limbs, so that he was carried from place to place
upon a hand-barrow. From Omai's account of this person I ex-
pected to have seen some religious adoration paid to him, but,
excepting some young plantain trees that lay before liirn, and upon
the av/ning under which he sat, I could observe nothing by which
he might be distinguished from their other chiefs. Omai presented
to him a tuft of red feathers, tied to the end of a small stick ; but

CAPTAIN COOK,

after a little conversation on indifferent matters with this Bolabola
man, his attention was drawn to an old woman, the sister of his
mother. She was ah-eady at his feet, and had bedewed them plen-
tifully with tears of joy. I left him with the old lady in the midst
of a number of people, who had gathered round him, and went to
view a house said to be built by strangers since I was here before.
By an inspection I found it was erected by some Spaniards, who
had been here lately in two ships from Lima. When I returned, I
found Omai holding forth to a large company ; and it was with
some difficulty that he could, be got away to accompany me on
board, v/here I had an important affair to settle. This was in
regard to the stated allowance of spirituous liquors ; and I had the
satisfaction to find that the crews of both ships unanimously con-
sented to an abridgment in the usual quantity while at this place,
that they might not be under the necessity of being put to short
allowance in a cold climate.

The next day we began some necessary operations : I also put
on shore the bull, cows, horses, and sheep, and appointed two men
to look after them while grazing, as I did not intend to leave any
of them at this part of the island. During the two following days
it hardly ceased raining, but the natives, nevertheless, came to us
from every quarter, the news of our arrival having rapidly spread.
On the 17th Omai and I went on shore, to pay a formal visit to a
young chief named Waheiadooa, who had come down to the beach.
On this occasion Omai, assisted by some of his friends, dressed
himself, not after the English fashion, nor that of Otaheite, nor that
of Tongataboo, nor in the dress of any country upon earth, but in
a strange medley of all tliat he was possessed of.

On our landing, P^tary, or the god of Bolabola, carried on a
hand-barrow, attended us to a large house, where he was set down,
and we seated ourselves on each side of him. J caused a piece of
Tongataboo cloth to be spread out before us, om which I laid the

presents I intended to make. Presently the

young

chief

came.

attended by his mother and several principal men, who all seated
themselves at the other end of the cloth, facing us. Then a man,
who sat by me, made a speech, consisting of short and separate
sentences, part of which was dictated by those about him. He
was answered by one from the opposite side, near the chief ; Etary
spoke next, and then Omai, both of them being answered from the
same quarter. These orations were entirely about my arrival and

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

connections with them. The person who spoke last told me, among
other things, that he was authorised to make a formal surrender of
the province of Tiaraboo to me, and of everj-thing in it, which
marks very plainly that these people are no strangers to the policy
of accommodating themselves to present circumstances. At length
the young chief was directed by his attendants to come and embrace
me : and, by way of confirming this treaty of friendship, we
exchanged names. The ceremony being closed, he and his friends
accompanied me on board to dinner. Having taken in a fresh
supply of water, and finished all other necessary operations, on the
22nd I brought off the cattle and sheep, and made ready for sea.
On the 23rd we got under sail, and steered for Matavia Bay, where
the Resolution anchored the same eveningj the Discovery not
arriving till the next day.

About nine o'clock in the morning, Otoo, the king of the whole
island, attended by a great number of canoes full of people, came
from Oparre, his place of residence, and sent a messenger on board,
accompanied by Omai and some of the officers. We found a pro-
digious number of people assembled on this occasion, and in the
midst of them was the king, attended by his father, his two brothers
and three sisters. I went up first and saluted them, followed by
Omai, who kneeled and embraced his legs. Omai had prepared
himself for this ceremony by dressing in his very best suit of
clothes, and behaved with a great deal of respect and laodesty ;
nevertheless, very little notice was taken of him. Perhaps envy
had some share in producing this cold reception. He made the
chief a present of a large bunch of red feathers and about two or
three yards of gold 'loth, and I gave him a suit of fine linen, a
gold-laced hat, some tools, and, what was of i;iore value than all
the other articles, a quantity of red feathers, and one of the bonnets
in use at the Friendly Islands. After the hurry of this visit was
over, the king and the whole royal family accompanied me on board,
followed by several canoes, laden with all kinds of provisions, in
quantity sufficient to have served the companies of both ships for
a week. Soon after, the king's mother, who had not been present
at the first interview, came on board, bringing with her a quantity
of provisions and cloth, which she divided between me and Om»ai,
for although he was but little noticed at first by his countrymen,
they no sooner gained a knowledge of his riches than they began
to court his friendship. I encouraged this as much as I could, for

CAPTAIN COOK.

it was my wish to leave him with Gtoo ; as I intended to land all
my European animals at this island. I thought he would be able
to give some instructions about the management of them and their
use. Besides, I knew and saw that the further he was from his
native island the more he would be respected ; unfortunately, how-
ever, poor Omai rejected my advice, and coPxducted himself in so
imprudent a manner that he soon lost the friendship of Otoo, and
of every other person of note in Otaheitc. As soon as we had
dined, a party of us accompanied Otoo to Oparre, taking with
us the poultry with which we were to stock the island. These I
left at Oparre, in the possession of Otoo, and the geese and ducks
began to breed before we sailed. We found there a gander, which
the natives told us was the same that Captain Wallis had given to
Oberea ten years before, several goats, and a Spanish bull, which
they kept tied to a tree near Otoo's house. I never saw a finer
animal of this kind. He was now the property of Etary, and had
been brought from Oheitepeha to this place in oidcr to be shipped
for Bolabola. Next day 1 put ashore three cows, a, horse, a mare,
and a sheep.

Having thus disposed of these passengers, I found myself
lightened of a very heavy burthen. The trouble and vexation
that attended the bringing this living cargo thus far is hardly to
be conceived ; but the satisfaction I felt in having been so for-
tunate as to fulfil his majesty's humane design, in sending such
valuable animals to supply the wants of two worthy nations,
sufficiently recompensed me for the many anxious hours I had
passed, before this subordinate object of my voyage could be
carried into execution. As I intended to make some stay here,
we set up the two observatories on Matavia Point. Adjoining to
them two tents were pitched, for the reception of a guard, and
of such people as it might be necessary to leave on shore in
different departments. I entrusted the command to Mr. King,
who, at the same time, attended the observations for ascertaining
the correctness of the timekeeper, and other purposes.

On the 26th I had a piece of ground cleared for a garden,
and planted in it several articles, Sonie melons, potatoes, and
two pine-apple plants were in a fair way of succeeding before
we left the place. I had brought from the Friendly Islands
several shaddock trees, which I also planted here ; and they
can hardly fail of success, unless their growth should be checked

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

s. '

by the same premature curiosity which destroyed a vine planted by
the Spaniards at Ohcitepeha. A number of the natives got
together to taste the first fruit it bore, but as the grapes were
still sour, tliey considered it as httle better than poison, and it
was unanimously determined to tread it under foot. In that
state Omai found it by chance, and was overjoyed at the dis-
covery, for he had full confidence that, if he had but grapes, he
could nKike wine. Accordingly he had several slips cut off from
the tree to carry with him, and we pruned and put in order the
remains of it.

We found there the young man whom we called Oedidee, but
whose real name is Heete-heete. I had carried him from Ulietea
in 1773, and brought him back in 1774, after he had visited
the Friendly Islands, New Zealand, Easter Island, and the
Marquesas, c^rid been on board my ship about seven months.
He was tenacious of his good breeding, and " Yes, sir," or
"If you please, sir,'' were frequently repeated by him. Heete-
heete, who is a native of Bolabola, had arrived in Otaheite
three months bf^fore, with no other intention, as we could learn,
than to gratify his curiosity, or perhaps some other favourite
passion. It was evident, however, that he preferred the modes
and even the garb of his own countrymen to ours, for though
I gave him some clothes, which our Admiralty Board had been
pleased to send for his use, to which I added a chest of tools
and a few other articles as a present from myself, he declined
wearing them after a few days. This instance may be urged
as a proof of the strong propensity natural to man, of return-
ing to habits acquir^^d at an early age, and only interrupted by
accident.

On the morning of the 27th a man came from Oheitepeha and
told us that the Spanish ships had anchored in that bay the night
before, and, in confirmation of this intelligence, he produced a
piece of coarse blue cloth, which he said he got out of one of the
ships. He added that Mateemawas in one of our ships, and that
they wc'si to come down to Matavia in a dav or two. Some other
circumstances which he mentioned gave the story so much an air
of truth, that I despatched Lieut. Wilhamson in a boat to look into
Oheitepeha Bay ; in the meantime I put the ships into a proper
stp.te of defence, for though England and Spain were in peace when
I left Europe, for aught I knew hostilities might have broken out.

C-'

CAPTAIN COOK.

However, on further inquiry, the fellow imposed upon us, and this
was confirmed by Williamson's report, as soon as'he returned.

Hitherto the attention of Otoo and his people was confined to
us ; but next morning, messengers arrived from Eimeo, with
intelligence that the people in the island were in arms, and that
Otoo's partisans there had been worsted, and obhged to retreat to
the mountains. The quarrel between the two inlands, which com-
menced in : 774, had, it seems, partly subsisted ever since. The
formidable armament which 1 saw at that time had sailed soon
after I left Otr.hcite, but the malcontents of Eimeo had made so
stout a resistance, that the fleet had returned without effecting
much ; and now another expedition was necessary. On the arrival
of the messengers, all the chiefs who happened to be at Matavia
assembled at Otoo's house, where I actually was at the time,
and had the honour to be admitted into their council. One oif
the messengers opened the business in a speech of considerable
length, in order to excite the assembled chiefs of Otaheite to arm
on this occasion. This opinion was combated by others who were
against commencing hostilities, but at length the party for war
prevailed ; "Otoo, during the whole debate, remained silent. Those
of the council who were for prosecuting the war applied to me for
assistance, and all of them wanted to know what part I would
take. Omai was sent to be my interpreter, but as he could not be
found, 1 was obliged to speak for myself, and told them, as well
as I could, that as the people of Eimeo had never offended me,
I could not think myself at liberty to engage in hostilities against
them. With this declaration they seemed satisfied.

Human sacrifices arc not the only barbarous customs we find to
be still prevailing amongst this unenlightened people. For,
besides cutting out tlie jawbones of their enemies slain in battle,
which they carry about as trophies, they in some measure ^ffer
their bodies as a sacrifice to the Eatooa. Soon after the battle
in which they have been victors, they collect all the dead that
have fallen into their hands, and bring them to the morai, where,
with a great deal of ceremony, they dig a hole and bury them
all in it, as so many offerings to the gods ; but their skulls are
never after taken up. We made no scruple in freely expressing
our sentiments about their horrid ceremonies to Otoo, and those
who attended him, and I could not conceal my detestation of them
in a subsequent conversation with Towha. Omai was made use

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

of as our interpreter ; and he entered into our arguments with so
much spirit that the chief seemed to be in great wrath, especially
when he was told, that if he had put a man to death in England,
as he did here, his rank would not protect him from being hanged
for it. Upon iliis he exclaimed, " Maeno ! maeno!" ("Vile!
vile ! ") and would not hear another word.

In the evening of the 7th we played off some fireworks before a
great concourse of people. Some were highly entertained with the
exhibition, but by far the greater number of the spectators \s erf; terri-
bly frightened, insomuch that it was with difficulty we could prevail
upon them to keep together to see the end of the show. A table-
rocket was the last. It flew off the table, and dispersed the whole
crowd in a moment ; even the most resolute among them fled with
precipitation.

Otoo was not more attentive to supply our wants by a succession
of presents than he was to contribute to our amusement by a succes-
sion of diversions. A party of us having gone down to Oparre on
the loth, he treated us with what may be called a play. His three
sisters were the actresses, and the dresses they appeared in were
new and elegant — that is, more so than we had usually met with at
any of these islands. In the evening we returned from Oparre,
where we left Otoo and all the royal family, and I saw none of them
till the 1 2th, when all but the chief himself paid me a visit ; he, as
they told me, was gone to Attahooroo, to assist this day at another
human sacrifice, which the chief of Tiarabee had sent thither to be
offered up at the morai.

The following evening Otoo returned from exercising this most
disagreeable of all his duties as sovereign ; and the next day, being
now honoured with his company. Captain Gierke and I, mounted
on horseback, took a ride round the plain of Matavia, to the very
great surprise of a great train of people, who attended on the occa-
sion, gazing upon us with as much astonishment as if we had been
centaurs : Omai, indeed, had once or twice before this attempted to
get on horseback, but he had been as often thrown off before he
could contrive to seat himself, so that this was the first time
they had seen anybody ride a horse. Though this performance
waj repeated every day while we stayed, by one or other of our
people, the curiosity of the natives continued still unabated. They
were exceedingly delighted with these animals, after they had
seen the use that was made of them ,; and, as far as I could

CAPTAIN COOK,

judge, they conveyed to them a better idea of the greatness of
other nations than all other European novelties put together.

On the morning of the i8th, Mr. Anderson, myself, and Omai
went again, with Otoo, to Oparre, and took with us the sheep
which I intended to leave upon the island, consisting of an
Enghsh ram and cwc and three Cape ewes, all of which I
gave to Otoo. After dining with Otoo we returned to Matavia,
leaving him at Oparre. This day, and also the 19th, we were
very sparingly supplied with fruit. Otoo hearing of this, he
and his brother, who had attached himself to Captain Clerke,
came from Oparre, between nine and ten o'clock in the even-
ing, with a large supply for both ships. The next day all the
royal family came with presents, so that our wants were
not only relieved, but wc had more provisions than we could
consume.

Having got all our water on board, the ships being caulked,
the rigging overhauled, and everything put in order, I began to
think of leaving the island, that I might have sufficient time for
visiting the others in this neighbourhood. With this view we
removed from the shore our observatories and instruments, and
bent our sails. Early in the morning of the 22nd, Otoo and his
father came on board to know when I proposed saihng ; for, having
been informed that there was a good harbour at Eimeo, I told
them that I should visit that island on my way to Huaheine, and
they were desirous of taking a passage with me, and of their fleet
sailing at the same time to reinforce Towha. As I was ready to
take my departure, I left it to them to name the day ; and the Wed-
nesday following was fixed upon, when I wr-^ to take on board
Otoo, his father, mother, and, in short, the whole family. These
points being settled, I proposed setting out immediately for Oparre,
where all the fleet fitted out for the expedition was to assemble
that day, and to be reviewed. I had just time to get into my boat
when news was brought that Towha had concluded a treaty with
Maheine, and had returned v;ith his fleet to Attahooroo. This
unexpected event made all further proceedings in a military way
quite unnecessary ; and the war-canoes, instead of rendezvousing
at Oparre, were ordered home to their respective districts. I now
returned on board my ship, attended by Otoo's mother, his three
sisters, and eight more women. At first I thought i"his numerous
train of females came into my boat with no other intention than to

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

get a passage to Matavia ; but when we arrived at the ship they told
me thai they intended to pass the night on board for the exp»-ess pur-
pose of undertaking the cure of a disorder I had complained of, which
was a pain of the rlieumatic kind. I accepted the friendly offer, had
a bed spread for them on the cabin floor, and submitted myself to
their directions. They began to squeeze me with both hands from
head to foot, but particularly on the parts where the pain was
lodged, till they made my bones crack, and my flesli became a per-
fect murnmy. In short, after undergoing this discipline for about a
quarter of an hour, I was glad to get away from them, riowever,
the operation gave me immediate relief, which encouraged me to
submit to another rubbing down before I went to bed ; and it was
so effectual that I found myself pretty easy all the night a*''ter. My
femait ■>hysicians repeated their prescription the next morning
before they went ashore, and again in the evening, when they
returned on board, after which I found the pains entirely remo^'cd,
and the cure being peifccted, they took their leave of me the fol-
••.wng morning. This operation is universally practised amongst
these islanders, being sometimes performed by the mci., but more
generally by the women.

The war with Eimco being finally closed, all our friends paid us
a visit on the 26th ; and as they knew that we were on the point of
sailing, brought with th nii more hogs than we could take off their
hands, for, having no salt left to preserve any, we wanted no more
than for present use.

When the Spaiiish ships, which had some time before touched
here, left the island, four Spaniards remained behind. Two were
priests, one a servant, and the fourth made himself very popular
among the natives, who distinguished him by the name of INIatema.
He seems to have been a person who had studied their language,
or, at least, to have spoken it so as to be understood, and to have
taken uncommon pains to impress the minds of the islanders with
the most exalted ideas of the greatness of the Spanish nation, and
to make them think meanly of the English. H." even went so far
as to assure them, that we no longer existed as an indepciident
nation : that Prctane was only a small island, which thoy, the
Spaniards, hac entirely destroyed ; and that they had met with me
at sea, and, with a few :;,hot, had sent my ship, and every soul in
her, to the bottom, so that my visiting Otaneite at this time was of
course very unexpected. With what design Lhe priests stayed, we

CAPTAIN COOK.

■A

cannot guess. If it was to convert the people to the CathoHc faith,
they had not succeeded in any one instance. When they had stayed
ten months, two ships came to Ohcitepeha, took them on board,
and sailed again in five days.

Otoo said, if the Spaniards should return, he would not let them
come to Matavia Fort, which, he said, was ours. It was easy to
sec that the idea pleased him, little thinking that the completion of
it would at once deprive him of his kingdom and the people of their
hberties. This shows with what facility a settlement might be ob-
tained at Otaheite, which, grateful as I am for repeated good offices,
I hope will never happen.

We had no sooner anchored in the neighbourin,L^ island of
Eimeo than the ships were crowded with the inhabitants, whom
curiosity alone brought on board, for thev had nothing with them
for the purpose of barter ; but the n ^\t morning several canoes
arrived, from more distant parts, bnnging with them abundance
of bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, and a few hogs. These they ex-
changed for hatchets, nails, and beads ; for red feather-' were
not so much sought for here as at Otaheite. In the mor^ ng of
the 2nd of October, Malieine, the chief of the island, paid me a
visit. He approached tiie ship with great caution, and it
required some persuasion to get him on board. This chief, who,
with a few followers, had made himself independent of Otaheite,
is between forty and fifty years old. He is bald-headed, which
is rather uncommon in these islands at that age, and wore a
kind of turban, as he seemed ashamed to show his head. They
had seen us shave the head of one of their people, whom we had
caught stealing, and therefore concluded that this was the
punishment usually inflicted by us upon all thieves ; and one or
two of our gentlemen, whose heads were not overburthened with
hair, we could observe, lay under violent suspicions of being
tetos, or thieves.

We hauled the ship off into the stream oi. the 6th of October,
intending to put to sea the next day, but an accident happened
which prevented it. We had sent our goats ashore to graze,
with two men to look after them ; but, notwithstanding this pre-
caution, the natives had contrived to steal one of them in the
evening. The loss of this goat would have been of little conse-
quence if it had not interfered with my views of stocking other
islands with these animals ; but this being the case, it became

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

necessary to recover it, if possible, and after much trouble we
succeeded.

At Eimeo we abundantly supplied the ships with firewood.
Whi had not taken any in at Otaheitr, there not being- a tree at
!Matavia but what is useful to the inhabitants. There is a very
strikinL^- difference in the women of this island and those of
Otaheite. Those of Kimeo are uf low stature, are of a dark hue,
and, in <^'-eneral, forbiddin.g- features. If we met with a fine
woman ainoni,'' tliem, v/e were sure to find, upon inquiry, that
she had come from some other island.

We left lumeo on the 12th of October, 1777, and the next
morning' saw Huaheine. At noon we anchored at tlui north
cntrnnce of Owharre harbour, which is on the west side of the
island. Our arrival brought all the principal people to our ships,
which was what 1 wished, as it was high time to think of settlin.g
Omai ; and the presence of these chiefs, I thought, would enable
me to do it in the most satisfactory manner. After the hurry of
the morning was over, we got ready to pay a formal visit to
Taireetareea, the sovereign, meaning then to introduce this busi-
ness. Omai dressed himself very properly on this occasion, and
prepared a handsome present for the chief himself, and another for
his Eatooa ; indeed, after he got clear of the gang that surrounded
him at Otaheite, he behaved with such prudence as to g"?in respect.
We waited some time for Taireetareea, but when he appeared I
found that his presence might have been dispensed with, as he was
not above eight or ten years of age. Omai, who stood at a little
distance from this circle of great men, began with making his
offerings to the gods, consisting of red feathers, cloth, and other
articles, which were each laid before one of the company, who, I
understood, was a priest, and delivered with a set speech or
prayer, spoken by one of Omai's friends, who sat by him, but
mostly dictated by himself. In these prayers he did not forget
his friends in England, nor those who had brought him safe
back; the " Earee rahie no Pretane" (King' George), Lord
Sandwich, Tootc, and 'J'atee (Cook and Clerkf^), were mentioned
in every one of them. When Omai's offerings and prayers were
finished, th:^ Driest took each article, in the same order in which
it had been laid before him, and after repeating a prayer, sent it
to the moral, which as Omai told us, was at a grea^. distance,
otherwise the offerings would have been made there. Omai sat

CAPTAIN COOIC.

down by mc and wc entered upon business. Omai's cstoblish-
ment was then proposed to the assembled chiefs : he acquainted
them " that he had been carried by us into our country, where he
was well received by the ^reat king" and his earces, and treated
with every mark of regard and affection v»'hiie he stayed among-st
us; that he had been brou.L,'"ht back ag^ain, enriched by our liber-
ality with a number of articles, which would prove very useful to
his countrymen ; and that, besides the two horses, which were to
remain with bin"*., several new and valuable animals had been left
at Otaheite, which would soon multiply, and furnish a sufficient
number for the use of all the islands in the neighbourhood. He
then signified to them that it was my earnest request, in return
for all my friendly offices, that they would give him a piece of
land to build a house upon, and to raise provisions for himself
and servants ; adding, that if this could not be obtained for him
in Huaheine, either by gift or by purchase, I was determined to
carry him to Ulietea, and fix him there."

One of the chiefs immediately expressed himself to this effect :
" that the whole island of Huaheine, and everything in it, were
mine, and that, therefore, I might give what portion of it I pleased
to my friend." Omai was greatly pleased to hear this ; thinking,
no doubt, that I should be very liberal, and give him enough.
B-it to offer what it would have been improper to accept, I con-
sidered as offering nothing at all, and, therefore, I now desired
that they would not only assign the particular spot, but also the
exai. : quantity of land which they would allot for the settlement.
After a short consultation among themselves my request was
granted, and the ground immediately pitched upon, adjoining to
the house where our meeting was held. The extent along the
shore of the harbour was about 200 yards, and its depth, to the
foot of the hill, somewhat more, but a proportional part of the
hill was included in the grant. This business being settled, to
the satisfaction of all parties, I set up a ten^ ..^hore, established
a post, and erected the observatories. ". . carpenters of both
ships were also set to work to build a small house for Omai, in
which he might secure the European commodities that were his
property. At the same time some hands were employed in
making a garden for his use.

While we lay in this harbour, we carried ashore the bread
remaining in the bread-room, to clear it of vermin. The number

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

11 [

of corkroachos that infested the ship at this time was incredible ;
th(.' dama.i,^e tiiey did us was very considerable, and every method
devised l)y us to destroy them proved ineffectual. Accordini;- to
Mr. Anderson's observations, they were of two sorts, the Ji/ittfa
orioitalis and i^crnnDiica. The first of these had been carried
home in the siiip from her former voyaije, where they withstood
the sevc>rity of tiie hartl winter in 1766, thou,L,di she was in dock
all the time. The others bad only made their appearance since
our leavim,^ New Zealand, but had increased so fast, that when a
sail was loosened, thousands of them fell upon the decks. The
orienfalis, thou^di in infmite numbers, scarcely came out but in
the ni.<,dit, whiMi they made everything- in the cabin seem as if in
motion, from the particular noise in crawling!;- about.

The intercourse of trade and friendly oftices was carried on
between us and the natives, without bein^'- disturbed by any one
accident, till the evenini,^ of the 22nd, when a man found means
to ^et into Mr. Bayley's observatory, and to carry off the sextant
unobserved. As soon as I was made acquainted with this, I went
ashore, and iji^ot Omai to apply to the chiefs to procure restitution.
He did so, but they took no steps towards it, bein,^' more attentive
to a heeva that was then actinc;", till I ordered the performers of
the exhibition to desist. They were now convinced that I was in
earnest, and bei^an to make some inquiry after the thief, who was
sitting- in the midst of them, quite unconcerned, insor. jch that I
was in ,L;reat doubt of his being the g-uilty person, especially as he
denied it. Omai, however, assuring- me that he was the man, I
sent him on board the ship, and there confined him. This raised
a general ferment amongst the assembled natives, and the whole
body iied, in spite of all my endeavours to stop them. Having
employed Omai to examine the prisoner, with some difficulty he
was brought to confess where he had hid the sextant ; but, £is it
was now dark, we could not find it till daylight the next morning,
when it was brought back uninjured. After this, the natives
recovered from their fright, and began to gather about us as
usual. As the thief seemed to be a very hardened fellow, I
punished him with some severity. This, however, did not deter
him, for in the night of the 24th a general alarm was spread,
occasioned, as was said, by one of our goats being stolen by this
very man. On examination, we found that all was safe in that
quarter ; probably, the goats were so well guarded, that he could

t
1
c
i

i
c

CAPTAIN COOK.

he
; it

as
I

:er

lis
at
Id

not put his design into execution, but it appeared that he had
destroyed and carried off several vines and cabba.i^e plants in
Oniai's L^q-ouiids, and he publicly tlireatened to kill him and to
l)urn ids iiouse as soon as we should leave the island. To pnniMit
the fellow's doiuL,'- me and Omai any more mischief, 1 had him
seized and conhncd aj::fain on board the ship, with a view of carry-
ing him off the island ; and it seemed to g-ive >;eneral satisfaction
to the chiefs that I meant thus to dispose of him.

Omai's house bein.ij^ nearly finished, many of his movables were
carried ashore on the 26th. Amongst a variety of other useless
articles was a box of toys, which, when exposed to public view,
seemed greatly to please the gazing multitude. But as to his
pots, kettles, dishes, plates, drinking mugs, glasses, and the
whole train of our domestic accommodation, hardly any one of
his countrymen would so much as look at them. Omai himself
now began to think that they were of no manner of use to him ;
that a baked hog was more savoury food than a boiled one ; that
a plantain-leaf made as good a dish or plate as pewterj; and that a
cocoa-nut shell was as convenient a goblet as a black jack; and
therefore he very wisely disposed of as many of these articles of
English furniture for the kitchen and pantry as he could find pur-
chasers for amongst the people of the ships, receiving from them
in return hatchets and other iron tools, which had a more intrmsic
value in this part of the world, and added more to his distinguish-
ing superiority over those with whom he was to pass the remainder
of his days.

Before I sailed I had the following inscription cut upon the
outside of his house : —

Georgius Tcrtius, Rex, 2 November, 1777.

Tu- ^Resolution, Jac. Cook, Pr.

Aa\es yji^covery, Car. Gierke, Pr.

On the 2nd of November, at four in the afternoon, I took
advantage of a breezo which then sprung up from the east, and
sailed out of thc^ harbour. JNlost of our friends remained on
board till the ships ./ere under weigh, when, to gratdy their
curiosity, I ordered five guns to be fired. They then took their
leave, except Omai, who remained till we were at sea; an hour
or two later he went ashore, taking a very affectionate farewell
of all the officers, lie sustained himstjlf with a manly resolution

,! i

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

till he came to me, when his utmost efforts to conceal his tears
failed ; and Mr. King-, who went in the boat, told me that he
wept all the time in going- ashore.

Omai's return, and the substantial proofs he brought back
with him of our Hberality, encouraged many to offer themselves
as volunteers to attend me to Pretane. I took every opportunity
of expressing my determination to reject all such applications.
If there had been the most distant probability of any ship being
again sent to New Zealand, I would have brought home with me
two youthi of that country, who were very desirous of continuing
with us. Tiarooa, the elder, was an exceedingly well-disposed
young man, with strong natural sense, and capable of receiving
any instruction He seemed to be fully sensible of the inferiority
of his own country to these islands, and resigned himself, though
perhaps with reluctance, to end his dr'ys in ease and plenty in
Huaheine. But the other was so strongly attached to us that he
was taken out of the ship and carried ashore by force. He
was a witty, smart boy, and on that account much noticed on
board. But notwithstanding this, Omai, who was very ambitious
of remaining the only great traveller, frequently reminded me
that Lord Sandwich had told him no others of his countrymen
were to come to England.

Nothing worthy of note happened till the night of the 12th,
when John Harrison, a marine, who was sentinel at the observa-
tory, deserted, carrying with him his musket and accoutrements.
Having in the morning got intelligence which way he had moved
off, a party was sent after him, but they returned in the evening,
after an ineffectual inquiry and search. The next day I applied
to the chief to interest himself in the matter. He proHiised to
send a party of his men after him, but I had reason to suspect
that no steps had been taken by him. We had at this time a
great number of natives about the ships, and some thefts were
committed ; dreading the consequences, very few visitors came
near us the next morning, and the chief himself with his whole
family fled. I thought this a good opportunity to oblige them to
deliver up the deserter, and having heard that he was at a place
called Hamoa, on the other side of the island, I went thither
with two armed boats, accompanied by one of the natives, on
our way embarking the chief. I landed about a mile and a half
from the place, with a few people, and marched briskly up to it,

CAPTAIN COOK,

; tears
liat he

: back
iselves
rtunity
itions.
beini^
ith me
inuing"
sposcd
;eiving
;riority
;hoiigh
snty in
hat he
I. He
ced on
bitious
led me
|:rymcn

1 2th,
iserva-
mcnts.
moved
eninc,''.
ppHed
sed to
spect
ime a
were
came
whole
|em to
place
lither
s, on
half
to it,

lest the sight of the boats should give the alarm, and allow the
man time to escape to the mountains. But this precaution was
unnecessary, for the natives there had got information of my
coming, and were prepared to deliver him up.

I found Harrison with his musket lying before him, sitting
between two women, who, the moment I entered the house, rose
up to plead in his behalf. As it was highly proper to discourage
such proceedings, I frowned upon them, and bid them begone,
upon which they burst into tears and walked off. Paha, the
chief of the district, now came with a plantain-tree and a sucking
pig, which he would have presented to me as a peace-offering.
I rejected it, and ordered him out of my sight, and having
embarked with the deserter on board the first boat that arrived,
returned to the ship. After this, harmony was again restored.
The fellow had nothing to say in his defence, but that the natives
had enticed him away, and this might in part be true, as it was
certain Paha, and also the two women above mentioned, had been
at the ship the day before he deserted. As it appeared that he
remained at his post till within a few minutes of the time when
he was to have been relieved, the punibhment I inflicted upon
him was not very severe.

On the morning of the 24th I was informed that a midshipman
and a seaman, both belonging to the Discovery, were missing.
Soon after, we learnt Irom the natives that they went away in a
canoe the preceding evening, and were at this time at the other
end of the island. As the midshipman was known to have
expressed a desire to remain at these islands, it seemed pretty
certain that he and his companion had gone ofl^ with this inten-
tion ; and Captain Gierke set out in quest of them with two
armed boats and a party of marines. His expedition proved
fruitless, for he returned in the evening without having got any
certain intelligence where they were. From the conduct of the
natives. Captain Clerke seemed to think that they intended to
conceal the deserters, and with that view had given him false
information the whole day, which turned out to be correct, for
the next morning we were told that our runaways were at Otaha.
As these two were not the only persons in the ships who wished
to end their days at these favourite islands, in order to put a
stop to any further desertion, it was necessary to get them back
at all hazards ; and that the natives might be convinced that I

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

was in earnest, I resolved to go after them myself, having ob-
served, from repeated instances, that they seldom offered to
deceive me with false information. Accordingly, I set out the
next morning with two armed boats, being accompanied by the
chief himself. I proceeded as he directed, without stopping
anywhere, till we came to the middle of the east side of Otaha.
Then we put ashore, and Oreo despatched a man before us with
orders to seize the deserters, and keep them till we should arrive
with the boats. But when we got to the place where we ex-
pected to find them, we were told that they had quitted this
island, and gone over to Bolabola the day before. I did not
think proper to follow them thither, but returned to the ships,
fully determined, however, to have recourse to a measure which
I guessed would oblige the natives to bring them back.

Soon after daybreak the chief, his son, daughter, and son-in-
law, came on board the Resolution. The three last I resolved
to detain till the two deserters should be brought back. With
this view Captain Gierke invited them to go on board his ship,
and, as soon as they arrived there, confined them in his cabin.
The chief was with me when the news reached him, and he
immediately acquainted me with it, supposing that this step had
been taken without my knowledge, :ind, consequently, without
my approbation. 1 instantly undeceived him, when he began to
have apprehensions as to his own situation, and his looks ex-
pressed the utmost perturbation of mind ; but I soon made him
easy as to this, by telling him that he was at liberty to leave
the ship whenever he pleased, and to take such measures as he
should judge best calculated to get our two men back ; that if
he succeeded, his friends on board the Discovery should be
delivered up ; if not, that I was determined to carry them with
me. I added, that his own conduct, as well as that of many of
his people, in not only assisting these two men to escape, but
in being, even at this very time, assiduous in enticing others to
follow them, would justify any step I could take to put a stop to
such proceedings. This explanation of the motives upon which
1 acted, and which we found means to make Oreo, and those of
his people who were present, fully comprehend, seemed to
reassure them in a great measure. But, if relieved from appre-
h nsion about their own safety, they continued under the deepest
cc::cern for those who were prisoners. Many of them went

CAPTAIN COOK.

ly of

but

's to

IP to

Ihich
|e of

to
ipre-
)est
^ent

under the Discovery' s stern in canoes to bewail their captivity,
which they did with long and loud exclamations. ** Pocdooa ! "
(for so the chief's daughter was called) resounded from every
quarter ; and the women seemed to vie with each other in
mourning her fate with more significant expressions of their
grief than tears and cries, for there were many bloody heads
upon the occasion.

Oreo himself did not give way to unavailing lamentations, but
instantly began his exertions to recover our desertiTs by
despatching a canoe to Bolabola, with a message to Opoony,
the sovereign of that island, ac uainting him with what liad
happened, and requesting him to seize the two fugitives and
send them back. The messenger, who was no less a man than
the father of Pootoe, Oreo's son-in-law, before he set out came
to receive my commands. I strictly enjoined him not to return
without the deserters, and to tell Opoony from m.e, that if they
had left Bolabola he must send canoes to bring them back, for
I suspected that they would not long remain in one place.
Urged by a regard for the high rank of the prisoners, the natives
did not think proper to trust to the return of our people for their
release ; or at least their impatience was so great, that it hurried
them to meditate an attempt which might have involved them in
still greater distress, had it not been fortunately prevented.
Between five and six o'clock in the evening I observed that all
their canoes, in and j'bout the harbour, began to move off, as if
some sudden panic had seized them. I was ashore, abreast of
the ship at the time, and inquired in vain to find out the cause,
till our people called to us from the Discovery, and told us that
a party of the natives had seized Captain Gierke and Mr. Gore,
who had walked out a little way from the ships. Struck with the
boldness of this plan of retaliation, which seemed to counteract
me so effectually in my own way, there was no time to de-
liberate ; I instantly ordered the people to arm, nnd in less than
five minutes a strong party, under the command of Mr. King,
was sent to rescue our two gentlemen ; at the same tinK^ two
armed boats, and a party under Mr. Williamson, went after the
flying canoes, to cut off their retreat to the shore. Thc^se several
detachments were hardly out of sight before an account arrived
that wc had been misinformed, upon v^hich I sent and called
them all m.

D 2

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OP

It was evident, however, from several corroborating" circum-
stances, that the design of seizing Captain Gierke had really
been in agitation amongst the natives, nay» they made no secret
in speaking- of it the next day ; but their first and great plan of
operation was to have laid hold of me. It was my custom, every
evening, to bathe in the fresh water. Very often I went alone,
and always without arms. Expecting me to go as usual this
evening, they had determined to seize me, and Captain Clerke,
too, if he had accompanied me ; but I had, after confining
Oreo's family, thought it prudent to avoid putting myself in
tlK^ir power, and had cautioned Captain Clerke and the officers
not to go far from the ships. In the course of the afternoon
the chief asked me three several times if I would nou go to the
bathing-place, and when he found, at last, that i could not be
prevailed upon to do so, he went off, with the rest of his people,
in spite of all that I cou]d do or say to stop him. But as I had
no suspicion at this time of their design, I imagined that some
sudden frigh: had seized them, which would, as usual, soon be
over. Finding themselves disappointed as to me, they fixed on
those who were more in their power. It was fortunate for all
parties that they did not succeed, and not less fortunate that no
mischief was done on the occasion, for not a musket was fired,
except two or three to stop the canoes. To that firing, perhaps,
Messrs. Clerke and Gore owed their safety,* for, at that very
instant, a party of the natives, armed with clubs, were advancing
towards them, and on hearing the reports of the muskets they
dispersed. The conspiracy, as it may be called, was first
discovered by a girl whom one of the officers had brought from
Huaheine. She, overhearing some of the Ulieteans say that they
would seize Captain Clerke and Mr. Gore, ran to av.';iuaint the
first of our people that she met with. Those who were charged
with the execution of the design threatened to kill ^er, as soon
as] we should leave the island, for disappointing them. Being
aware of this, we c:ontrived that her friends should come, some
days after, and take her out of the ship, to convey her to a place
of safety till they could have an opportunity of sending her back
to Huaheine.

* Perliaps thov owed tlieir safoty principally to Captain Gierke's walking with a
pistol in his hand, which he once fired. The circumstance is omitted both in Captain
Cook's and Mr. Anderson's journal, but it is here mentioned on the anfboritv of
Captain King.

ATTAIN COOK.

:ircum-
L really
) secret
plan of
1, every
: alone,
lal this
Gierke,
>n fining
>^self in
officers
'ternoon
) to the
not be
people,
IS I had
at some
soon be
fixed on
for all
; that no
IS fired,
)erhaps,
lat very
vancing
!ts they
as first
ht from
lat they
lint the
:harged
as soon
Being
?, some
"a place
jr back

ig with a
1 Captain
[bor'tv of

On the 27th our observatories were taken down, and everything-
we had ashore carried on board ; the moorings of the ship were
cast off, and we transported them a little way down the harbour,
where they were brought to an anchor again. Towards the
afternoon, the natives began to shake off their fears, gathering-
round and on board the ships as usual, and the awkward trans-
actions of the day before seemed to be forgotten on both sides.
The following niglit the wind blew in hard squalls from south to
east, attended with heavy showers of rain. In one of the squalls,
the cable by which t-he Rcsolutio^i was riding, parted just
without the hawse. We had another ready to let go, so that the
ship was presently brought up again. In the afternoon, the
wind became moderate, and we hooked the end of the best small
bower cable, and got it again into the hawse. Oreo, the chief,
being uneasy as well as myself that no account had been received
from Bolabola, set out this evening for that island, and desired
me to follow him the next day with the ships. This was my
intention, but the wind would not admit of our getting to sea,
though the same wind which kept us in the harbour brought
Oreo back from Bolabola with the tw^o deserters. They had
reached Otaha the same night they deserted, but finding it
imposs'ble to get to any of the islands to the eastward, for want
of wind, they had proceeded to Bolabola, and from thence to the
small island Toobaee, where they were taken by the father of
Pcotoe, in consequjnce of the first r-.essage sent to Opoony. As
soon as they were on board, the three prisoners were released,
and thus ended the affair, which had given me much trouble and
vexation ; nor would I have exerted myself so resolutely on the
occasion, but for the reasons before mentioned, and to save the
son of a brother officer from being lost to his country.

The wind continued between the north and west, and confined
us in the harbour til! eight o'clock m the morning of the 7th of
December, when we took advantage of a light breeze which then
sprang from the north-east, and, with the assistance of all the
boats, got out to sea, with the Discovery in company. During
the last week we had been visited by people from all parts of the
island, who furnished us with a large stock of hogs and green
plantains. So that the time we lay wind-bound in the harbour
was not entirely lost, green plantains being an excellent substi-
tute Ibr bread, as they will keep for a fortnight or three weeks.

if^

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

Besides this supply of provisions, we also completed our wood
and water.

Ulietea, before its conquest by Bolabola, was, as we were told,
the most important of that cluster of islands, and probably the
first seat uf government, for they say chat the present royal family
of Otaheite is descended from that which reigned here before the
late revolution. Ooroo, the dethroned monarch of Ulietea, was
still alive when we were at Huaheine, where he resides, preserving
all the emblems which they appropriate to majesty, though he has
lost his dominio.vs. We saw a similar instance of this while we
were at Ulietea. One of the occasional visitors I now had was
my old friend Gree, the late chief of Huaheine, who still preserved
his consequence, and came always at the head of a numerous
body of attendants.

As soon as we got clear of the harbour, we took our leave of <;
Ulietea, and steered for Bolabola. The chief, if not the sole
object I had in view in visiting that island was to procure from its
monarch, Opoony, one of the anchors which Monsieur de
Bougainville had lost at Otaheite. This, having afterwards been
taken up by the natives there, had, as they informed me, been
sent by them as a present to that chief. My desire to get posses-
sion of it did not arise from our being in want of anchors, but,
having expended all the hatchets and other iron tools which we
had brought from England in purchasing fresh provisions,
we were now reduced to the necessity of creating a fresh assort-
ment of trading articles by fabricating them out of the spare iron
we had on board ; and in such conversions, and in the occasional
uses of the ships, great part of that had been already expended.
I thought that M. de Bougainville's anchor would supply our want
of this useful material, and I made no doubt that I should be able
t." tempt Opoony to part with it. Oreo, who is a sort of deputy
of the king of Bolabola, and six or eight men from Ulietea, took
a passage with us to Bolabola ; indeed, most of the natives,
except the chief himself, would have gladly taken a passage with
us to England. At sunset, being near the south point of Bolabola,
we shortened sail, and spent the night making short boards. At
daybreak on the 8th we made sail for the harbour, which is on
the west side of the island ; but the tide and wind being against
us, I gave up the design of carrying the ships into the harbour ;
and having ordered the boats to be got ready, I embarked in one

CAPTAIN COOK,

I our wood

! were told,
robably the
oyal family
; before the
lietea, was
preserving
(Ugh he has
is while we
)w had was

II preserved
. numerous

ur leave of 6
Dt the sole
are from its
onsieur de
wards been
i me, been
get posses-
chors, but,
s which we
provisions,
resh assort-
spare iron
occasional
expended.
|ly our want
lid be able
of deputy
lietea, took
le natives,
|ssage with
Bolabola,
)ards. At
Ihich is on
ig against
harbour ;
Iked in one

of them, accompanied by Oreo and his companions, and v/as
rowed in for the island. We landed where the natives directed
us, and soon after 1 was introduced to Opoony, in the midst of a
great concourse of people. Having no time to lose, as soon as
the necessary formalities were over, I asked the chief to give me
the anchor, and produced the present I had prepared for him,
consisting of a linen night-gown, a shirt, some gauze handker-
chiefs, a looking-glass, some beads and other toys, and six axes.
At the sight of these last there was a general outcry, but I could
only guess the cause by Opoony' s absolutely refusing to receive
my j)resent till I should get the anchor. He ordered three men to
go and deliver it to me ; and as I understood, I was to send by
them what I thought proper in return. With these messengers
we set out in our boat for an island, lying at the north side of the
entrance into the harbour, where the anchor had been deposited.
I found it to be neither so large nor so perfect as I expected. It
had originally weighed 700 pounds, according to the mark that
was upon it ; but the ring, with part of the shank and two palms,
were wanting. I was no longer at a loss to guess the reason of
Opoony's refusing my present. He doibrless thought that it so
much exceeded the value of the anchor in its present state, that I
should be displeased when I saw it. Be this as it may, I took the
anchor as I found it, and sent him every article of the present
that I at first intended. Having thus completed my negotiation,
I returned on board, and having hauled m the boats, made sail
from the island to the north.

While the boats were hoisting in, some of the natives came
off in three or four canoes to see the ship, as they said. They
brought with them a few cocoa-nuts and one pig, which was the
only one we got at the island. I make no doubt, however, that if
we had stayed tiH the next day, we should have been plentifully
supplied with provisions ; but as we had already a very good
stock, both of hogs and of fruit, on board, and very little of any-
thing left to purchase more, I could have no inducement to defer
any longer the prosecution of our voyage.

After leaving Bolabola, I steered to the northward, close-hauled,
with the wind between north-east and east, hardly ever having it
to the southward of east till after we had crossed the line, and
had got into north latitudes.

Though seventeen months had now elapsed since our departure

-tT"^^

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

from En.o^land, durin^q- which we had not, iipon the whole, been
unprofitably employed, I was sensible that, with regard to the
principal object of my instructions, our voyage was, at this time,
only beg-inning ; and therefore my attention to every circumstance
that might contribute towards our safety and our ultimate success
was now to be called forth anew. With this view I had examined
into the state of our provisions at the last islands ; and as soon
as I had left them, and got beyond the extent of my former
discoveries, I ordered a survey to be taken of all the boatswain's
and carpenter's stores that v;ere in the ships, that I mi^^lil
be fully informed of th^ quan it} . state, and condition of every
arti ^e, and by that me.i^- 1, v vv liow to use them to the greatest
advantage.

In the night of the ^jnd ' Oi" 'S^ed the line in the longitude of
20Tf° 15' East, and on the 24th, abc .it half an hour after daybreak,
land was discovered bearing north-east. Upon a nearer approach,
it was found to be one of those low islands so common in this
ocean, that is, a narrow bank of land enclosing the sea within ; a
few cocoa-nut trees were seen in two or three places, but in general
the land had a very barren appearance. Having dropped anchor
in thirty fathoms, a boat was despatched to examine whether it
vv'as practicable to land, of which I had some doubt, as the sea
broke in a dreadful surf all along the shore. When the boat
returned, the officer v/hom I had entrusted with this examination
reported to me that he could see no place where a boat could
land, but that ihcrc was a great abundance of fish in the shoal
water without the breakers.

At daybreak the next morning I sent two boats, one from each
ship, to search more accurately for a landing-place, and at the
same time two others to hsh near the shore. These last returned
about eight o'clock, with upwards of two hundred-weight of fish.
Encouraged by this success, they were despatched again after
breakfast, and I then went in another boat to take a view of the
coast and attempt landing, which, however, I found to be wholly
impracticable. Towards noon, the two boats sent on the same
search returned. In consequence of the report of the master, that
about a league and a hall' to the north was a break in the land,
and r. channel into the lagoon, the ships weighed anchor and
came to again in twenty fathoms of water, before a small island
that lies at the entrance of the lagoon, and on each side of which

CAPTAIN COOK.

whole, been
gard to the
at this time,
ircumstance
nate success
id examined
and as soon
my former
boatswain's
lat I mi^hl
ion of every
the greatest

longitude of

!r daybreak,

2r approach,

mon in this

ia within ; a

it in general

pped anchor

I whether it

as the sea

n the boat

xamination

boat could

the shoal

from each
land at the
1st returned
bht of fish.
L,''ain after
iew of the
be wholly
the same
|aster, that
the land,
ichor and
lall island
le of which

there is a channel suitable for boats leading into it. The water
in the lagoon itself is very shallow.

On the 28th I landed, in company with Mr. Baylcy, on the island
which lies betvvecn thj two hannels in the lagoon, to prepare tlie
telescop^:s lor 0^ -serving an approaching eclipse of the sun, which
WIS one gr-^at inducement ' • my anchoring here.

On thj morning of the 30th, the day when the eclipse was to
hap /en, Mr. King, IVr. Bayley, and myself, went ashore on the
small island above mentioned, to attend the observation. The
sky wa'^ o/eicast till past nine o'clock, when the clouds about the
sun dispersed long enough to take its altitude to rectify the time
by the watch we made use of. After this, it was again obscured
till about thirty minutes past nine, and then we found that the
eclipse had begun. We now fixed the micromr r-, to the tele-
scopes, and observed or measured the uncclipsed ;,ar >f the sun's
disc. At these observations I continued about hrt juarters of
an hour ?3efore the end, when 1 left off, being n "'^ct, unable to
continue them any longer, on account of the g. ^ xt heat of the
sun, increased by the reflection from the sand.

In the afternoon, the boats and turtling pait n the south-east
part of the island all returned on board, except a seaman belong-
ing to the Discovery, who had been missing two days. There
were two of them at first who had lost their way, but disagreeing
about the most probable track to bring them back to their com-
panions, they had s(>parated ; one of them joined the party after
having been absent twenty- four hours and been in great distress.
Not a drop of fresh water could be had, for there is none upon
the whole island, nor was there a single cocoa-nut tree on that
part of it. In order to allay his thirst he had recourse to a sin-
gular expedient of killing turtles and drinking their blood. His
mode of refreshing himself, when weary, of which he said he felt
the good effects, was equally whimsical ; he undressed himself
and lay down for some time in the shallow water upon the beach.
It was a matter of surprise to every one how these men could con-
trive to lose themselves. The land over which they had to travel,
from the sea-coast to the lagoon, where the boats lay, was not
more than three miles across, nor was there anything to obstruct
their view, for the country was flat, with a few shrubs scattered
upon it, and from many parts of it the masts of the vessels could
easily be seen.

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

As soon as Captain Gierke knew that one of the strag"glers was
still in this awkward situation, he sent a party in search of him ;
but neither the man nor the party having- come back the next
morning-, I ordered two boats into the lagoon, to go different
ways, in prosecution of the search. Not long after, Captain
Gierke's party returned with their lost companion, and my boats
having now no object left, I called them back by signal. This
poor fellow must have suffered far greater distress than the other
straggler, not only as having been lost a longer time, but because
he had been too squeamish to drink turtle's blood.

Having some cocoa-nuts and yams on board in a state of
vegetation, I ordered them to be planted on the spot where we
had observed the eclipse, and some melon seeds were sown in
another place. I also left on the little island a bottle, containing
the following inscription :

Georgius Tertius, Rex, 31 December 1777.

Naves S^^^c^'^f^'^"^ J-^c Cook, Pr.
\Discovery, Car. Clerke, Pr,

On the 1st of January, 1778, I sent boats to bring on board all
our parties from the island, and the turtles they had caught.
Before this was completed, it was too late in the afternoon, so that
I did not think proper to sail till the next morning-. We got at
this island, for both ships, about 300 turtles, weighing, one with
another, about ninety or a hundred pounds. This island has
been produced by accessions from the sea, and is in a state of
increase, for not only the broken pieces of coral, but many of the
shells, are too heavy and large to have been brought by any birds
from the beach to the places where they now lie. Not a drop of
fresh water was anywhere found, though frequently dug for, and
there were not the smallest traces of any human being having
ever been here before us. On the few cocoa-trees upon the island,
the number of which did not exceed thirty, very little fruit was
found, and, in general, what was found was either not fully grown
or had the juice salt or brackish. A ship touching here must
expect nothing but fish and turtles, but of these an abundant
supply may be depended upon.

As we kept our Christmas here, I called this discovery Christ-
mas Island. I took it to be about fifteen or twenty leagues in
circumference, and of a semicircular form — or like the moon in
the last quarter, the two horns being the north and south points.

CAPTAIN COOK.

rglers was

h of him ;

the next

different

Captain

my boats

\zi\. I'his

the other

t because

state of
where we

sown in
ontaining"

board all
caught.
1, so that
/'e got at
one with
land has
state of
ly of the
my birds
I drop of
for, and
r having-
e island,
"nn't was
\y grown
re must
bundant

■ Christ-
Lgues in
noon in
points.

On \y\'<^ 2nd of January, at daybreak, we weighed anchor and
resumed our course to the north ; and on the morning of the i8th*
discovered an island ; and soon after more land, bearing north,
and entirely sheltered from the former. Both had the appearance
of being high land.

At nine o'clock, being pretty near the shore, I sent three armed
boats, under the command of Lieutenant Williamson, to look for
a landing-place and for fresh water, with orders that if he should
find it necessary to land in search of the latter, not to suffer more
than one man to go with him out of the bwats. Just as they were
pulling off from the ship one of the natives, who had come on
board, having stolen the butcher's claaver, leaped overboard,
got into his canoe, the boats pursuing him in vain.

While the boats were occupied in examining the coast we stood
on and off with the ships, waiting for their return. About noon
Mr. Williamson came back, and reported that he had seen a
large pond behind a beach, near one of the villages, which the
natives: told him contained fresh water, and tliat there was
anchoring ground before it. He also reported that he had at-
tempted to land in another place, but was prevented by the
natives, who, coming down to the boats in great numbers,
attempted to take away the oars, muskets, and in short every-
thing that they could lay hold of, and pressed so thick upon him
that he was obliged to fire, by which one man was killed. This un-
happy circumstance I did not know till after we had left the island,
so that all my measures were directed as if nothing of the kind
had happened. Mr. Williamson told me, that after the man fell
his countrymen took him up, carried him off, and then retired
from the boat, but still made signals for our people to land, which
he declined.

The ships being stationed, between three and four o'clock,
I went ashore with three armed boats and twelve marines, to
examine the water, and to try the disposition of the inhabitants,
several hundreds of whom were assembled on a sandy beach
before the villages, behind which was a narrow valley, having at
the bottom the piece of water. The very instant I leaped on shore,
the natives all fell flat upon their faces, and remained in that

* This date, the i8tb of January, 1778, will be ever memorable in the annals of
geographical discovery as the day on which the group known as the Sandwich Islands
was given to civilisation by the enterprise of Captain Cook.

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

humble position till, by expressive si^ns, I prevailed upon them to
rise ; they then broujj^ht a ^'•reat many small pi.Lr«, whieh they pre-
sented to me, with a ])lantain tree, usin;^ mueh the same cere-
monies that we had seen practised on such occasions at the
Society and other islands, a lon.^- prayer bein.i,'- also spoken by a
sin.i;le person, in whic^h others of the assembly sometimes joined.
I expressed my acceptance of their proffered friendship, by ^dvin.L:^
them in return such presents as I had brou.L,dit with me from the
shi|i for tiiat purpose. When this introductory business was
linished, I stationed a ^uard upon the beach, and p^ot some of the
natives to conduct me to the water, which proved to be very jL^ood,
and in a proper situation for our purpose; it was so considerable
that it may be called a lake, arid it extended farther up the
country than we could see. Havincf satisfied myself about this
point, and about the peaceable disposition of the natives, I
returned on board ; and having- given orders that everything
should be in readiness for landing" and filling our water-casks in
the morning, I returned wdth the people employed in that service,
and a guard of marines, who were stationed on the beach. As
soon as wo landed, a trade was set on foot for hogs and potatoes,
which the people of this island gave us in exchange for nails and
pieces of iron formed into something like chisels. We met with
no obstruction in watering" ; on the contrary, the natives assisted
our men in rolling the casks to and from the pool, and readily
performed whatever we required.

Everything going on thus to my satisfaction, and considering
my presence on the spot as unnecessary, I left the command to
Mr. Williamson, who had landed with me, and made an excur-
sion into the country, up the valley, accompanied by Mr. Ander-
son and jNIr. Webber, the former of whom was as well qualified to
describe with the pen as the latter was to represent with his
pencil everything we might meet with worthy of observation. A
numerous train of natives followed us, and one of them, whom I
had distinguished for his activity in keeping the rest in order, I
made choice of as our guide ; this man, from time to time, pro-
claimed our approach, when ever}'one we met fell prostrate on the
ground, and remained in that position till we had passed. This,
as 1 afterwards understood, is the mode of paying their respect to
their own great chiefs. As the ships worked down me coast, "we
had observed at every village one or more elevated white objects,

)n them to
they prc-
unc c-ere-
fns at the
)kcn by a
ics joined.
, by ^^ivuii^
e from the
iincss was
omc of the
very ,i^ood,
msiderable
ler up the
about this
natives, I
everything
er-casks in
lat service,
Deach. As
d potatoes,
)r nails and
e met with
;^es assisted
and readily

considering
ommand to
e an excur-
Mr. Ander-
l quaUfied to
2nt with his
srv'ation. A
lem, whom I
: in order, I
to time, pro-
strate on the
Lssed. This,
eir respect to
Lhe coast, we
vhite objects,

CAPTAIN COOK,

like pyramids, or rather obelisks ; and one of these, which I
guessed to be at h'ast fifty feet high, was very conspicuous from
the Resolution' s deck at anchor, and seennxl to be at no great
distance up this valley. To have a nearer inspection of it was the
principal object of my walk. Our guide perfectly understood
what we wished, but as it was separated from us by the pool of
water, and another of the same kind lay within our n.-ach, about
half a mile off, we set our to visit that. On our arrival we saw
that it stood in a burying-ground, or morai, the resemblance of
which, in many respects, to those we were so well acquainted with
at other islands in this ocean, and particularly Otaheite, could
not but strike us ; and we also soon found that the several parts
that compose it were called by the same nam(\s. It was an
oblong space, of considerable extent, surrounded by a wall of
stone, about four feet high. The space enclosed was loosely paved
with smaller stones ; and at one end of it stood what I call the
pyramid, which appeared to be an exact model of the larger one,
observed by us from the ships. It was about four feet square at
the base, and about twenty feet high : the four sides were com-
posed of small poles, interwoven with twigs and branches, thus
forming an indifferent wicker-work, hollow or open within, from
bottom to top. It seemed to be in a rather ruinous state, but there
were sufficient reaiaining marks to show that it had originally
been covered with a tlun, light grey cloth, which these people
appear to consecrate to religious purposes. On each side of the
pyramid were long pieces of wicker-work, in the same ruinous
condition, with two slender poles inclining to each other, at one
corner, where some plantains were laid upon a board, fixed at a
height of five or six feet ; this fruit was an offering to their gods.
Before the pyramid were a few pieces of wood, carved into some-
thing like human figures, which, with a stone, near two feet high,
covered with pieces of cloth, called ** hoho," and consecrated to
Tongarooa, who is the god of these people, completed the resem-
blance to the morals of the islands we had lately left.

On the f»*ther side of the area of the morai stood a house, or
shed, aboui forty feet long, ten broad in the middle, each end
being narrower, and about ten feet high : on the farther side of
this house, opposite the entrance, stood two wooden images, cut
out of one piece, with pedestals, in all about three feet high,
neither very indifferently designed or executed, which were said

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

to be representations of f^oddcsses. On the head of one cf them
was a carved hehnet, not unHke those worn by the ancient
warriors ; and on that of the otlier a cylindrical cap, resembHn; ;
the head-dre. s at Otaheile, called tomou ; and both of them had
pieces of cloth tied about the loins, and hanging a considerable
way down. At the side of each was also a piece of carved wood,
with bits of the cloth hung on them in the same manner ; and
between or before the pedestals lay a quantity of fern, in a heap,
which it was obvious had been deposited there piece by piece, and
lit different times.

In the middle of the house, and before the two images, was an
oblong space, enclosed by a low edging of stones, and covered
with shreds of the cloth so often mentioned ; this, on inquiry, we
found was the grave of seven chiefs, whose nam(>s were enu-
merated. Our guide informed us that the horrid practice of
offering human sacrifices prevailed in the island, and we found
direct evidence of the truth of his statement.

After we had examined carefully everything" that was to be seen
about the moral, and Mr. Webber had taken drawings of it and
of the adjoining country, we returned by a different route. I
found a great crowd assembled at the beach, and a brisk trade
for pigs, fowls, and roots going on there with the greatest good
order, though T did not observe any particular person who took
the lead amongst the rest of his countrymen. At noon I went on
board to dinner, and then sent Mr. King to command the party
ashore. lie was to have gone upon that ser\ ice in the morning",
but was detained in the ship, making lunar observpvtions. In the
afternoon I landed again, accompanied by Captain Gierke, and
at sunset brought everybody on board, having" procured, in the
course of the day, nine tons of water, and by exchanges, chiefly
for nails and pieces of iron, about seventy or eighty pigs, a few
fowls, a quantity of potatoes, and a few plantains and taro roots.

Among the articles which they brought to barter this day, we
noticed a particular sort of cloak and cap, which, even in
countries where dress is more particularly attended to. might be
reckoned elegant. The first are nearly of the size and ::hape of
the short cloaks worn by the women in England, and by the men
in Spain, reaching to the middle of the back, and tied loosc.'ly
before ; the ground is a network, upon which the most beautiful
red and yellow feathers are so closely fixed, that the surface

CAPTAIN COOK,

if them
incient
Tiblin
m had
Icrablc
wood,
r ; and
. heap,
:e, and

vas an
overed
iiy, we
e enu-
ticc of
I found

)e seen
it and
ute. I
V trade
it good
10 took
r^ent on
party
^rning".
In the
:e, and
in the
chiefly
, a few
roots,
ay, we
iven in
i^L^ht bo
lape of
le men
loos{;ly
'autiful
surface

might be compared to the thickest and richest velvet, which they
resemble, both as to feel and glossy appearance. The manner of
varying the mixture is very different ; some having triangular
spaces of red and yellow alternately, others a kind of crescent,
and some that were entirely red, had a broad yellow border, which
made them appear at some distance exactly like a scarlet cloak
edged with gold lace. The brilliant colours of the feathers, in
those that happened to be new, added not a little to their line
appearance ; and we found that they were in high estimation witli
their owners, for they would not at iirst part with one of them for
anything that we offered, asking no less a price than a
musket. However, some were afterwards purchased for very
large nails.

The cap is made almost exactly like a helmet, with the middle
part or crest sometimes of a hand's breadth, and it sits very close
upon the head, having notches to admit the ears. It is a frame
of twigs and osiers, covered with a net-work, into which are
wrought feathers, in the same manner as upon the cloaks, thougii
rather closer, and less diversified ; the greater part being red,
with some black, yellow, or green stripes on the side, following
in a curve the direction of the crest, Tiiese, probably, complete
the dress, with the cloaks ; for the natives t-ometimes appeared
in both together.*

On the 22nd the surf broke so high upon the shore that we could
not land in our boats ; but the natives ventured in their canoes,
and bartered some hogs and roots. One of our visitors, on this
occasion, who offered some fish-hooks for sale, was observed to
liave a very small parcel tied to the string of one of them, which
he separated with great care, and reserv^ed for himself when he
parted with the hook. On seeing him so anxious to conceal tlie
contents of this parcel, he was requested to open it, which he did
with great reluctance and some difficulty, as it was wrapped up
in many folds of cloth. We found that it contained a thin piece
of human flesh, and that these people eat their enemies, using a
small wooden instrument set with sharks' teeth for the purposi.' of
dissecting the bodies ; indeed, one old man, upon being questioned
as to whether they eat human flesh, answered in the alHrmative,
and laughed, seemingly, iit the simplicity of such a question.

* 1 heso articles may be seen in the liritisli Musoiim, and irrespective of their
intrinsic worth, are interesting relics of the great navigato-.

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

He also said it was excellent food, or, as he expressed it "savoury
eating."

At seven o'clock in the evening the boats returned with two
tons of water, a few hogs, a quantity of plantains, and some roots.
Mr. King informed me that a great number of the inhabitants
were at the watering or landing place, havin^f come, as he
supposed, from all parts of the island for the purpose of barter.

The ships quitted Atooi, as the natives called the island, on the
23rd of January, but owing to the prevalence of light airs and
calms, were forced on the 29th to anchor off a village on the
neighbouring island of Oneehow, where Captain Cook hoped to
lay in a supply of fresh water. Six or seven canoes (says Captain
Cook) came off to us before we anchored, bringing some small
pigs and potatoes, and many yams and mats. The people in them
resembled those of Atooi, and seemed to be equally well ac-
quainted with the use of iron, which they asked for by the names
of "hamaite" and "toe," parting eagerly with all their com-
modities for pieces of this precious metal. Several more canoes
soon reached the ships after they had anchored ; but the natives
in these seemed to have no other object than to pay us a formal
visit. Many of them came readily on board, crouching down
upon the deck, and not quitting that humble posture till they were
desired to get up. They had brought several females with them,
who remained alongside in the canoes, behaving with less modesty
than their countrywomen of Atooi, and at times all joining in a
song, not remarkable for its melody, though performed in very
exact concert, by beating time upon their breasts with their hands.
The men wlio had come on board did not stay long, and they lay
down OH the deck locks of their hair.

On the 30th I sent Air. Gore ashore with a guard of marines and
a party to trade with the natives for provisions. I intended to
have followed soon after, and went from the ship with that design.
But the surf had increased so much by this time, that I was fear-
ul, if I got ashore, I should not be able to get off again. This
really happened to our people who had landed with Mr. Gore, the
communication between them and the ships to our own boats
being stopped. In the evening they made a signal for the boats,
which were sent accordingly, and not long after they returned with
a. few yams and some salt.

The violence of the surf, which ovi own boats could not act

CAPTAIN COOK.

against, did not hinder the natives from coming off to the ships in
their canoes with provisions, which were purchased in exchange
for nails and pieces of iron hoops ; and I distributed many pieces
of ribbon and some buttons, as bracelets, among the women in
their canoes.

About ten or eleven o'clock at night the wind veered to the
south, and the sky seemed to forbode a storm. With such
appearances, thinking we were rather too near the shore, I ordered
the anchors to be hove up, and having moved the ships into forty-
two fathoms, came to again in this safer station. The precaution,
however, proved to be unnecessary ; for the wind, soon after,
veered to north-east, from whicli quarter it blew a fresh gale, with
squalls, attended with heavy showers of rain. This weather con-
tinued all the next day, and the sea ran so high that we had no
communication with our party on shore, and ever, the natives
themselves durst not venture out to the ships in their canoes, in
the evening I sent the master in a boat up to the south-east head
or point of the island to try if he could land under it. He returned
with a favourable report ; but it was too ^.ate now to send for our
party till the next morning ; and thus th'^y had another night to
Improve tlieir intercourse witii the natives. J^^ncouraged by the
master's report, I sent a boat to the south-east point as soon as
daylight returned, with an order to Mr. Ciore that, if he could not
embark his people from the spot where they now were, to march
them up to the point. As the boat could not get to the beach,
one of the crew swam ashore and carried the order. Oii the
return of the boat, 1 went myself with the pinnace and launch up
to the point, to bring the party on board ; and being very desirous
of benefiting these poor people by furnishing them with additional
articles of food, took with me a ram and two ewes, a boar and a
sow of the English breed, and the seer^ j of melons, pumpkins, cwid
onions. 1 landed with the greatest ease under the west side of
the point, and found my party already there, with some of the
natives in company. To one of them, whom j\Ir. CIor(3 had
observed assuming some command over the rest, F gave the goats,
pigs, and seeds.

While the people were engaged in filling the water-casks from
a small stream occasioned by the late rain, I walked a little way
up the country, attended by the man above mentioned, and
followed by two others, carrying the two pigs. As soon as we got

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

on a rising ground, I stopped to look roun^ me, and observed a
woman, on the opposite side of the valley where I landed, calling
to her countrymen who attended me. Upon this the chief began
to mutter something, which I supposed was a prayer, and the two
men who carried the pigs continued to walk round me all the time,
making at least a dozen circuits before the other had finished his
oration.

It is worthy of observation that the islands in tlie Pacific Ocean
wViich these voyages liavo added to the geography of the globe,
have been generally found in groups or clusters, the single inter-
mediate islands as yet discovered being few in proportion to the
others, though, probably, there are many more of them still
unknown, which scitc as steps between the several clusters. Of
what number this newly discovered archipelago consists, must be
left to future investigation. We saw five of them, whose names,
as given to us by the natives, are Woahoo. Atooi, Onceheow,
Oreehoua, and Tahoora. I named the group the Sandwich
Islands, in honour of the Karl of Sandwich. Atooi, which is
the largest of these islands, is at least ten leagues in length from
cast to west.

The inhabitants are vigorous, active, anrl most expert swimmers';
leaving their canoes upon the most trilling occasion, they dive
under them and swim to others, though at a great distance. It
was very amusing to see women with infants at the breast, when
the surf was so high that they could not land in the canoes, leap
overboard and, without endangering their little ones, swim to tl.'e
shore, through a heavy sea.

They seem to be blessed with a frank, cheerful disposition, and
to live very sociably in their intercourse with one another, and,
except the propensity to thieving, which seems innate in most of
the people we have visited in this ocean, they were exceedingly
friendly to us, and on all occasions appeared deeply impressed
with a consciousness of their own inferiority. It was a pleasure
to see with how much affection the wom'^n managed their infants,
and how readily the men li>nt their assistance to such a tender
office; thus sufficiently distinguishing themselves from those
savages who esteem a wife and child as things rather necessary
than desirable, or worthy of their notice.

The hrir in both sexes is cut in different forms, and the general
fashion, es^:uclaily jn^ong the women, is to have it long before.

CAPTAIN COOK,

and short behind. The men often had it cut or shaved on each
side, in such a manner that tlie remainin.^- part in some measure
resembled the crest of their caps or hehnets, formerly described.
Both sexes, however, seem very careless about their hair, and have
nothin;^ like combs to dress it with. Instances of wearin.^- it in a
singular manner were sometimes met with among the mi;n, who
twist it into a number of separate jiarcels, like the tails of a wig,
each about the thickness of a linger, though the greater part of
these, which are so long that they reach far down the back, were
artificially fixed upon the head over their own hair. Both sexes
adorn themselves with necklaces made of bunches of small black
cord, or many strings of very small shells, or of the dried llowers
of the Indian rnallow ; and sometimes a small human image of
bone, about three inches long, neatly polished, is hung round the
neck. The women also wear bracelets of a smgle shell, pieces
of black wood, with bits of ivory interspersed, well polished, and
fixed by a string drawn very closely through them ; or others, of
hogs' teeth laid parallel to each other, with the concave side out-
ward and the points cut off, fastened together as the former, some
of which, made only of large boars' tusks, being very elegant.
Tiie men sometimes wear plumes of the tropic-bird's feathers
stuck in their heads ; or thc«'^ of cocks, fastened round neat
polished sticks two feet long, commonly decorated at the lower
part with oora ; and for the same purpose the skin of a white
dog'.s tail is sewed over a stick with its tuft at the end. They
also frequently wear on the head a kind of ornanient of a finger's
thickness or more, covered with rc?d and yellow fo'itb.rs, curiously
varied and tied behind, and on the arm above the flbow, a kind
of broad shell-work grounded upon net-work.

Though they seem to have adopted the mode of ' ving in villages,
there is no proportion as to the size of their h' :s, some bemg
large and commodious, from forty to fifty fee ^ng, and from
twenty to thirty broad, while (jthers of them arc n.ere hovels. The
entrance is made indifferently at the end or sidt. and is an oblong
hole, so low that one must rather creep than w Jk in, and is often
shut up by a board of planks fastened togeth . which serves as a
door; no light enters the house but at this (jpen.ng,and though such
close habitations may afford a comfortable retreat in bad weather,
they seem but ill-adapted to the warmtli of the climate. They
arc, however, kept remarkably clean, and their iloors are covered

SSl^SSEtfS?*M*

THIRD AND LAi^T VOYAGE OF

I (

wit.i a large quantity of dried grass, over which they spread mats
to sit and sleep upon. At one end stands a bench about three
feet high, on which their household utensils are placed. These
consist of gourd-shells, which they convert into vessels that serve
as bottles to hold water, and as baskets to contain their victuals
and other things, with covers of the same, and a few wooden
bowls and trenchers of different sizes.

The only musical instruments which we observed here were of
an exceedingly rude kind. One of them does not produce a more
melodious sound than a child's rattle ; it consists of what may be
called a conic cap inverted, but scarcely hollowed at the base,
above a foot high, made of a coarse sedge-like plant, the upper
part of which, and the edges, are ornamented with beautiful red
feathers, and to the point or lower pr-t is fixed a gourd-shell
larger than the fist. Into this is put something to rattle, which is
done by holding the instrument by the small part, and shaking or
rather moving it from place to place briskly, cither to different
sides or backward or forward just before the face, striking the
breast wi:li the other hand at the same time. The other musical
instrument (if either of them deserve the name) was a hollow vessel
of wood, like a platter, combined with the use of the sticks, on
which one of our gentlemen saw a man performing. He held one
of the sticks, about two feet long, as we do a fiddle, with one hand,
and struck it with the other, which was smaller, and resembled a
drum-stick, in a quicker or slow(;r measure ; at the same time
beating with his foot upon the hollow vessel that lay inverted upon
the i^round, and thus producing a tune that was by no means dis-
agreeable. The music was accompanied by the vocal perform-
nnce of some women, whose song had a pleasing and tender
effect.

In everything manufactured by these people there appears to be
i^n uncommon degree of n'^atness and ingenuity. Cloth is the
principal manufacture, and they fabricate a great many white
mats A'ith red stripes and other figures interwoven on one side.

Their canoes in general are about twenty-four feet long, and
have the bottom, for the most part, formed of a single piece or
log of wood, hollowed out to the thickness of an inch, or an inch
and a half, and brought to a point at each end. The sides con-
sist of th.ree boards, each about an inch thick, and neatly fitted
and lashed to the bottom part. The extremities, both at head and

CAPTAIN COOK.

id mats
it three
These
at serve
i^ictuals
wooden

were of
a more
may be
e base,
J upper
iful red
•d-shell
hich is
wing- or
ifferent
nf,^ the
lusical
vessel
ks, on
Id one
hand,
bled a
i time
lupcn
IS dis-
"form-
inder

to be
s the
white
de.
, and
ce or

inch

con-
itted

and

! ^

stern, are a little raised, and both are made sharp, somewhat like
a wedge, but they flatten more abruptly, so that the two side-
boards join each other, side by side, for more than a foot. As
they are not more than fifteen or eighteen inches broad, those that
go single (for they sometimes join them as at the other islands),
have outriggers, which are shaped and fitted with more judgment
than any 1 had before seen. They are rowed by paddles, such as
we had generally met with, and some of them have a li^dit trian-
gular sail, like those of the Friendly Islands, extended to .•». mast
and boom. The ropes used for their boats, and the smaller cord
for their fishing-tackle, are strong and well made.

Besides their spears or lances, made of a fine chestnut-coloured
wood, beautifully polished — some of which are barbed at one end
and flattened to a point at the other — they had a sort of weapon
which we had never seen before, and not mentioned by any navi-
gator as used by the natives of the South Sea. it is somewhat
like a dagger, in general about a foot and a half long, sharpened
at one or both ends, and secured to the hand by a string. Its use
is to stab in close fight, and it seems well adapted to the purpose.
Some of these may be called double daggers, having a handle in
the middle, with which they are better er .^ led to strike different
ways. They have also bows and arro , but, both from their
apparent security and their slender make, it may almost be pre-
sumed that they never use them in battle. The knife or saw
formerly mentioned, with which they dissect the dead bodies, may
also bo ranked amongst their weapons, as they both strike and
cut with it when closely engaged. It is a small flat wooden
instrument, of an oblong shape, about a foot long, rounded at tlie
corners, with a handle almost like one sort of the patoos of New
Zealand, but its edges are entirely surrounded with sharks' teeth,
strongly fixed to it, and pointing outward, having commonly a
hole in the handle, through which passes a long string, which is
wrapped several times round the wrist.

The people of Tongataboo inter their dead in a very decent
manner ; and they also inter the.r human sacrifices ; but they do
not offer or expose any other anmial. or even vegetables, to their
gods, as far as we know. Those of Otaheite do not inter their
dead, but expose them to waste by time and putrefaction, though
the bones are afterwards buried. The people of Atooi, again,
inter both their common dead and human sacrifices, a^ at Tonga-

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

taboo, but ihcy resemble those at Ota! ^itc in the slovenly state
1)1' their reHi;iuiis plaees, and in offering vegetables and animals to
their gods.

If tile Sandwieh Islands had been discovered at an early period
by the Spani;irds, there is little doubt that they would have taken
advantage ot so excellent a situation, and have made use of
Alooi, or some other of the islands, as a refreshing place to the
shi})s that sail annually from Acapulco to Manilla, as they lie
almost mithvay between the tirst place and Guam, one of the
Ladrones, which is, at present,^their only port in traversing this
vast ocean. An acquaintance with the Sandwich Islands would
have been equally favourable to our buccaneers, who used some-
times to i)ass from the coast of America to the Ladrones, with a
stock oi footl and water scarcely sufficient to preserve life. Here
they might have found plenty, and have been within a month's
sail of the very port of California which the Manilla ship is obliged
to make, or else have returned to the coast of America, thoroughly
refitted, after an absence of two months. How happy would Lord
Anson have been, and what hardship.-; would he have avoided,
had he known that there was a group of islands half-way between
hiiv ?" \i and Tinian, where all his wants could have been effec-
tually sujjplied.

On the 2iiv' of February we stood away to the northward, and
without meeting with anything memorable, on the 7th of March
the long-looked-for coast of New Albion was seen, extending from
north-east to south-east, distance ten or twelve leagues. The
lanil appeared to be of 1 moderate height, diversified with hills and
vallcvs, and almost e/erywhere covered with wood.

Aftei' coasting along, and combating contrary winds, on the
2Qth we anchored in eighty-five fathoms of water, so near the
shore as to reach it with a hawser. We no sooner drew near the
inlet than we found the coast to be inhabited, and three canoes
came otY to the ship. In one of these were two men, in another
six, and iu the third ton. Having come pretty near us, a person
in one of the two last stood up and made a long harangue, invit-
ing us to land, as we guessed by his gestures : at the same time
he kept strewing handfuls of feathers towards us, and some of his
companions threw handfuls of a red dust powder in the same
manner. The person who played the orator wore the skin of
sou>c animal, and held in each hand, something which rattled as

CAVTAIN COOK.

he kept shaking it. After tiring himself with his rcpcited exhor-
tations, of which we did not understand a word, he was (luiet ;
and then others took it up, by turns, to say something* ; thou.^^h
they acted their p^'.rt neither so loni^ nor with so much vclicm-
ence as the other. We obser\'ed that two or three had their
hair quite strewed over with small white feathers, and otlicrs
had large ones stuck in different parts of the head. After the
tumultous noise had ceased, they lay at a little distance fn)m
the ship, and conversed with each other in a very easy manner ;
nor did they seem to show the least surprise or distrust. Some of
them now and then got up, and said something after the manner
of their first harangues ; and one sang a very agreeable air,
with a degree of softness and melody that we could not have
expected. The breeze, which soon after sprang up, bringing
us nearer the shore, the canoes began to come off in greater
numbers, and we had at one time thiiiy-two of them near the
ship, carrying from three to seven or eight persons each, both
men and women. Several of these stood up in their canoes,
haranguing and making gestures, after the manner of our first
visitors. One canoe was remarkable for a singular head, whicli
had a bird's eye and bill of an enormous size painted on it ;
and a person in it, who seemed to be a chief, was no less remark-
able for his uncommon appearance, having many feathers
hanging from his head, and being painted in an extraordinary
manner. He held in his hand a carved bird, of wood, as large
as a pigeon, with which he rattled, as the person first mentioned
had done ; and was no less vociferous in his harangue, which
was attended with some expressive gestures.

The fame of our arrival brought a great concourse of the natives
to our ships in the course of this day. We counted above a hun-
dred canoes at one time, which might be supposed to contain o\\
an average five persons in each, for few of them had less than
three on board, great numbers had seven, eight, or nine, and one
was manned with no less than seventeen. Among these visitors
many now favoured us with their company for the first time, whicli
we could guess from their approaching the ships with their orations
and other ceremonies. If they had any distrust or fear of us at
first, they now appeared to have laid it aside, for they camt^ on
board and mixed with our people with the greatest fnu'dom. We
soon discovered by this nearer intercourse that they were as light-

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

■ -\

fingered as any of our friends in the islands we had visited in the
course of the voyage ; and they were far more dangerous thieves,
for, possessing sharp iron instruments, they could cut a hook from
a tackle, or any other piece of iron from a rope, as soon as our
backs were turned. In this manner we lost a large hook wei.i^hing
between twenty and thirty pounds, several smaller ones, and
other articles of iron. As to our boats, they stripped them of
every bit of iron that was worth carrying away, though we had
always men left in them as a guard. They were dexterous enough
in clYecting their purpose, for one fellow would contrive to amuse
the boat-keeper at one end of a boat while another was pulling
out the iron-work at the other. If we missed a thin<^nmmediately
after it had been stolen, we found little difBculty in detecting the
thief, as they were ready enough to impeach one another ; but the
guilty person generally relinquished his prize with reluctance, and
sometimes we found it necessary to have recourse to force.

A considerable number of the natives visited us daily, and
occasionally we saw new faces. On their first coming they
generally went through a singular mode of introducing them-
selves. They would paddle, with all iheir strength, quite round
both ships, a chief, or other principal person in the canoe, stand-
ing up with a spear or some other weapon in his hand, and
speaking or hallooing all the time. Sometimes the orator of the
canoe would have his face covered with a mask, representing
either a human visage or that of some animal, and, instead of a
weapon, would hold a rattle in his hand, as before described.
After making this circuit round the ships, they would come along-
side and begin to trade without further ceremony. Very often,
indeed, they would first give us a song, in which all in the canoes
joined, with a very pleasing harmony.

During these visits they gave us no other trouble than to guard
against their thievish tricks. In the morning of the 4th we had a
serious alarm. Our party on shore, who were employed in cutting
wood and getting water, observed that the natives all around
them were arming themselves in the best manner they could,
those who were not possessed of proper weapons preparing sticks
and collecting stones. On hearing this I thought it prudent to
arm also, but, being determined to act upon the defensive, I
ordered our workmen to retreat to the rock upon which we had
placed our observatories, leaving the natives in quiet possession

CAPTAIN COOK.

of the ground. These hostile preparation? were not directed
against us, but against a body of their own countrymen, who were
coming to fight them, and our friends of th2 Sound, on observing
our apprcliensions, ust-d their best endeavours to convince us that
this was the case. We could see that they had people looking
out on each point of the ?, and canoes frequently passed
between them and the main uudy assembled near the ships. At
length the adverse party, in about a dozen large canoes, appeared
off the south point of the cove, when they stopped, and lay drawn
up in a line of battle, a negotiation having commenced. Some
people in canoes, in conducting the treaty, passed between the
two parties, and there was some speaking on both sides. At
length the difference, whatever it was, seemed to be compromised,
but the strangers were not allowed to come alongside the ships,
nor to have any trade or intercourse with us.

On the morning of the 7th we got the fore-mast out, and hauled
it ashore, and the carpenters of the ships were set to work upon
it. Some parts of the lower standing rigging having been found
to be very much decayed, as we had time now to put them in
order, while the carpenters were repairing the fore-mast, I ordered
a new set of main-rigging to be fitted, and a more perfect set of
fore-rigging to be selected out of the best parts of the old.

From the time of our putting into the Sound till now, the
weather had been exceedingly fine, without either wind or rain,
but on the mcn-ning of the 8th the wind freshened at south-east,
attended with thick hazy weather and rain ; and, according to
the old proverb, misfortunes seldom come singly. The mizzcn
was now the only mast on board the Resolution that remained
rigged, with its top-mast up ; but the former was so defective
that it could not support the latter during the violence of the
squalls, but gave way at the head under the rigging. About
eight o'clock the gale abated, but the rain continued, with very
little intermission, for several days ; and that the carpenters
might be enabled to proceed in their labours while it prevailed, a
tent was erected over the fore-mast, where they could work with
some degree of convenience. The bad weather which now carac
on did not, however, hinder the natives from visiting us daily ; aiid
they frequently brought us a tolerable supply of fish — either sar-
dines, or what resembled them much, a small kind of bream, and
sometimes small cod.

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

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Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, NY. 14580

(716) 872-4503

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'fHIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

'•',

On the nth, notwithstanding the rainy weather, the main
rigging was fixed and got overhead ; and on the following day
we were employed taking down the mizzen-mast, the head of
which proved to be so rottrn that it dropped off while in the
slings. In the evening we were visited by a tribe of natives,
whom we had never seen before, and who, in general, were
better-looking people than most of our old friends, some of whom
attended them. I prevailed upon these visitors to go down into
the cabin for the first time, and observed that there was not a
single object that fixed their attention for a moment, their coun-
tenances marking that they looked upon all our novelties with the
utmost indifference ; a few of them, however, showed a certain
degree of curiosity.

In the afternoon of the next day I went into the woods with a
party of our men, and cut down a tree for a mizzen-mast, which
on the day following was brought to the place where the
carpenters were employed upon the fore-mast. In the evening the
wind increased to a very hard gale, with rain, which continued
till eight o'clock the next morning, when it abated.

The fore-mast being by this time finished, we hauled it
alongside, but the bad weather prevented our fitting it in
till the afternoon. We set about rigging it with the greatest
expedition, while the carpenters were going on with the mizzen-
mast on shore. They had made very considerable progress
in it on the i6th, w4ien they discovered that it was sprung,
or wounded, owing, jDrobably, to some accident in cutting it
down ; so that all their labour was thrown away, and it
became necessary to get another tree out of the woods,
which employed all hands above half a day. During these
various operations several of the natives, who were about the
ship, looked on with an expressive silent surprise, whicli we
did not expect from their general indifference and inattention.

On the i8th a i^arty of strangers, in six or eight canoes, came
into the cove, where they remained looking at us for some time,
and then retired without coming alongside either ship. We sup-
posed that our old friends, who were more numerous at this time
about us than these new visitors, would not permit them to have
any intercourse with us.

Nothing would go down with our visitors but metal, and brass
had by this time supplanted iron^ being so eagerly sought after

CAPTAIN COOK,

main
;■ day
ad of
n the
tives,
were
whom
ti into
not a
coun-
hthe
srtain

that, before we left this place, hardly a bit of it was left in the
ships, except what belonged to our necessary instruments. Whole
suits of clothes were stripped of every button, bureaus of their
furniture, and copper kettles, tin canisters, candlesticks, and the
like, all went to wreck, so that our American friends here got a
greater medley and variety of things from us than any other nation
we had visited in the course of our voyage.

After a fortnight's bad weather, the 19th proving a fair day, we
availed ourselves of it to get up the top-masts and 3Mrds, and to
fix the rigging. Having now hnished most of our heavy work, I
set out the next morning to take a view of the Sound. 1 first
went to the west point, where I found a large village, and before
it a very snug harbour, in which was from four to nine fathoms of
water over a bottom of fine sand. The people of this village,
who were numerous, and to most of whom I w'as well known,
received me very courteously, every one pressing me to go into
his house, or rather his apartment, for several families live under
the same roof. I did not decline the invitations ; and my
hospitable friends whom I visited spread a mat for me to sit
down upon, and showed me every other mark of civility. In
most of the houses were women at work, making dresses of the
plant or bark before mentioned, which they executed exactly in
the same manner that the New Zealanders manufacture their
cloth. Others were occupied in opening sardines, a large
quantity of which I had seen brought on shore from canoes, and
divided, by measure, amongst several people, who carried them
up to their houses, where the operation of curing by smoke-
drying is performed. They hang them on small rods, at first
abouc. a foot from the fire ; afterwards they remove them higher
and higher, to make room for others, till the rods, on which the
fish hang, reach the top of the house. When they are completely
dried they are taken down and packed close in bales, which they
cover with mats. Thus they are kept till wanted, and are not a
disagreeable article of food. Cod and other large fish are also
cured in the same manner by them, though they sometimes dry
them in the open air without fire.

From this village I proceeded up the west side of tlic Sound,
and found the remains of a deserted village. The lo^^s or framings
of the houses were standing, but the boards that had composed
their sides and roofs did not exist. Before this village were somo

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

1 1

large iishing weirs, composed of pieces of wicker-work, made of
small rods, some closer than others, according to the fish intended
\o be caught in them. These pieces of wicker-work, some of
whose superficies are at least twenty feet by twelve, are fixed up
edgewise in the water, by strong poles or pickets that stand firm
in the ground.

From this place I crossed over to the other, or east side of the
Sound, and found, what I had before conjectured, that the land
under which the ships lay was an island, and that there were many
smaller onjs lying scattered in the Sound, on the west side of it.
Opposite the north end of our large island, upon the mainland, I
observed a village, and there I landed. The inhabitants of it were
not .so polite as those of the other I had just visited, especially one
surly chief, who would not let me enter their houses, following me
wherever I went and several times, by expressive signs, marking
his impatience that I should be gone. I attempted in vain to
soothe him by presents, but though he did not refuse them, they
did not alter his behaviour. Some of the young women, better
pleased with us than our inhospitable chief, dressed themselves
expeditiously in their best apparel, and assembling in a body,
welcomed us to their village by joining in a song, which was far
from harsh or disagreeable.

The day being now far spent, I proceeded to the ships, and on
ray arrival was informed that, while I was absent, the ships had
been visited by some strangers, in two or three large canoes, who,
by signs, made our people to understand that they came from the
south-east, beyond the bay. They brought several skins, gar-
ments, and other articles, which they bartered ; but what was
most singular, two silver table-spoons were purchased from them,
which, from their peculiar shape, were judged to be of Spanish
manufacture. One of these strangers wore them round his neck,
by way of ornament. These visitors also appeared to be more
plentifully supplied with iron than the inhabitants of the Sound.

On the 22nd, about eight o'clock, we were visited by a, number
of strangers, in twelve or fourteen canoes. They drew up in a
body, and stopped above half an hour, about 200 or 300 yards
from the ships, and after this introductory ceremony, advanced
towards the ships standing up in their canoes and singing ; some
of the songs, in which the whole body joined, were in a slow, and
others in quicker time, and they accompanied their notes with

CAPTAIN COOK.

Lde of
;nded
we of
|ed up
" firm

rking-
tin to
, they
Detter
selves
body,
IS far

nd on
5 had
who,
n the
g-ar-
vvas
hem,
mish
leck,
more
nd.
Tiber
in a
ards
need
;ome
and
with

the most regular motions of tlieir hands, or beating in concert
with their paddles on the sides of the canoes, and making- other
very expressive gestures. At the end of each song, they remained
silent a few seconds, and then began again, and at length, after
entertaining us with this specimen of their music, which we
listened to with admiration for above half an hour, they came
alongside the ships, and bartered what they had to dispose of.

The inhabitants received us with the same demonstration of
friendship which I had experienced before ; and the moment we
landed I ordered some of our people to begin their operations of
cutting grass for our few remaining sheep and goats.

When we had completed all our operations at this villag*e, the
natives and we parted very good friends, and we got back to the
ships in the afternoon. The three following days we were
employed in getting ready to put to sea ; the sails were bent, the
observatories and instruments, brewing vessels, and other things,
were moved from the shore ; some small spars for different uses,
and pieces of timber, which might be occasionally sawn into
boards, were prepared and taken on board, and both ships were
cleared and put into a sailing condition.

Everything being now ready, at noon of the 26th we cast off the
moorings, and with our boats towed the ships out of the cove ;
after this, we had variable light airs and calms, till four in the
afternoon, when a breeze sprung up northerly, with very thick,
hazy weather. The mercury in the barometer fell unusually low,
and we had every other forerunner of an approaching storm,
which we had reason to expect would be from the southward.
This made me hesitate a little, as night was at hand, whether I
should venture to sail, or wait till the next morning. But my
anxious impatience to proceed upon the voyage, and the fear of
losing this opportunity of getting'- out of the Sound, making a
greater impression on my mind than any apprehension of im-
mediate danger, I determined to put to sea at all events.

Our friends the natives attended us till we were almost out of
the Sound, some on board the ships, and others in their canoes.
One of the chiefs, who had some time before attached himself to
me, was among the last who left us ; and, having received from
him a handsome beaver-skin cloak which he then wore, in return
for some presents, I gave him a new broadsword with a brass hilt,
the possession of which made him completely happy.

I \

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

The common dress of the inhabitants of Nootka is a flaxen
garment, or mantle, ornamented on the upper edge by a narrow
strip of fur, and at the lower edge by fringes or tassels. It passes
under the left arm, and is tied over the right shoulder by a string
before and one behind near its middle, by which means both arms
are left free ; and it hangs evenly, covering the left side, but
leaving the right open, unless when the mantle is fastened by a
girdle of coarse mattin^g or wool round the waist, which is often
done. Over this, which reaches below the knees, is worn a small
cloak of the same substance, likewise fringed at the lower part.
In shape this resembles a round dish-cover, being quite close,
except in the middle, where there is a hole just large enough to
admit the head ; and then, resting upon the shoulders, it covers
the arms to the elbows, and the body as far as the waist. Their
head is covered with a cap, of the hgure of a truncated cone, or
like a flower-pot, made of fine matting, having the top frequently
ornamented with a round or pointed knob, or bunch of leathern
tassels ; and there is a string that passes under the chin, to
prevent its blowing off. Besides' the above dress, which is
common to both sexes, the men frequently throw over their other
garments the skin of a bear, wolf, or sea-otter, with the hair out-
ward, and tie it as a cloak near the upper part, wearing it some-
times before and sometimes behind. In rainy weather they
throw a coarse mat about their shoulders. They have also woollen
garments, which, however, are little in use. The hair is com-
monly worn hanging down loose ; but some, when they have no
cap, tie it in a bunch on the crown of the head. Their dress,
upon the whole, is convenient, and would not be inelegant were
it kept clean. But as they rub their bodies constantly over with
a red paint, mixed with oil, their garments by this means contract
a rancid, offensive smell and a greasy nastiness, so that they
make a very wretched, dirty appearance.

The ears of many of them are perforated in the lobe, where
they make a pretty large hole, and two others higher up on
the outer edge. In these holes they hang hits of bone, quills
fixed upon a leathern thong, small shells, bunches of woollen
tassels, or pieces of thin copper, which our beads could never
supplant. The septum of the nose on many is also perfor-
ated, through which they draw a, piece of soft cord ; and
some wear at the same place small thin pieces of iron,

CAPTAIN COOK,

flaxen
narrow
passes
string
n arms
le, but
by a
often
I small
part,
close,
ugh to
covers
Their
one, or
^uently
iathern
:hin, to
lich is
r other
lir out-
some-
ir they
woollen
s com-
ave no
dress,
it were
er with
ontract
it they

where

up on

, quills

/oollen

never
pcrfor-
; and

iron.

brass, or copper, shaped almost like a horse-shoe, the narrow
opening of which receives the septum, so that the two points
may gently pinch it and the ornament that hangs over the upper
lip. The rings of our brass buttons, whicli tliey eagerly pur-
chased, were appropriated to this use. About their wrists they
wear bracelets or bunches of white bugle beads, made of a conic
shelly substance, bunches of thongs, with tassels, or a black,
shiny, horny substance, of one piece; and about their ankles
they frequently wear many folds of leathern thongs, or the
sinews of animals twisted to a considerable thickness. On
extraordinary occasions they wear carved wooden masks or
visors, applied on the face or on the upper part of the head
or forehead. Some of these resemble human faces, furnished
with hair, beards, and eyebrows ; the others the heads of birds,
particularly of eagles ; and many the heads of land and sea
animals, such as deer, wolves, porpoises, and others. 15ut, in
general, these representations much exceed the natural size,
and they are jDainted and often strewed with pieces of the folia-
ceous mica, which makes them glitter and serves to augment
their enormous deformity. They even fix in the same part of the
head large pieces of carved work, resembling the prow of a
canoe, painted in the same manner, and projectinii: to a con-
siderable distance. So fond are they of these disguises, that
I have seen one of them put his head into a tin kettle he had
got from us, for want of another sort of mask. Whether they
use these extravagant masquerade ornaments on any particular
religious occasion or diversions, or whether they are put on to
intimidate their enemies when they go to battle, by their mon-
strous appearance, or as decoys when they go to hunt animals, is
uncertain.

The only dress amongst the people of Nootka observed by
us that seemed peculiarly adapted to war, is a thick leathern
mantle, doubled, which from its size appears to be the tanned
skin of an elk or buffalo. This they fasten on in the common
manner, and it is so contrived that it may reach up and cover the
breast quite to the throat, falling at the same time almost to the
heels. It is sometimes ingeniously painted in different compart-
ments, and is not only sufficiently strong to resist arrows, but, as
they informed us by signs, even spears cannot pierce it. Upon
the same occasions they sometimes wear a kind of leathern cloak,

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

covered with rows of dried hoofs of deer, disposed horizontally,
appended by leathern thongs, covered with quills, which, when
they move, make a loud rattling noise, alcnost equal to that of
many small bells.

The only instruments of music, if such they may be called,
which I saw amongst them, were a rattle and a small whistle,
about an inch long, incapable of variation from having but
one hole. The rattles are, for the most part, made in the
shape of a bird, with a few pebbles in the belly, and the tail
is the handle. They have others, however, which bear more
resemblance to a child's rattle.

The houses are built of very long and broad planks, resting
upon the edges of each other, fastened or tied with withes of
pine-bark here and there, and have omy slender posts, or rather
poles, at considerable distances, on the outside, to which they
are also tied, but within are some larger poles placed aslant.
The height of the sides and ends of these habitations is seven or
eight feet, but the back part is a little higher, by which means
the planks that compose the roof slant forward, and are laid on
loose, so as to be moved about either to let in the light or carry
out the smoke. They are, however, upon the whole, miserable
dwellings, and constructed with little care or ingenuity. There
are i^o regular doors into them, the only way of entrance being
either by a hole, or, in some cases, the planks are made to over-
lap about two feet asunder, and the entrance is in this space.
There are also holes or windows in the sides of the houses to look
out at, but "«' "thout any regularity of shape or disposition. On the
inside, on' nay frequently see from one end to the other of these
ranges of juilding without interruption. Close to the sides is a
little bench of boards, raised five or six inches higher than the
rest of the floor, and covered w^ith mats, on which the family sit
and sleep. These benches are commonly seven or eight feet long,
and four or five broad. In the middle of the floor, between them,
is the fireplace, which has neither hearth nor chimney. In one
house, w^hich was in the end of a middle range, almost quite sepa-
rated from the rest by a high, close partition, and the most regular
as to design of any that I saw there, w^ere four of these benches,
each of which held a single family at a corner, but without any
separation by boards, and the middle part of the house appeared
common to them all.

CAPTAIN COOK,

:ontally,
h, when
that of

called,
whistle,
ing but

in the

the tail

ar more

resting

^ithes of

r rather

ich they

. aslant.

seven or

1 means

5 laid on

or carry

liserable

There

ce being

to over-

s space.

s to look

On the
of these
iides is a
than the
"amily sit
eet long,
Ein them,

In one
ite sepa-
t regular
benches,
lOut any
Lppeared

Their furniture consists chiefly of a .crreat number of chests and
boxes of all sizes, which are generally piletl upon each other,
close to the sides or ends of the house, and contain their spare
garments, skins, mask'^, and other things wliich they set a value
upon. Their other domestic utensils are mostly square and
oblong pails or baskets to hold water or other things ; round
wooden cups or bowls, small shallow wooden troughs, about
two feet long, out of which they eat their food, baskets of twigs,
and bags of matting. Their fishing implements, and other
things, also lie or hang up in different parts of tlio house, but
without the least order, so that the whole is a complete scene
of confusion ; and the only places that do not partake of this
confusion are the sleeping benches, which have not]\ing on them
but the mats. Their houses are as filthy as hog-sties, every-
thing in and about them stinking of fish, train-oil, and smoke.
But, amidst all the iiltli and confusion, many of them arc
decorated with images. These are nothing more than the trunks
of very large trees, four or five feet high, set up singly or by
pairs, at the upper end of the apartment, with the front carved
into a human face, and the arms and hands cut out upon the
sides, and variously painted, so that the whole is a truly mon-
strous figure. The general name of these images is Klumma,
and the names of two particular ones, which stood abreast of
each other, three or four feet asunder in one of the houses, were
Natchkoa and Matseeta. A mat, by way of curtain, for the
most part hung before them, which the natives were not willing
at all times to remove, and when they did unveil them, they
seemed to speak of them in a very m3''stcrious manner.

Naturally we thought they were representatives of their gods,
or symbols of some religious or superstitious object, and yet we
had proofs of the little estimation they were held in, for with a
small quantity of iron or brass I could have purchased all the
gods (if their images were such) in the place. I did not see
one that was not offered to me, and I actually got two or three
of the very smallest sort.

The chief employment of the men seems to be that of fishing
and killing land or sea animals, for the sustenance of iheir
families, for we saw few of them doing anything in the houses,
whereas the women were occupied in manufacturing their flaxen
or woollen garments, and m preparing the sardines for dr}-ing.

; i

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

The women are also sent in the small canoes to g-ather mussels,
and other shell-fish, and perhaps on some other occasions, for
they manage tliesc with as much dexterity as the men.

Their weapons are bows and arrows, shn^'-s, spears, sliort
truncheons of bone, something like the patoo-patuo of New
Zealand, and a small pickaxe, not unlike the common American
tomahawk. The spear has generally a long point made of bone ;
some of the arrows are pointed with iron, but most commonly
these points were of indented bone. The tomahawk is a stone,
six or eight inches long, pointed at one end, and the other end
fixed into a handle of wood. This handle resembles the head
and neck of the human figure, and the stone is fixed in the mouth,
so as to represent an enormously large tongue. To make the
resemblance still stronger, human hair is also fixed to it. They
have another stone weapon, nine inches or a foot long, with a
square point. From the number of these and other weapons,
we might almost conclude that it is their custom to engage in
close fight ; and we had, too, convincing proofs that their wars
were both frequent and bloody, from the vast number of human
skulls which they brought to sell.

Their canoes are of a simple structure, but to appearance well
calculated for every useful purpose. Even the largest, which
carry twenty people or more, are formed of one tree, and many
of them are forty feet long, seven broad, and three deep. From
the middle, towards each end, they become gradually narrower,
the after-part or stern ending abruptly or perpendicularly, with
a small knob on the top ; but the fore-part is lengthened out,
stretching forward and upward, ending in a notched point or
prow considerably higher than the sides of the canoe, which
run nearly in a straight line. For the most part they are without
any ornament, but some have a little carving and are decorated
by setting seals' teeth on the surface like studs, as is the
practice on their masks and weapons. They have no seats,
but only several round sticks, little thicker than a cane, placed
across at mid-depth. They are very light, and their breadth
and flatness enable them to swim firmly, without an outrigger —
a remarkable distinction between the craft of all the American
nations and that of the Southern Pactfic Ocean. Their paddles
are small and light, the shape in some measure resembling
that of a large leaf, pointed at the bottom, broadest in the

CAPTAIN COOK.

lussels,
)ns, for

short
New
lerican
f bone ;
nmonly
stone,
icr end
e head
moutli,
ike the
They
with a
capons,
pge in
ir wars
human

ice well

which

i many

From

irrower,

ly, with

ed out,

)oint or

, whicli

without

corated

is the

) seats,

placed

Dreadth

igger—

nerican

paddles

mbling

in the

middle, and gradually losing itself in the shaft ; the whole being
about five feet long.

Their implements for fishing and hunting, which are both
ingeniously contrived and well made, are nets, hooks, lines,
harpoons, and an instrument like an oar. 'J'his last is about
twenty feet l()n;^% four or five inches broad, and about half an inch
thick. Each edge, for about two-thirds of its length— the other
third being its handle — is set with sharp bone teeth about two
inches long. Herrings and sardines, and such other small fish as
come in shoals, are attacked with this instrument, which is
struck into the shoal, and the fish are cauj^ht either upon or
between the teeth. Their hooks arc mad(.' of bone and wood,
and rather inartisiically ; but the harpoon, with which they striked
the whale and lesser sea animals, shows much contrivance. It
is composed of a piece of bone, cut into two barbs, in which is
fixed the oval blade of a large mussel-shell, having the point
of the instrument, to which is fastened about two or three fathoms
of rope. To throw this harpoon they use a shaft of about twelve
or fifteen feet long, to which the liarpoon is hxed, so as to
separate from the shaft and leave it iioating on the water as a
buoy when the animal darts away with the harpoon.

The}' sometimes decoy animals by covering themselves with a
skin, and running about on all-fours, which they do very nimbly,
as appeared from the specimens of their skill which they exhibited
to us — making a kind of noise or neighing at the same time; and
on these occasions the masks, or carved heads, as well as the
real dried heads of the different animals, are put en. As to the
materials of which they make their various articles, it is to be
observed that everything of the rope kind is formed either from
thongs of skins and sinews of animals, or from the same flaxen
substance of which their mantles are manufactured. 'J'he sinews
often appeared to be of such a length that it might be presumed
they could be of no other animal than the whale ; and the same
may be said of the bones of which they made their weapons,
already mentioned, such as their bark-beating instruments, the
points of their spears, and barbs of their harpoons.

The chisel and the knife are the only forms, as far as we saw,
that iron assumes amongst them. The chisel is a long flat piece,
fitted into a handle of wood ; a stone serves for a mallet, and
a piece of fish-skin for a polisher, I have seen some of these

E 2

ICO

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

\ i

chisoVs that were ciijlit or tcMi inches long, and three or four
inches bri>,id ; Vjut, in LTi-neral, tliey were smaller. The knives
are of varicjus sizes, and their blades are crooked, somewhat like
our pruning-knife, but the edL,'"e is on tlie back or convex part.
Most of them that we saw were about the breadth and thickness
of an iron hoop. They sharpen tiiese tools ujoon a coarse slate
whetstone, and likewise keep the whole instrument constantly
bri^-ht.

They expressed no marks of surprise at seein-^ our ships ; nor
were they even starded at the report of a musket, till one day,
upon their endeavouring to make us sensible that their arrows
and spears could not penetrate the hide dresses, one of our
gentlemen sliot a musket-ball through one of them, folded six
times, which greatly staggered them.

W^e were hardly out of the Sound, on the evening of the 26th,
before the wind suddenly shifted, and increased to a strong gale,
with squalls and rain, with so dark a sky that we could not see
the length of the ship. Being apprehensive, from the experience
I had since our arrival on this coast, of the wind veering more to
tlie south, which would put us in danger of a lee-shore, we got
the tacks on board, and stretched off to the south-west under all
the sail the ships would bear. At daylight tlie next morning we
were quite clear of the coast, and the Discovery being at some
distance astern, I brought to till she came up, and then bore
awa}', steering north-west, in which direction I supposed the
coast to lie. At half-past one in the afternoon it blew a perfect
hurricane, so that I judged it highly dangerous to run any longer
before it, and therefore brought the ships to, with their heads to
the southward, under the foresails and mizzen- staysails. At this
time the Resolution sprung a leak, which at first alarmed us not
a little, as from the bread-room we could both hear and see the
water rush in, and, as we then thought, it was two feet under
water. But in this we were happily mistaken, for it was after-
wards found to be even with the water-line, if not above it, when
the ship was upright. It was no sooner discovered than the
lish-room was also found to be full of water, and the casks in it
afloat, but this was in a great measure owing to the water not
finding its way to the pumps through the coals that lay in the
bottom of the room ; for, after the water was baled out (which
employed us till midnight), and had found its way directly from

CAPTAIN COOK,

lOI

the leaks to the pumps, it appeared tliat one pump kept it under,
^vhicll .gave us no small satisfaction. Jn the e^■enin.L,^ the wind
veered to th(; south, and its fury in some de£,nee ceased ; (»n tliis,
we set the mainsail and two topsails, close-reefed, and stretched
to the westward. Puit at eleven o'clock the .t^ale a.g'ain increased,
and obliged us to take in the topsails, till live o'clock the next
morning, when the storm began to abate, so that we could bear
to set them again.

At seven in the evening, on the ist of May, we got sight of
land, which abounds with hills, but one considerably outtops the
rest ; this 1 called Mount lulgecumbe. On the 3rd we saw a
large inlet, distant six leagues, and the most advanced point
of the land lying under a very high peaked mountain, whicl;
obtained the name of INlount Fair Weather. 'ihe inlet wab
named Cross Sound, being first seen on the day so marked in our
calendar. From the 4th to the loth nothing very interesting
occurred. On the loth we found ourselves no more than three
leagues from the coast of the continent, which extended as far as
the e3''e could reach. To the westward of this last direction was
an island that extended from north to south, distant six leagues.
A point shoots out from the main toward the north-east end of
the island, about five or six leagues distant; this point I named
Cape Suckling.

On the nth I bore up for the island. At ten o'clock in the
morning I went in a boat, and landed upon it, with a view of
seeing what lay on the other side, but finding it farther to the
hills than 1 expected, and the way being steep and woody, I was
obliged to drop the design. At the foot of a tree, on a little
eminence not far from the shore, I left a bottle with a paper in it,
on which were inscribed the names of the ships and the date of
our discovery ; and along with it I enclosed two silver twopenny
pieces of his Majesty's coin of the date of 1772. These, with
many others, were furnished me by the Rev. Dr. Kaye (now Dean
of Lincoln), and as a mark of my esteem and regard for that
gentleman, I named the island after him, Kaye's Island; it is
eleven or twelve leagues in length, but its breadth is not above a
league and a half in any part of it. On this island there are a
considerable number of pines, and the whole seems covered with
a broad girdle of wood.

On the 28th, having but very little wind, I dropped a kedge-

102

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

I I

anchor with an eig-ht-inch hawser bent to it ; but, in bringing
the ship up, the hawser parted near the inner end, and al-
though we brought the ship up with one of the bowers, and
spent most of the day in sweeping for the kedge, it was to no effect.

The weather being fair and tolerably clear, we saw land on
each side, with a ridge of mountains rising one behind another,
without the least separation. On the eastern shore we now
saw two columns of smoke, a sure sign that there were inhabi-
tants. Between one and two in the morning of the 30th we
weighed, and worked up till near seven o'clock, when, the tide
being done, we anchored in nineteen fathoms, under the same
shore as before. About noon, two canoes, with a man in each,
came off to the ship, from near the place where we had seen
the smoke the preceding day. They laboured very hard in
paddling across the stormy tide, and hesitated a little before
they would cume quite close ; but upon signs being made to
them, they approached. One of them talked a great deal, but
we did not understand a word he said. He kept pointing to
the shore, which \ve interpreted to be an invitation to go thither.
They accepted a few trifles from me, which I conveyed to them
from the quarter gallery. These men in every respect resembled
the people we had met with in Prince William's Sound, as to
their person and dress. Their canoes were also of the same
construction. One of our visitors had his face painted jet black,
and seemed to have no beard, but the other, who was more
elderty, had no paint and a considerable beard.

When the flood made we weighed, and then the canoes left
us. I stood over to the western shore, with a fresh gale at
north-north-east, and fetched under the point above mentioned ;
this, with the other on the opposite shore, contracted the channel
to the brendth of four leagues. Through this channel ran a
prodigious tide.

At eight in the evening we anchored under a point of land
•yhich bore north-east, three leagues distant, in fifteen fathoms
of water. Here we lay during the ebb, which ran near five
knots to the hour. We weighed with the next flood in the ,
irorning of the 31st, and about eight o'clock were visited by !
several of the natives, in one large and several small canoes.
The latter carried only one person each, and some had a paddle
with a blade at each end, after the manner of the Esquimaux ;

CAPTAIN COOK,

lo-

nging
d al-
, and
jffect.
nd on
other,
e now
nhabi-
)th we
le tide
: same
each,
i seen
ard in
before
ade to
:al, but
ting to
:hithcr.

them
embled

as to
e same
; black,
s more

oes left
ale at
tioned ;
channel

1 ran a

of land
fathoms
ear five
. in the
sited by

canoes.
1 paddle
iimaux \

in the large canoes were men, women, and children. Before
they reached the ship, they displayed a leathern frock upon a
long pole, as a sign ap 'nl}' of their peaceable intentions.
This frock they conveyed into the ship, in return for some trilles
which I gave them. We procured from them some of their fur
dresses, made of the skins of sea-otters, martens, hares, and
other animals, a few of their darts, and a small supply of salmon
and halibut. In exchange for these they took old clothes,
beads, and pieces of iron. We found that they were in pos-
session of large iron knives and sky-blue glass beads, whicli
they seemed to value much, and consequently those which we
now gave them. After spending about two hours between the
one ship and the other, they all retired to the western shore.

At nine o'clock we came to an anchor in si.xteen fathoms of
water, about two leagues from the west shore ; the weather
was misty, with drizzling rain, and clear by turns. At the clear
intervals we saw an opening between the mountains in the
eastern shore, bearing east from the station of the ships, with
low land, which we supposed to be islands, lying between us and
the mainland. Low land was also seen to the northward, which
seemed to extend from the foot of the mountains on the one side
to those on the other, and at low water we perceived large
shoals stretching out from this low land, some of which were
at no great distance from us. From these appearances we were
in some doubts whether the inlet did not take an easterly direc-
tion, through the above opening, or whether that opening was
only a branch of it, and the main channel continued its northern
direction through the low land now in sight.

To determine this point and to examine the shoals I de-
spatched the boats, under the command of the master, and, as
soon as the flood-tide made, followed with the ships ; but as it
was a dead calm and the tide strong, I anchored, after driving
about ten miles in an easterly direction. In the afternoon the
natives, in several canoes, paid us a visit, and trafficked with
our people for some time, without ever giving us reason to accuse
them of any act of dishonesty.

At two o'clock on the following morning, the ist of June, the
ma.'' j: returned, and reported that he found the inlet, or rather
river, contracted to the breadth of one league by low land on
each side, through which it took a northerly direction. He

IF^

i 1

I i

104

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

proceeded three leagues through this narrow part, which he
found navigabl- for the largest ships, being from seventeen
to twenty fathoms deep. While the ebb or stream ran down,
the water was perfectly fresh, but after the flood made it was
brackish.

All hopes of finding a passage were now given up ; but, as
the ebb was almost spent, and we could not return against
the flood, I thought I might as well take advantage of the
latter to get a nearer view of the eastern branch, and by that
means finally to determine whether the low land on the east
side of the river was an island, as we had supposed, or not.
With this purpose in view we weighed with the first of the flood,
and stood over for the eastern shore, with boats ahead sounding ;
but, a contrary wind springing up, I despatclied two boats,
under the command of Lieutenant King, to examine the tides
and to make such other observations as might give us some
insight into the nature of the river.

At ten o'clock, finding the ebb begun, I anchored in nine
fathoms of water, but, observing the tide to be too strong for
the boats to make head against it, I made a signal for them to
return on board before they had got half-way to the entrance
of the river they were sent to examine, which was three leagues
distant. The principal information gained by this tide's work
was the determining that all the low land, which we had sup-
posed to be an island or islands, was one track, from the banks
of the great river to the foot of the mountains, which it joined,
and that it terminated at the south entrance of this eastern
branch, whicli I shall distinguish by the name of river Turn-
again. On the north side of this river the low land again
begins, and stretches out from the foot of the mountains down
to the banks of the great river, so that before the river Turnagain
it forms a large bay, on the south side of which we were now at
anchor.

We had traced this river seventy leagues or more from its
entrance without seeing the least appearance of its source.

If the discovery of this great river,* which promises to vie

* Captain Cook havinpf hero left a Llank, which hft had not filled up with any
particular name, Lord Sandwich directed, with the greatest propriety, that it should
be called Cook's River. This arm of the ?ea is now known as Cook's Inlet, and was
further explored, in 1794, by Captain Vancouver.

CAPTAIN COOK.

105

ch he
snteen
down,
it was

Dut, as
g-ainst
of the
Dy that
e east
Dr not.
i flood,
nding ;
boats,
e tides
s some

in nine
ong for
them to
ntrance
leagues
;'s work
ad sup-
e banks
: joined,
eastern
tx Turn-
d again
ns down
urnagain
3 now at

from its
ce.
ies to vie

up with any
Kat it should
ilet, and was

with the most considerable ones already known to be capable
of extensive inland navigation, sliould prove of use either to
the present or to any future age, the time we spent in it ought
to be the less regretted ; but to us, who had a much greater
object in view, the delay thus occasioned was an essential loss.
The season was advancing apace, we knew not how far we
might have to proceed to the south, and we were now convinced
that the continent of North America extended larther to the
west than from the modern most reputable charts wc had reason
to expect. This made the existence of a passage into Baffin's
or Hudson's Bay less probable, or at least showed it to be of
greater extent. It was a satisfaction to me, liowever, to reflect
that if I had not examined this very considerable inlet it would
have been assumed by speculative fabricators of geography as
a fact that it communicated with the sea to the north, or witli
Baffin's or Hudson's Bay to the east.

In the afternoon I sent IMr. King again with two armed
boats, with orders to land on the nortiicrn point of the low land
on the north-east side of the river ; thence to display the flag
and take possession of the country and river in his Majesty's
name ; and also to bury in the ground a bottle containing
some pieces of English coin of the year 1772, and a paper, on
which was inscribed the names of our ships and the date of
our discovery. In the meantime, the ships were got under sail,
in order to proceed down the river. The wind blew fresh
easterly, but a calm ensued not long after we were under ^vay,
and the flood-tide meeting us oft the point where Mr. King
landed (and which thence got the name of Point Possession),
we were obliged to drop anchor in six fathoms of water, with
the point bearing south, two miles distant.

When Mr. King returned, he informed me that, as he
approached the shore, about twenty of the natives made their
appearance with their arms extended, probably to express their
peaceable disposition and to show that they were without
weapons. On Mr. King and the gentlemen with him landing
with muskets in their hands, they seemed alarmed, and made
signs expressive of their request to lay them down ; this was
accordingly done, and then they suffered the gentlemen to
walk up to them, and appeared to be cheerful and sociable.
They had with them a few pieces of fresh salmon and several

loO

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

I' ''

f I

I j i j i

% \

,!j

dogs. Mr. Law, surgeon of the Discovery, who was one of
the party, having bouglit one of the latter, took it down towards
the boat, and shot it dead in their sight. This seemed to
surprise them exceedingly, and, as if they did not thinlc them-
selves safe in such company, they walked away ; but it was
soon after discovered that their spears and other weapons
were hid in the bushes close behind them. We weighed anchor
as soon as it was high water, and stood over to the west shore,
where the return of the flood obliged us t*j anchor early next
morning. Soon after several large and some small canoes
with natives came off, who first bartered their skins, and then
sold their garments, till many of them were quite naked ;
amongst others, they brought a number of white hare or rabbit
skins, and very beautiful reddish ones of foxes ; but there were
only two or three skins of otters. They also sold us some pieces
of salmon and halibut, and preferred iron to everything else
offered to them in exchange.

At half-past ten we weighed with the first of the ebb, and while
workinsr down the river, owing to the inattention and neoflect of
the man at the lead, X\\q. Resolitfioji stru< k and stuck fast on a
bank that lies nearly in the middle of the river, and about two
miles above the two projecting bluff points before mentioned. As
soon as the ship got aground I made a signal for the Discui'cry
to anchor ; she, as I afterwards understood, had been near ashore
on the west side of the bank. As the flood-tide came in. the ship
floated off soon after Ave o'clock in the afternoon, without receiving
the least damage, or giving us any trouble, and after standing
over to the west shore into deep water, we anchored to wait for
the ebb, as the wind was still contrary. We weighed again with
the ebb, at ten o'clock at night, and between four and five the
next morning. When the tide was finished, we once more cast
anchor about two miles below the bluff point on the west shore.
Many of the natives came off, and attended upon us all the morn-
ing. Their company was \cry acceptable, for they brought with
them a quantity of fine salmon, which they exchanged for such
trifles as we had to give them. Most of it was split ready for
drv'ing, and several hundred-weight of it was procured for the two
ships.

The wind remaining southerly, we continued to tide it down the
river, and on the morning of the 5th, coming to the place where

CAPTAIN COOK.

107

ne of
A'ards
ed to
Lhcm-
: was
apons
nchor
shore,
J next
:anoes
i then
aked ;
rabbit
e were
pieces
e: else

d while
rlect of
^t on a
)ut two
ed. As
'scovcry
ashore
le ship
ceiving
andin.c:
vait for
lin with
ve the
xc cast
shore,
e morn-
ht with
or such
eady for
the two

own the
:e where

we had lost our kedge-anchor, made an attempt to recover it, but
without success. Before we left this place, six canoes came off
from the east shore, some conducted by one, and others by two
men. They remained at a little distance from the ships, viewing-
them with a kind of silent surprise, at least half an hour, without
exchanging a single word with us, or with one another. At length
they took courage and came alongside, when they began to barter
with our people, and did not leave us till they had parted with
everything they brought with them, consisting of a few skins and
some salmon.

Early on the morning of the 20th some breakers were seen two
miles distant, which forced us so far from the continent that we
had but a distant view of the coast. Over some adjoining islands
we could see the main land covered with snow, but particularly
some hillSj whose elevated tops were seen towering above the
clouds to a most stupendous height. The most south-westerly of
these hills was discovered to have a volcano, which continually
threw up vast columns of black smoke. It stands not far from
the coast, and is also remarkable from its figure, which is a com-
plete cone, having the volcano at the very summit. In the after-
noon, having three hours' calm, our people caught upwards of a
hundred halibuts, some of which weighed a hundred pounds ; this
was a very seasonable refreshment to us. While thus engaged, a
small canoe, conducted by one man, came to us from the large
island ; on approaching the ship, he took off his cap and bowed.
It was evident that the Russians must have comn.unication and
traffic with these people, not only from their acquired politeness,
but from their possessing certain articles only used among civil-
ised, nations ; thus our present visitor wore a pair of green cloth
breeches, and a jacket of black cloth or stuff, under the gut-shirt
of his own country. He had nothing to barter except a grey fox-
skin and some fishing implements or harpoons, the heads of the
shafts of which were neatly made of bone.

The weather was cloudy and hazy, with now and then sunshine,
till the afternoon of the 22nd, when the wind came round to the
south-east, and, as usual, broilght thick rainy w'cather. Before
the fog came on, no part of the mainland was in sight, except the
volcano and another mountain close by it. We made but little
progress for some days, having the wind variable, and but little
of it.

jp^Oi

xc8

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

On the morning of the 25th we got an easterly breeze and,
what was uncommon with this wind, clear weather, so that we
not only saw the volcano, but other mountains, both to the east
and west of it, and all the coast of the mainland under them,
much plainer than at any time before. The weather in the
afternoon became gloomy, and at length turned to a mist, so
thick that we could not see a hundred yards before us. We were
now alarmed at hearing the sound of breakers on our larboard
bow, and on heaving the lead found twenty-eight fathoms of
water. I immediately anchored, and a few hours after, the fog
having cleared a little, it appeared that we had escaped very
imminent danger. We found ourselves three-quarters of a mile
from the north-east side of an island, and the elevated rocks were
about half a league each from us, and about the same distance
from each other. There were several breakers about them, and
yet Providence had, in the dark, guided the ships between these
rocks, which I should not have ventured on a clear day, and
to such an anchoring-place that I could not have chosen a
better.

On a point which bore west from the ship three-quarters of a
mile distant, were several natives and their habitations. In this
place we saw them tow in two whales, which we supposed they
had just killed. A few of them now and then came off to the
ships and bartered a few trifling things with our people, but never
remained above a quarter of an hour at a time : they rather
seemed shy. and yet we could judge that they were no strangers
to vessels something like ours.

At daybreak on the 28th we weighed with a light breeze at
south, which was succeeded by variable light airs from all
directions. But as there ran a rapid tide in our favour, we got
through before the ebb made, and came to an anchor in twenty-
eight fathoms of water near the southern shore. While we lay
here, several of the natives came off to us and bartered a few
fishing implements for tobacco. One of them, a young man,
having upset his canoe while alongside one of our boats, Our
people caught hold of him, but the canoe went adrift. The
youth, b}'' this accident, was obliged to come into the ship, and
he went down into my cabin upon the first invitation, without
expressing the least reluctance or uneasiness. His own clothes
being wet, I gave him others, in which he dressed himself with as

CAPTAIN COOK,

109

I and,

lat we
e east

them,
in the
ist, so
e were
rboard
3ms of
he fog
:d very

a mile
vs were
istancc
m, and
1 these
Ly, and
osen a

ers of a
In this
ed they
f to the
Lit never
rather
;rangers

reeze at
Tom all
, we got

twenty-
; we lay
d a few
ig man,
)ats, Our
ft. The
hip, and

without
1 clothes
f with as

much ease as I could have done. From his behaviour, and thnt
of some others, we were convinced that these people were no
strangers to Europeans, and to some of thcnr customs. But there
was something in our ships that greatly excited their curiosity, for
such as could not come off in their canoes assembled on the
neighbouring hills to look at them.

Soon after we anchored, a native of the island brought on
board a note, whicii he presentod to me ; but it was written in
the Russian language, which none of us could read. As it could
be of no use to me, and might be of consequence to others, I
returned it to the bearer, and dismissed him with a few presents,
for which he expressed his thanks by making several low bows as
he retired. In walking next day along the shore, 1 met a group
of natives of both sexes, seated on the grass at a repast consisting
of raw fish, which they seemed to eat with as much relish as we
should a turbot served up with the richest sauce. By the evening
we had completed our water, and 'made such observations as the
time and weather would permit.

Thick fogs and a contrary wind detained us till the 2nd of July,
which afforded an opportunity of acquiring some knowledge of
the country and of its inhabitants.

Having now put to sea, we steered to the north, meeting with
nothing to obstruct us in this course, but made very little progress
for many successive days, nor met with anything remarkable.
On the morning of the i6th we found ourselves nearer the land
than we expected. Here, between two points, the coast forms a
bay, in some parts of which the land was hardly visible from the
mast-head. I sent Lieutenant Williamson with orders to land,
and see what direction the coast took, and what the country pro-
duced, for it had but a barren appearance. Soon after, Mr.
Williamson returned and Reported that he had landed on the
point, and having climbed the highest hill, found that the farthest
part of the coast in sight bore nearly north. He took possession
of the country in his Majesty's name, and left on the hill a bottle
in which was inscribed on a piece of paper the names of the ships,
and the date of the discovery. The promontory, to which he
gave the name of Cape Newenham, is a rocky point of tolerable
height ; the hills are naked, but on the lower grounds grew grass
and other plants. He saw no other animal but a doe and her
fawn, and a dead sea-horse or cow upon the beach.

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OP

From the i6th to the 21st nothing- material occurred.

On the 2ist we were obHgcd to anchor, to avoid running upon
a shoal, which had only a depth of five feet. While we lay here,
twenty-seven men of the country, each in a canoe, came off to the
ship, wliich they approached with great caution, hallooing and
opening their arms as they advanced, which we understood was
to express their pacific intentions. At length some approached
near enough to receive a few trifles that were thrown to them.
This encouraged the rest to venture alongside, and traffic presently
commenced between them and our people, who got dresses of
skins, bows, arrows, darts, and wooden vessels, our visitors taking
in exchange whatever was offered them. They seemed to be the
same sort of joeople that we had of late met with all along this
coast, wore the same kind of ornaments in their lips and noses,
but were far more dirty and not so well clothed. They appeared
to be wholly unacquainted with people like us, knew not the use
of tobacco, nor was any foreign article seen in tlieir possessiony
unless a kn'.fe made of a piece of common iron, fitted in a wooden
handle, may be looked upon as such.

The canoes were made of skins, like all the others we had
lately seen, but were broader, and the hole in which the man
sits was wider than in any I had before met with. Our boats
returning from sounding seemed to alarm them, so that they
all left us scnjner than probably they would otherwise have
done.

Variable w!..ds with rain prevailed till the 3rd of August,
Mr. Anderson, my surgeon, who had been lingering under a
consumption for more than twelve months, expired between
three and four this afternoon. He was a sensible young man,
an agreeable companion, well skilled in his own profession,
and had acquired considerable knowledge in other branches of
science.

Soon after he had breathed his last, land was seen \o the
westward, twelve leagues distant. It was supposed to be an
island ; and to perpetuate the memory of the deceased, for
whom I had a very great regard, I named it Anderson's
Island. The next day I removed Mr. Law, the surgeon of the
Discovery^ into the Rcsolutioji, and appointed Mr. Samuel,
the surgeon's first mate of the Resolution, to be surgeon of the
Dhco-jcry.

CAPTAIN COOK.

Ill

g- upon
y here,
f to the
ig- and
lod was
oached
) them,
resently
jsscs of
taking
) be the
)nc: this
1 noses,
ppeared
"the use
session,
wooden

we had
he man
Lir boats
at they
50 have

August,
under a
between
ig man,
jfession,
iches of

to the
be an
Lsed, for
derson's
n of the
Samuel,
DR of the

At ten in the morning of tlie 5th, with the wind at south-
west, we ran down and anchored between the continent and
an island four leagues in extent, which was named Sl('(li.'('
Island. I landed here, but saw neither shrub nor tree citht-r
upon the island or on the continent. 'J'hat people \vm\ lately
been on the island was evident from the marks of feet. \V(.'
found, near where we landed, a sledge, which occasioned
this name being given by me to the island. It seemed to be
such an one as the Russians in Kamtschatka make use of over
the ice or snow, and was ten feet long, twenty inciics broad,
and had a kind of rail-work on each side, and was shod with
bone. The construction of it was admirable, and all the parts
neatly put together. After several observations, from tlic 61 h
to the 9th, 1 was satisfied t'lat the whoh; was a continued
coast. I tacked and stood away for its north-west part, and
came to anchor near a point of land, which i nam(;(l Capcj I'rince
of Wales. It is the western extremity of all America hitherto
known.

At daybreak in the morning of the loth we resumed our course
to the west, and about ten o'clock anchored in a larg(.' bay two
miles from the shore. As we were standing into this bay we per-
ceived on the north shore a village and som(i people, whom the
sight of the ships seemed to have thrown into confusion or fear, as
we could plainly see persons running up the country with burdens
upon their backs. At these habitations 1 proposed to land, and
accordingly went with three armed boats, accomp.anied by some;
of the officers. About thirty or forty men, each armed with a
spontoon and bow and arrows, stood drawn up on a rising gr(jun(i
close bv the village. As we drew near, three of them came down
towards the shore, and were so polite as to take oil theijcaps and
to make us low bows. We returned the civility ; but this did not
inspire them with sufficient confidence to wait for our landing, lor
the moment we put the boats ashore they retired. 1 follcjwed
them alone, without anything in my hand, and by signs and
gestures prevailed on them to stop and receive some trifling
presents. In return for these they gave me two fox-skins and a
couple of sea-horse teeth.

They seemed very fearful and cautious, expressing their desire
by signs that no more of our people should be permitted to come
up. On my laying my hand on the shoulder of one of them, he

! 1

112

T///RD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

started back several paces. In proportion as I advanced, tlicy
retreated backward, always in the attitude of being ready to make
use of their spears, while those on the risinj^'- <j;-round stood ready
to support them with their arrows. Insensibly, myself and two or
three of my companic as got in amongst thum. A few beads
distributed to those about us soon caused a kind of confidence, so
that they were not alarmed when a few more of our people joined
us, and by degrees a sort of traffic between us commenced. In
exchange for knives, beads, tobacco, and other articles, they
gave us some of their clothing and a few arrows. But nothing
that we had to offer could induce them to part with a spear or a
b >w. These they held in constant readiness, never once quitting
th 'm, except at one time when four or live persons laid theirs
down while they gave us a song and a dance. And even then
they placed them in such a manner that they could lay hold
of them in an instant, and, for their security, they desired us to
sit down.

The arrows were pointed either with bone or stone, but very few
of them had barbs, and some liad a round blunt point. What
use these mav be applied to I cannot say, unless it be to kill small
animals witl jut damaging tlie .skin. The bows were such as we
had seen on the American coast, and like those used by the
Esquimaux. The spears or spontoons were of iron or steel, and
of European or Asiatic workmanship, in which no little pains had
been taken to ornament them with carving and inlayings of brass,
and of a white metal. Those who stood ready with bows and
arrows in their hands, had the spear slung over their '■'ght shoulder
by a leathern strap ; a leathern quiver, slung over their left
shoulder, contained arrows, and some of the quivers were
extremely beautiful, being made of red leather, on which was
very neat embroidery and other ornaments.

Several other things, and in particular their clothing, showed
that they were possessed of a degree of ingenuity far surpassing
what one could expect to fmd among so northern a people. All
the Americans we had seen, since our arrival on that coast, were
rather low of stature, with round chubby faces and high cheek-
bones. The people we now were amongst were far from resembling
them ; in short, they appea-ed to be quite a different nation. We
saw neither women or children of either sex, nor any aged, except

CAPTAIN COOK',

one man, ^vho \vas bald-hcad-jd, and lie was llic only owe. who
carried no arms ; the others seemed tu Lc incked men, and rather
under than above tlie middle aj.Mj.

Their clothing consisted of a cap, a Irock, a pair of bouts, und
a pair of gloves, all made of leather, or of the skins of deer, dogs,
or seals, cS:c., and extremely well dressed, some ^^ith the liair oi
fur on. The caps were made to lit the head very t lose, and they
also had hoods, made of the skin of d(-»gs, that were large enongh
to cover both head and shoulders. 1 heir hair seemed to be black,
but their heads were either shaved, or tiie hair cut close oil, and
none of them wore anv beard.

We found the village composed both (jf their summer and their
winter habitations. The latter are exactly like a vault, tin; llo(»r
of which is sunk a little below the surface of tlie earth. One <T
theni which 1 examined v>as of an oval form, abcnit twenty feet
long and twelve or more high ; the framing was of wood and the
ribs of whales, disposed in a judicious manner, and bound togetlK.T
with smaller materials of thi- sann,- b(jrt ; over this fiaining is laid
a covering of strong coarse gras.-. ; and that again is covered
with earth, so that on the outside the h(juse looks like a little
hillock, supported by a wall of stone, three or four feet high,
which is built round the two sides and one end. At. the other end
the earth is raised and sloping, to form a walk up t(; the e-ntran(,(;,
which is by a hole in the top of the rocjf over that end. '1 he 1!(joi
was boarded, and under it a kind of cellar, in which i saw nothing
but water, and at the end of each house was a vaulted room,
which I took to be a store-room. These store-rooms communi-
cated with the house by a dark passage and with the oj)en air by
a hole in the roof, which was even with tlie ground (>ne walkt.-d
upon ; but they cannot be said to be wholly underground, Un oiu-
end leads to the edge of the hill aloii.g which they were made, and
which was buil: up with stone. Over it stood a kind of sentry-
box, or tower, composed of the bones of large fish. The sumnxr
huts were pretty large and circular, being brought to a pf^int at
the top ; the framing was of slight, pohjs and bon^.-s, covered v.'ith
the skins of sea animal.^. 1 examined the inside of one ; tliere
was a fireplace just within the door, where lay a few wf;0(!erj
vessels, all very dirty. 'J'heir bed-places v»-ere close to the side,
and took up about half the circuit ; some privacy seemed to be

ii4

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

ii '

j I
i i

: Hi 1

observed, for there were several partitions made with skins ; the
bed and beddin^^ were of deer-si<ins, and most of them were dry
and clean.

Above the habitations were erected several stages, ten or twelve
feet hii,'-h. such as we had observed in some parts of the American
coast. Tliey were wholly composed of bones, and seemed in-
tended for dryini^ their fish and skins, which were thus placed
l;eyond the reach of their doq-s, of which they had a .sjfreat many.
Tiiese dot^fs are of the fox kind, rather larc^e and of different
colours, with lon.^" soft hair like wool. They .'ire probably used in
drawinj^ their sled.i^es in winter, of which I saw a ,£;reat many laid
up in one of the winter huts. It is also not improbable that dock's
may constitute a part of their food, as several lay dead that had
bjen killed that morning;.

Tlie canoes of tliese people arc of the same sort as those of the
North Americans, some, both of the large and small sizes, being
seen lying in a creek under the village.

By the large bones of iish, and of other sea anim.als, it
appeared that the sea supplied them with the greater part of
their subsistence. The country appeared to be exceedingly
barren, yielding neither tree nor shrub, that we could see.
At some distance westward we observed a ridge of mountains
covered with snow that had lately fallen.

At first we supposed this land to be a part of the island
of Alaschka, laid down in j\Ir. Stcchlin's map ; but, from the
figure of the coast, the situation of the opposite shore of
America, and from the longitude, we soon began to think that
it was more probably the eastern extremity of Asia explored
by Behring in T728. But to have admitted this, without
further examination, I must have pronounced Mr. Sta^hlin's
map and his account of the New Northern Archipelago to be
either exceedingly erroneous, even in latitude, or else to be
a mere fiction — a judgment which I had no right to pass upon
a publication so respectably vouched, without producing the
clearest proofs.

After a stay of between two and three hours wnth these
people, we returned to our ships ; and soon after, the wind
veering to the south, we weighed anchor, stood out of the
bay, and steered to the north-east, between the coast and the
two islands. From this station we steered east, m order to

s ; the

ire dry

twelve
lerican
led in-
placed
many,
itterent
used in
ny laid

It do£!fS

at had

: of the
;, being

lals, it
part of
edingly
d sec.
untains

island
om the
lore of
Ilk that
xplorcd
without
a^hlin's

to be
; to be
5S upon
ng the

1 these
e wind

of the
md the
rder to

CAPTAIN C00h\

^t\. nearer the American coast. In this course the water
shoaled gradually, and, tlurc bring hiii lit! I.' wind, and all
our endeavours t:) increase; (i.r depth failin-. I was obliged al
last to drop anchor in six tatlioms, the only remedy we haii
left to prevent the ships driving into less.

A breeze of wind springing up from the north, w( wei^lied
at nine in the evening, and stood to the westward, wliich
course soon brought us into deep wate'r ; and diirini;- the' i;ith
we worked up to the north, both coasts IjeiiiL; in siijit, but we
kept nearest to that of America.

We now stood to the southward, and, pftcr running six le.-igucs,
shoaled the water to seven fathoms, hut it soon deepened to nine
fathoms. At this time the weather, which had b'-cii lia/y, • le.ir-
ing up a little, we saw land, extending irom soutii to south-e-.-ist
by east, about three or four miles distant. 'I lie en-.tern extrenx-
forms a point, which was mucli encumbered with ice, f('i- wiii( ii
reason it obtained the name of Icy Capt;. Its latiturle is 70 2(/,
and its longitude iqS'' 20'. The other extrc;mi: of tin; land was
lost in the horizon, so that there can be no doubt ui its being a
continuation of the American continent. TIkj Piscni'try, being
about a mile astern and t(j leeward, found h-ss water than we did,
and tacking on that account, I was obliged to tack also, to pre-
vent separation.

Our situation was'nowmore and more critical. Wr were in shoal
water, upon a lee shore, and the rnnin body <A the i( (; to wind-
ward, driving down upon us. It was (.'vident that, if we r(-maincfl
much longer between it and the lanrl, it woukl force us ashore^
unless it should happen to take ground bc'tore us. It seemed
nearly to join the land to leeward, and the only direction that was
open was to the south-west. After making a short b(jard to tli<
northward, I made the signal for the JJisco:'i'.ry to lack, and
tacked myself at the same time. The wind proved ratlx-i
favourable, so that we lay up south-west, and .south-west by
west.

At eight in the morning of the 19th, the wind veering back to
the west, I tacked to the northward, when we had a good deal of
drift ice about us, the main ice being about two leaguf.'S to tlic-
north. At half-past one we got in with the edges of it, but it was.
too close and in too large pieces to attempt forcing tlie sliips
through it. On the ice lay a prodigious number of sea-horses.

Il6

ririRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

I is.

;; 'f;

h ■

lit ll

' i

; i

^ ;1

.,1

1 '■

and as we were in want of fresh provisions, a boat from each ship
was sent to get some. By seven o'clock in the evening" we had
received on board the Resolution nine of these animals. Some
of the crew who had been in Greenland declared that no one ever
eat them, but notwithstanding this we lived upon them as long
as they lasted, and there were few on board who did not
prefer them to our salt meat. The fat at first is as sweet as
marrow, but in a few days it grows rancid unless it is salted, in
which state it will keep much longer ; when melted it yields a
great deal of oil, which burns very well in lamps. The lean flesh
is coarse, black, and has rather a strong taste ; the heart is nearly
as well tasted as that of a bullock, and the hide, which is very
thick, was useful about our rigging. The teeth or tusks of most
of them were at this time very small ; even those of some of the
largest and oldest of these animals did not exceed six inches in
length, from which we concluded that they had lately shed their
old teeth.

They lie in herds of many hundreds upon the ice, huddling one
over the other like swine, and roar or bray very loud, so that in
the night, or in foggy weather, they gave us notice of the vicinity
of the ice before we could see it. We never found the whole herd
asleep, some being always upon the watch ; these, on the approach
of the boat, would awake those next to them, and the alarm being
thus gradually communicated, the whole herd would be awake
presently. But they were seldom in a hurry to get away, till after
they had been once hred at, when they would tumble one over the
other into the sea in the utmost confusion ; and if we did not at
the first discharge kill those we fired at, we generally lost them,
though mortally wounded. They did not appear to us to be as
9>-x\:A<ii^K: jc seme authors have represented, not even when attacked.
Vast numbers of them would follow and come close up to the
boats, but the ilash of a musket in the pan, or even the bare point-
ing of one at them, would send them down in an instant. The
female will defend her young to the very last and at the expense
of her own life, whether in the water or upon the ice ; nor will the
young one quit the dam, though she be dead, so that if you kill
one you are sure of the other. The dam, when in the water, holds
the young one between her fore-hns.

It is worth obsciwing that, for some days before this date, we
had frequently seen flocks of ducks flying to the southward, and

CAPTAIN COOK,

117

ch ship
we had

Some
ne ever
LS long-
id not
^ect as
Ited, in
'ields a
in ilcsh
i nearly
is very
•f most
of the
:hcs in
d their

ng one
that in
'icinity
e herd
proach

I being
awake

II after

ver the

not at

them,

be as

icked.
to the

point-

The

cpense

ill the
3U kill

holds

te, we
i, and

some said they saw geese also. Does not this indicate that there
must be land to Lhe north, where these birds iind shelter in the
proper season to breed, and from, whence they were nov/ returning
to a warmer climate ?

By the time we had got our sea-horses on board we were in a
manner surrounded with the ice, and had no way to clear it but
by standing to the southward, which was done till three o'clock
next morning, when we tacked, and stood to the north till ten
o'clock, when, the wind veering to the northward, we directed our
course to the west-south-west and west. At two in the afternoon
we fell in with the main ice, along the edge of which \rc k(^pt,
being partly directed by the roaring of the sea-horses, for we had
a very thick fog. Thus we continued sailing till near midnight,
I now hauled to the southward, and it ten o'clock the next morn-
ing, the fog cl(\iring away, we saw liie continciit of America. I
continued to steer in for the American land until eight o'clock, in
order to get a nearer view of it, and to look for a harbour, but
seeing nothing like one, 1 stood again to the north, with a light
breeze westerly. The southern extremity of the coast seemed to
form a point, which was named Cape Lisburne, and appeared to
be high land, even dov/n to the sea.

A thick fog, which came on while I was thus employed with
the boats, hastened me aboard rather sooner than I could have
wished, with one sea-horse to each ship. We had killed more,
but could not wait to bring them with us. The number of these
animals on all the ice we had seen is almost incredible. We spent
the night standing off and on amongst the drift-ice, and at nine
o'clock the next morning, the fog having partly dispersed, boats
from each ship were sent for sea-horses, for by this time our
people began to relish them, and those we had procured before
were all consumed.

On the morning of the 29th we saw the main ice to the north-
ward, and not long after, land bearing south-west by west. Pre-
sently after this, more land showed itself, bearing west, 11 two
hills, like islands, but afterwards the whole appeared connected.
As we approached the coast, it appeared to lie low, next the sea,
with elevated land farther back. It was perfectly destitute of
wood, and even snow. In the low ground, lying between the
high land and the sea, was a lake extending to the south-east
farther than we could see. As we stood off, the westernmost of the

Ii8

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

it'

two hills before mentioned came in sight off the bluff point, which
was named Cape North. Its situation is nearly in the latitude of
68\s6', and in the longitude of i8o°5i'. Being desirous of seeing
more of the coast to the westward, we tacked again, at two
o'clock in the afternoon, thinking we could weather Cape North,
but, tindincf we could not, the wind freshening- a thick foqr
coming on, with much snow, and bemg fearful of the ice coming
down upon us, I gave up the design I had formed of working to
the westward, and stood off shore again.

The season was now so far advanced, and the time when the frost
is expected to set in so near at hand, that I did not think it con-
sistent with prudence to make any farther attempts to find a pas-
sage into the Atlantic this year in any direction, so little prospect
was there of succeeding, ^ly attention was now directed towards
fiRding out some place where we might supply ourselves with
wood and water, and the object uppermost in my thoughts was
how I should spend the winter, so as to make some improvements
in geography and navigation, and at the same time be in a con-
dition to return to the north in farther search of a passage the

ensumg summer.

After standing off till we got into eighteen fathoms of water, I
bore up to the eastward along the coast of Asia. At daybreak on
the 30th we made sail, and steered such a course as I thought
would bring us in with the land, for the weather was as thick as
ever, and it snowed incessantly. At ten we got sight of the coast,
bearing south-west, four miles distant. The inland country here-
about is full of hills, some of which are of a considerable height ;
and the land was covered with snow.

On the 2nd of September we had fair weather and sunshine
and as we ranged along the coast, at the distance of four miles,
saw several of the inhabitants and some of their habitations,
which looked like little hillocks of earth. None of them, how-
ever, attempted to come off to us, which seemed a little extraordi-
nary, as the weather was favourable.

The more I was convinced of my being now upon the coast of
Asia, the more I was at a loss to reconcile Mr. Sta^hlin's map of
the New Northern Archipelago with my observations ; and I
had no way to account for the great difference but by supposing
that I had mistaken some part of what he calls the island of
Alaschka for the American continent, and had missed the

t, which
titude of
if seeing'
at two
e North,
lick fog
: coming
rking to

the frost
k it con-
id a pas-
prospect
I towards
ives with
ofhts was
ovements
in a con-
isage the

water, I
/•break on
thought
thick as
he coast,
ntry here-
e height ;

sunshine
)ur miles,
bitations,
em, how-
extraordi-

e coast of
I's map of

; and I
supposing

island of
issed the

CAPTAIN COOK.

ii<)

channel that separates thom. Adr.iilting even this, tluM-e would
still have been a considerable difference. It was willi nic .1
matter of some consequence to clear up this point the |)1cm'ii(
season, that I might have but one object in view the ncxl ; and
as these northern isles are represented by liim as aboiMuling
with wood, I was in hopes, if i should find thcin, of gelling a
supply of that article, which we now began to be in great want
of on board. Witli these views I ste(M-ed ov(.t for the Atncaican
coast, and on the GlIi we got sight of it. I'ur.suing our course,
on the 9th we found ourselves upon a coast C(jv<:red with wood,
an agreeable sight, to which of late we had not been aecii.-.l'nned.
Next morning, being about a lea.gue from the west shoie, I
took two boats and landed, attended by Mr. King, to seeh wood
and water. Here we observed tracks of deer and ff^xes on
the beach, on which also lay a gri-at f|uantity ol (h-ift-worul ;
and there was no want of fresh water. I returned (ju hoard
with an intention to bring the ships to an anchor h(;re, but,
the wind veering to north-east, I stretch(.'fl over to ilie o|)po'.it(;
shore, in hopes of finding wood there also, and anchored ;ii,
eight o'clock in the evening; but nf;xt morning we found it to
be a peninsula, united to the continent by a low neel: ol land, on
each side of which the coast forms a bay, which obtained the
name of Cape Denbigh.

Several people were seen upon the peninsula, and one man
came off in a small cano". 1 gave liim a knife and a. lew beads,
with which he seemed well pleased. Having made sign', to
bring us something to eat, he immediately L':ft us, and jjaddhd
towards the shore ; but meeting anothf.-r man coin in;; off who
happened to have tv.-o dried salmon, lie got thern, and would
give them to nobody but me.

Lieutenant Gore being now sent to the peninsula, reported
that there was but little fresh v/ater, and that v/ood was dilljeult
to be got at, by reason of the boats grounding at some distanee
from the beach. This being the case, I stood back to the- father
shore, and at eight o'clock the next morning 1 sent all the boat',
and a party of m.en with an oflicer to get wood from the place
where I had landed two days before.

Next day a family of the natives came near to our woorliiig
P'lrtv. I know not how many there were at first, but i saw f^nly
the husband, the wife, and tl.eir child, and a fourth person wIjo

'ft

120

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

bore the human shape, and that was all, for he was the most
deformed cripple I had ever seen.

Iron was their favourite article ; for four knives, which we had
made out of an old iron hoop, I got from them near 400 lbs. of fish
wliich they had caught on this or the preceding day. 1 gave the
child, wlio was a girl, a few beads, on which the mother burst into
tears, then the fjither, then the cripple, and at last, to complete the
concert, the girl herself.

Before night we had the ship amply supplied with wood, and had
carried on board above twelve tons of water to each. Some doubts
being still entertained whether the coast we were now upon belonged
to an island or the American continent, and the shallowness of the
water putting it out of our power to determine this with our ships,
I sent Lieutenant King with two boats under his command to make
such searches as might leave no room for a variety of opinions on
the subject. This officer returned from his expedition on the i6th,
and reported that he proceeded with the boats about three or four
leagues farther than the ships had been able to go ; that he then
landed on the west side ; that from the heights he could see the
two coasts join, and the inlet terminate in a small river or creek,
before which were banks of sand or mud, and evervw^here shoal
water. From the elevated spot on which Mr. King surveyed the
sound, he could distinguish many extensive valleys, with rivers run-
ning through them, well wooded and bounded by hills of a gentle
ascent and moderate height. In honour of Sir Fletcher Norton,
Speaker of the House of Commons, and Mr. King's near relative, I
named this inlet Norton's Sound.

Having now fully satisfied myself that Mr. Stcchlin's map must be
erroneous, and having restored the American continent to that space
which he had occupied with his imaginary island of Alaschka, it
was high time to think of leaving these northern regions, and to
retire to some place during the winter, where I might procure some
refreshments for my people and a small supply of provisions.
Petropaulowska, or the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul, in
Kamtschatka, did not appear likely to furnish the one or the other
for so large a number of men. I had, besides, other reasons for not
repairing thither at this time ; the first, and on which all the others
depended, was the great dislike I had to lie inactive for six or seven
months, which would have been the necessary consequence of
wintering in any of these northern parts. No place was so con-

CAPTAIN COOK.

121

le most

we had
I. of fish
jave the
urst into
>lete the

and had

doubts
)elonged

s of the
-ir ships,
to make
lions on
he 1 6th,
I or fc Ill-
he then

see the
>r creek,
re shoal
jyed the
^ers riin-
a gentle
Norton,
^lative, I

must be
at space
schka, it
, and to
ire some
Dvisions.
Paul, in
:he other
s for not
e others
or seven
lence of
so con-

veniently within our reach, where we could expect to have our
wants relieved as the Sandwich Islands ; to them, tlu-rcjoro, I
determined to proceed.

On the 2nd of October, at daybreak, wc saw the island of Ooiia-
lashka,bearingsouth-cast ; and as all harbours were aliketo me, provi-
ded they were equally safe and convenient, I hauled into a bay, li it,
finding very deep water, we were glad to get out again. Tlie natives,
manyof whom lived here, visited us at ditVerent times, bringing with
them dried salmon and other fish, which they exchanged vviili the sea-
men for tobacco. A few days before, every ounce of tobacco tiial was
in the ships had been distributed among the crew, and the (|u:iii-
tity was not half sufficient to answer their demands ; notwithstand-
ing this, so improvident a creature is an iMiglisli sailor, that they
were as profuse in making their bargains as if they were in a j)(>it
of \'irginia, so that in less than eight-and-forty hoi!::> the vakie <jf
this article of barter was lowered above loooper cent.

On the i4Lh, in the evening, while Mr. Webber .and I were at a
village a small distance from Samganoodha, a Russian landed
there, who I found was the principal person among his countrymen
in this and the neighbouring islands. Ismyloff, as liO was eailed,
arrived in a canoe carrying three persons, attended by twenty o
thirty other canoes, each conducted by one man. I took luetic c
that the first thing they did after landing was to make a small tent
for Ismyloff of materials which they brought with them, and then
they made others for themselves of their canoes and ))addles,
which they covered with grass, so that the people of tlie village
were at no trouble to find them lodgings. Ismyloff, having invited
us into his tent, set before us some dried salmon and berries,
which I was satisfied was the best cheer he had. ile appeared to
be a sensible, intelligent man, and 1 felt no small mortification in
not being able to converse with him, unless by signs, assisted by
figures and other characters, which, however, were a very great
help. I desired to see him on board the next day, and accordnigly
he came, with all his attendants ; indeed, he had moved int(; mir
neighbourhood for the express purpose of waiting upon us.

I found that he was very well acquainted with the geogiaphy of
these parts, and with all the recent discoveries of the Russians.
On seeing the modern maps, he at once pointed out their errors.

Both Ismyloff and the others affirmed that they knew ixything
of the continent of America to the northward, and they call'.<i it by

122

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

the same name which ?vlr. Staihlin gives to his great island — that is,
Alaschka. From what we could gather from Ismyloff and his
countrymen, the Russians have made several attempts to get a
footing upon that part of this continent that lies contiguous to
Oonalashka and the adjoining islands, but have always been
repelled by the natives, whom they describe as a very treacherous
people. They mentioned two or three captains or chief men who
had been murdered by them, and some of the Russians showed us
wounds which they said they had received there.

In the following afternoon, M. Ismyloff, after dining with Captain
Gierke, left us with all his retinue, promising to return in a {q:\n
days. Accordingly, on the 19th he paid us another visit, and
brought with him the charts, which he allowed me to copy. He
remained with us till the evening of the 2.rst, when he took his
final leave. To his care I entrusted a letter* to the Lords Com-
missioners of the Admiralty, in which was enclosed a chart of all
the northern coasts I had visited. He said there would be an
opportunity of sending it to Kamtschatka or to Okotsk the ensuing
spring, and that it would be at St. Petersburg the following winter.
He gave me a letter to Major Behm, governor of Kamtschatka,
and another to the commanding officer at Petropaulowska.

There are Russians settled upon all the principal islands between
Oonalashka and Kamtschatka, for the sole purpose of collecting
furs. Their great object is the sea- beaver, or otter. I never heard
them inquire after any other animal, though those whose skins are
of superior value also form part of their cargoes.

To all appearances the natives are the most peaceable, inoffensive
people I ever met with, and as to honesty, they might serve as a
pattern to the most civilised nation upon earth. The natives have
their own chiefs in each island, and seem to enjoy liberty and
property unmolested, but whether or not they are tributaries to the
Russians we could never find out. These people are rather low of
stature, but plump and well shaped, with rather short necks,
swarthy, chubby faces, black eyes, small beards, and long straight
black hair, which the men wear loose behind and cut before, but
the women tie it up in a bunch. Both sexes wear the same dresses
in fashion, the only difference is in the materials. The women's
frock is made of seal-skin, and that of the men of the skins of birds,

* This letter reached its destination in safety, and may be found in the Admiralty
archives, among the other papers of the great navigator.

CAPTAIN COOK.

123

-that is,
and his
:o get a

("UOUS to

^s been
icherous
lien who
owed us

Captain
in a few
isit, and
py. He
took his
ds Com-
trt of all
d be an
; ensuing
g winter,
tschatka,

between
:ollecting
^er heard

kins are

offensive
rve as a
ves have
erty and
es to the
er low of
necks,

straight
fore, but
z dresses
women's

of birds.

Admiralty

both reaching below the knee. This is the whole dress of the women,
but the men wear over the frock anotlier made of gut, which
resists water, and has a hood to it, which draws over the head.
Some of them wear boots, and all of them have a kind of cap made
of wood, with a rim to admit the head. '1 hcse caps are dyed wilh
green and other colours, and round the ui)[)er part of the rim arc
stuck the long bristles of some sea animal, on which are strung
glass beads, and on the front is a small image or two mader>r bone.

They make use of no paint, Init the women puncture their faces
slightly, and both men and women bore the under lii)s, to which
they fix pieces of bone. Their food consists of flesh, sea animals,
birds, roots, and berries, and even of seaweed. They dry large
quantities of fish in summer, which they lay u)) in small huts for
winter use. They cat everything raw. Boiling and broiling were
the only methods of cookery that I saw them make use of, and the
first was probably learnt from the Russians. Some have got little
brass kettles, and those who have not make one of a flat stone,
with sides of clay. I was once present when the cliief of Oona-
lashka made his dinner of the raw heat, (jf a large halibut, just
caught. Before any was given to the chief, two of his servants ate
the gills, without any other dressing than sciueczing out the slime.
This done, one of them cut off the head of the lish, took it to the
sea and washed it, then came with it and sat down by the chief,
first pulling up some grass, upon a part of which the head was laid,
and the rest was strewed before the chief. He then cut large
pieces off the cheeks, and laid them within the reach of the great
man, who swallowed them with as much satisfaction as we should
do raw oysters. When he had done, the remains of the head were
cut in pieces and given to the attendants, who tore off the meat
with their teeth, gnawing the bones like so many dogs.

They produce fire both by collision and by attrition. The former
by striking two stones, one against another, on one of which a go(;d
deal of brimstone is first rubbed ; the latter method is with two
pieces of wood, one of which is a stick about eighteen inches in
length, and the other a flat piece. The pointed end of the stick
they press upon the other, whirling it nimbly round as a drill, thus
producing fire in a few minutes. This method is common in many
parts of the world. It is practised by the Kamtschadalcs, by these
people, by the Greenlanders, by the Brazilians, by the Otaheiteans,
by the New Hollanders, and probably by many other nations.

124

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

The canoes made use of hx the natives are the smallest we had
anywhere seen upon the American coast, though built after the
same manner, with some httle difference in the construction. The
stern of these terminates a httle abruptly, the head is forked, the
upper point of the fork projecting without the under one, which is
even with the surface of the water ; the framing is of slender laths,
and the covering of seal-skins. They are about twelve feet long, a
foot and a half broad in the middle, and twelve or fourteen inches
deep. Upon occasion, they can carry two persons, one of whom is
stretched at full length in the canoe, and the other sits in the seat
or round hole, which is nearly in the middle. Round this hole is a
rim or hoop of wood, about which is sewed gut skin, that can be
drawn together, or opened like a purse with leathern thongs fitted to
the outer edge. The man seats himself in this place, draws the skin
tight round his body over his gut-pouch, and brings the end of the
thongs or purse-string over the shoulder to keep it in its place.
The sleeves of his frock are tied tight round his wrists, and it being
close round his neck, and the hood drawn over his head, where it is
confmed by his cap, water can scarcely penetrate either to his body
or into the canoe. If any should, however, insinuate itself, the
boatman carries a piece of sponge, with which he dries it up. He
uses the double-bladed paddle, which is held by both hands in
the middle, striking the water with a quick regular motion, first on
one side and then on the other. By this means the canoe is impelled
at a great rate, and in a direction as straight as a line can be
drawn.

The fishing and hunting implements lie ready upon the canoes,
under straps fixed for the purpose. They are all made in great
perfection, of wood and bone, and differ very little from those used
by the Greenlanders, as they are described by Crantz. These people
are very expert in striking hsh both in the sea and in rivers. They
also make use of hooks and lines, nets, and spears ; the hooks are
composed of bone, and the lines of sinews.

The people of Oonalashka bury their dead on summits of hills,
and raise a little hillock over the grave. In a walk into the coun-
try, one of the natives who attended me pointed out several of
these receptacles of the dead. There was one of them by the side
of the road leading from the harbour to the village, over which was
raised a heap of stones. It was observed that every one who passed
it added one to it. I saw in the country several stone hillocks, that

we had

ter the
. The
ed, the
hich is
:r laths,
long, a
L inches
I'hom is
:hc seat
lole is a
can be
fitted to
:hc skin
\ of the
s place,
it being
ere it is
lis body
self, the
Lip. He
ands in

first on
mpelled

can be

canoes,
in great
Dse used
people
They
ooks are

of hills,
le coun-
veral of
the side
lich was
passed
cks, that

CAPJ'AIX COOK,

»2S

seemed to have been raised by ait. M.my d llicni wcic .i|)j).ii cully
of great antiquity.

In the morning of ^Monday, liu: 2r»ili of o lohor, we pii! i.» wa
from Samganoodha harbcnir. Aly inlculiou \\.i'> ikav in jjkm i» i| Io
the Sandwich Islands, there ''> sj)ciul a fi u (jI ilic vviiitci niontli-i,
in case we should nvjct with tlic nccessai) ',u|»|jili •,, and tlnii h*
direct our course to Kamlsclialka, so as \.u ciidcavoui- to l>-.: ihcic
by the middle of May in ihc ensuing sunnin r. In < uii:,c(jni ik c <>1
this resolution I gaveCaplain Clcrkc orders Ikjw 1(j prcjcec d in <;a:>e
of separation, appoiminy. the Sandwich Idand > f(;i- lii'- hi', I pl.n <• \A
rendezvous, and the harbour of l'(tr(jpaul(jw:>l:a, in Jlanjls(,lialk.i,
for the second. Nothing reinarkabK; hapjjiincd (hujn;; our voyajM-,
and at daybreak on tlie 2Glh of Ncncmbei land w.t , :,j}dite<l, ex
tending from south-south-east t(-» west. We ueic n'w./ satisfi«*d
that the group of the Sandwicli Islands li;!(l be<. n (aily iinj>' )1< f.ily
discovered, as those which we had visited in {,\\\ pi'/M< ■/. nM/lJjw.ud
all lie to the leeward of our j^resent statioij. 1 box ujj ;ii,(l \m\\>(A
along the coast to the westward, and it \\:\.\ n(A I</n;; b< foie w<.-
sa\> people on several parts of the shox-, -.wA sonje lion%es and
plantations. The country seemed to be both \.0i\ wooded and
watered.

We got from our visitors a quantity of cuttle h'-h in exeliange- foi
nails and pieces of iron. The} brought very little fruit a/id rootv,
but told us that they had pl-^n^y of theui on '.heir J .land, a-, ah-o
hogs and fowls. In the evening, the hori/.on beiiig ele.ar to lli«
westward, we judged the westerjjHiOst land in sight to be an JsIan<J^
separated from that off whicli we nov/ V;ere. llavlj,;-; no d(yubt tlial
the people v.-ould return to the ships liext day v.ith the j>.'oduee of
their country. 1 kept tacking all ni;/ht, and, in the morjiing, stood
close in shore. At first only a few of the nati-.es visited us, )>iJt
towards noon we had the company of a good many, who brought
bread-fruit, potatoes, larro, or eddy-roots, a few plaiitains and siiiall
pigs, all of which they exchanged for nails aiid iron tools; indeed,
we had nothing else to give them. V.'e continued trading with tljem
till four o'clock in the afternoon, when, having disposed of all their
cargoes, and not seeming inchned to fetch niore^ v.e mafle sail and
siooc en snore.

In the afternoon of the 30lh, being off the north east end of tJie
island, several canoes came off to the ships. .Most of t}ies<: be-
longed to a chief named Terreeoboo, who came in one of llje-m.

126

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

( :

He made me a present of two or three small pigs, and we j^ot by
barter from the people a little fruit. After a stay of aljout two
hours, they all left us, except six or ei^ht of their company, who
chose to remain on board ; a double sailing canoe came soon after
to attend upon them, which we towed astern all night. In the
evening we discovered another island to windward, which the natives
call Ovvhyhce.* The name of that off which we had been for some
days, we were also void, is Mowee.

On the 1st of December^ at eight in the morning, finding that we
could fetch Owhyhee, I stood for it, and our visitors from Mowee,
not choosing to accompany us, embarked in their canoe and went
ashore. At seven in the evening we were close up with the north
side of Owhyhee, where we spent the night, standing off and on.
In the morning of the 2nd wc were surprised to, see the summits of
the mountains on Owhyhee covered with snow. As we drew near
the shore, some of the natives came off to us ; tl"iey were a little shy
at first, but we soon enticed some of them on board, and at last
prevailed upon them to return to the island and bring off what we
wanted. Soon after they had reached the shore, we had company
enough, and few coming empty-handed, wc got a tolerable supply
of small pigs, fruit, and roots ; we continued trading with them till
the evening, when we made sail and stood off. We resumed trading
with the natives on the 6Lh and 7th, and procured pork, fruit, and
roots, sufficient for four or five days. We then made sail, and con-
tinued to work up to windward. Having procu/ed a quantity of
sugar-cane, and finding thpt a strong decoction of it produced a
very palatable beer, I ordered some more to be brewed for our
general use ; but when the cask was now broached, not one of my
crew would even so much as taste it. As I had no motive in pre-
paring this beverage but to save our spirits for a colder climate, I
gave myself no further trouble, either by exerting authority, or by
having recourse tc persiT^sion to prevail upon them to drink it,
knowing that there was no danger of the scurvy, so long as we could
get a plentiful supply of other vegetables. But, that I might not be
thwarted in my views, I gave orders that no grog should be served
in either ship. I myself, and the offi.cers, continued to make use of

* The Sandwich Islands, of which Owhyhee, or Hawaii, is the chief, consist of eight
inhabited ishands, and two or three rocky and u-^sohite islets. The former are called
Woahoo or Oahu, Mowee, Kawai or Atooi, which Cook had already visited, Molokai,
Lanai, Niihaw, and Kahoolawe. Their whole superficial area is 6,000 square miles,
4,000 of which are comprised in Owhyhee alone.

CAPTAIN COOK'.

127

I g^ot by
Dut two
ny, who
3n after
In the
natives
or some

that we
Mo wee,
nd went
e north
and on.
nmits of
ew near
ittle shy

at last
►vhat we
ompany
) supply
hem till
trading
uit, and
nd con-
ntity of
iiiced a
for our
c of my

in pre-
imate, I
r, or by
Irink it,
'e could
: not be

served
e use of

5t of eight
ire called
jMolokai,
ire miles,

the sugar-cane beer whenever we could get materials for brewing it.
A few hops, of which we had some on board, improved it much. It
has the taste of new malt beer, and I believe no one will doubt of
its being very wholesome, yet my inconsiderate crew alleged that it
was injurious to their health. They had no better reason to support
a resolution which they took on our first arrival in King (ieorge's
Sound, not to drink the spruce beer made there ; but, whether from
consideration that it was not the first time of their being rctjuired
to use that liquor, or from some other reason, they did not attempt
to carry their purpose into actual execution, and 1 had never heard
of it until now, when they renewed tiieir ignorant opposition to my
best endeavours to serve them. livery innovation whatever on
board a ship, though ever so much to the advantage of seamen, is
sure to meet with their highest di-approbnlion. Uoth portable soup
and sour krout were at lirst condemned as stutV untit for htunan
beings. P'ew commanders have introduced into their ships more
novelties, as useful varieties of food and drink, than I have done ;
indeed, few commanders have had the same opportunities of trying
such experiments.

I kept at some distance from the coast till the 13th, when I
stood in again six leagues farther to windward than we had as
yet reached, and, after having some trade with the natives who
visited us, stood out to sea. 1 now determined to get round, or at
least to get a sight of the south-east end of the island, but the wind
was variable between the 14th and i8th, blowing sometimes in
hard squalls, and at other times calm, with thunder, lightning, and
rain. In the evening it shifted to east bv south, and we stood to
the southward, close-hauled under easy sail, as the Discovery was
at some distance astern. At this time the south-east point of the
island bore south-west by south, about five leagues distant, and I
made no doubt that 1 should be able tc weather it. lUit at one
o'clock next morning it fell calm, and we were left to the mercy of
a north-easterly swell, which impelled us fast towards the land, so
that, long before daybreak, we saw lights and the shore, which was
not more than a league distant. The night was dark, with thunder,
lightning, and rain.

At three o'clock the calm was succeeded by a breeze, blowing in
squalls, with rain, and at daybreak the coast was seen extending
from north to south-west, a dreadful surf breaking upon the shore,
which was not more than half a league distant. It was evident

128

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

that we had been in the most imminent danj^er ; nor were we yet
in safety, the wind veering more easterly, so that for some time we
did but just keep oar distance from the coast. What made our
situation more alarminj^ was the leech-rope* of the maintopsail
giving way, which was the occasion of the sail being rent in two ;
and the two topgallant sails gave way in the same manner, though
not half worn out. By taking a favourable opportunity we soon
bent others, and then we left the land astern. The Discoveyy, by
being at some distance to the north, was never near the land, nor
did we see her till eight o'clock.

As soon as daylight appeared, the natives ashore displayed a
white flag, which we conceived to be a signal of peace and friend-
ship. Some of them ventured out after us, but the wind freshen-
ing, and it not being safe to wait, they were soon left astern. In
the afternoon, after making an attempt to weather the eastern
extreme, which failed, I gave it up, and ran down to the Disco, 'cry.
Indeed, it was of no consequence to get round the island, for we
had seen its extent to the south-east, which was what I wanted ;
and according to the: information we had gained from the natives,
there is no other island to the windward of this. However, as v/e
were so near the south-east end of it, and as the least rdiift of wind
in our favour would serve to carry us round, I did not wholly give
up the idea of weathering it, and therefore continued tacking the
ship.

On the 2oth, in the afternoon, some of the natives came off in
their canoes, bringing with them a few pigs and plantains ; but
the supply being barely sufficient for one day, I stood in again the
next morning, till within three or four miles of the land, where we
were met by a number of canoes, laden with provisions. We
brought to, and continued trading with the people '.'11 four in the
afternoon, when, having got a pretty good supply, we made sail,
and stretched off to the northward.

I had never met with a behaviour so free from reserve and
suspicion, in my intercourse with any tribes of savages, as we
experienced in the people of this island. It was very common for
them to send up into the ship the several articles they brought off
for barter, after which they would come in themselves, and make
their bargains on the quarter-deck. The people of Otaheite, even

* The leech-rope is that vertical part of the bolt-rope to which the edge of the sail
is sewed.

thi
su«

CAPTAIN COOK,

129

re we yet
e time we
made our
aintopsail
t in two ;
-r, though
y we soon
'oveyy, hy
land, nor

isplaycd a
ind friend-
id frcshcn-
istern. In
he eastern

Disco'^^cry.
md, for we

1 wanted ;
the natives,
^•cvcr, as we
hift of wind

wholly give

tacking the

came off in
Kntains ; but
in again the
d, where we
isions. We
four in the
made sail,

reserve and
vages, as we

common for
y brought off
es, and make
)taheite, even

edge of the sail

after our repeated visits, do not care to put so niuca confidence in
us, whence J infer that those of Owhyheo nuist be more faitliful in
their deaUn^s with one anotlier than t'.ie inlialjilants of Ouiheilc
are ; for, if little fiilh were observed amonj^st themselves, tliey
would not be so ready to trust strangers. It is also to be observed,
to their honour, that they had never once attempted to cheat us in
exchanges, noi to commit a tiiefl.

On the 22nd, at four in the afternoon, after purchasing every-
thing that the natives had brought off, we made sail, and stretched
to the north ; and at midnight wc tacked and stood to the south-
east. Supposing that the Discovery would see us tack, the signal
was omitted, but she did not see us, as we :ifterwards found, and
continued standing to the north, so that, at da\li,i;lit next morning,
she was not in sight. At this time, the weather being ha/.y, we
could not see far, so that it was possible the Discoi'cry nught be
following us ; and being pasv the north-east j:)art (A the island I
was tempted to stand on, till, by the wintl veering to ncjrth-east,
we could not weather the land upon the other tack ; consequently
we could not stand to the norch, to join or look for the D/sto^ury.
At six in the evening we had succeeded in getting to windward of
the island, which we had aimed at with so much perseverance.
The Discovery, however, was not yet to be seen ; but the wind, as
we had it, being very favourable for her to follow us, 1 concluded
that it would not be long before she joined us ; I therefore kept
cruising oft' this south-east point of the island till I was satislied
that Cap ain Gierke would not join me here. 1 now conjec-
tured that he had not been able to weather the north-east part
of the island, and had gone to leeward, in (jrder to meet me
that way.

As I generally kept from five to ten leagues from the land, no
canoes, except one, came oft" to us till the 28tii, when we were visited
by a dozen or fourteen.

On the morning of the 5th of January, 1779, wc passed the south
point of the island, on which stands a pretty large village, the inha-
bitants of which thronged off to the ship with hogs. As 1 had now
got a quantity of salt, 1 purchased no hogs but such as were fit for
salting, refusing all that were under size ; however, we could seldom
get any above fifty or sixty pounds weight. It was fortunate for us
that we had still some vegetables on board, for we now received few
such productions ; indeed, this part of the country, from its ap-

ipy

1 [:

130

T/I/IID AND LAST VOYAGE OF

pearance, did not seem capable of affording them. Marks of its
having been laid waste by the explosion of a volcano everywhere
presented themselves, and though we had as yet seen nothing like
one upon the island, the devastation that it had made in this neigh-
bourhood was visible to the naked eye.

The next morning the natives visited us again, bringing with
them the same articles of commerce as before. Being now near
the shore, 1 sent Mr. Bligh, the master, in a boat to sound the
coast, with orders to land and to look for fresh water. Upon his
return, he reported that he found no running stream, but only rain
water, deposited in holes upon the rocks, and even that was brackish
from the spray of the sea, and that the surface of the country w-as
entirely composed of slags and ashes, with a few plants inter-
spersed. Between ten and eleven we saw with pleasure the
Discovery coming round the south point of the island, and at one
in the afternoon she joined us. Captain Gierke coming on board,
informed me that he had cruised four or five days where we were
separated, and then worked round the east side of the island, but
that, meeting with unfavourable winds, he had been carried to some
distance from the coast. He had one of the islanders on board all
this ime, who had remained there from choice, and had refused to
qi:'t the ship, though opportunities offered.

Having spent the night standing off and on, we stood in again
the next mc rning, and when we were about a league from the shore,
many of the natives visited us. At daybreak on the 8th we found
that the currents had carried us back considerably to windward, so
that we were now off the south-west point of the island. There we
brought to, in order to give the natives an opportunity of trading
with us. We spent the night as usual, standing off and on, and, at
four in the morning of the nth, the wind being at west, I stood in
for the land, in order to get some supplies. We lay to or stood on
and off during the next few days, trading with the natives, but got
a very scanty supply.

At daybreak on the i6th, seeing the appearance of a bay, I sent
Mr. Bligh with a boat from each ship to examine it, being at this
time three leagues off. Canoes now began to arrive from all parts,
so that before ten o'clock there were not fewer than a thousand
about the two ships, most of them crowded with people, and well-
laden with hog« and other productions of the island. W^e had the
most satisfying proof of their friendly intentions, for we did not see

CAPTAIN COOK,

131

5 of its
ywhere
[ng like
5 ncigh-

ig with
i\v near
ncl the
on his
ily rain
rackish
try was
> inter-
ire the
at one
board,
/e were
nd, but
to some
Dard all
used to

1 again
e shore,

I found
rard, so
here we
trading
and, at
tood in
tood on
but got

, I sent
at this

II parts,
lousand
id well-
liad the

not see

a single person who had ivith him a weapon of any sort ; trade and
curiosity alone had brought them off. Among such numbers as we
had at that time on board, it is no wonder that some should betray
a thievish disposition. One of our visitors took out of the ship a
boat's rudder, and was discovered, but too late to recover it. I
thought this a good opportunity to show these people the use of
lirearms, and two or three muskets, and as many 4-pounders, were
fired over the canoe which carried off the rudder ; as it was not
intended that any of the shot should take effect, the surrounding
multitude of natives seemed rather more surprised than frightened.
In the evening Mr. Bligh returned, and reported that he had found
a bay in which was good anchorage and fresh water in a situation
tolerably easy of access. Into this bay I resolved to carry the
ships, there to refit and supply ourselves with every refreshment
that the place could afford. As night approached, the greater part
of our visitors retired to the shore, but numbers of them requested
our permission to sleep on board. Curiosity was not the only
motive, at least with some, for the next morning several things
were missing, which determined me not to entertain so many
another night. At eleven o'clock in the forenoon we anchored in a
bay which is called by the natives Karakakooa, in thirteen fathoms
of water, and about a quarter of a mile fi-om the north-cast shore.
The ships continued to be much crowded with natives, and were
surrounded by a multitude of canoes. I had nowhere in the course
of my voyages seen so numerous a body of people assembled at
one place, for, besides those who had come off to us in canoes, all
the shor^ of the bay was covered with spectators, and many
hundreds were swimming round the ships like shoals of fish. We
could not but be struck with the singularity of this scene, and
perhaps there were few on board who now lamented our having
failed in our endeavours to find a northern passage homeward last
summer. To this disappointment we owed our having it in our
power to revisit the Sandwich Islands, and to enrich our voyage
with a discovery which, though the last, seemed in many respects
to be the most important that had hitherto been made by Euro-
peans throughout the extent of the Pacific Ocean.

Captain Cook had now come to the end of his labours, and
owing to his murder in Karakakooa Bay within a few weeks of his
arrival, his journal ceases at this* point. The remain' .ig transac-
tions of the voyage are related by Captain King.

F 2

132

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

Karakakooa Bay is situated on the west side of the island of
Owhyhee, in a district called Akona. It is about a mile in depth,
and bounded by the low points of land distant half a league from
each other. On the north point, which is Hat and barren, stands
the village of Kowrowa, and in the bottom of the bay, near a grove
of tall cocoa-nut trees, there is another village of a more con-
siderable size, called Kakooa ; between them runs a high rocky
cliff, inaccessible from the sea-shore. On the south side the coast,
for about a mile inland, has a rugged appearance, beyond which
the country rises with a gradual ascent, and is overspread with
cultivated enclosures and groves of cocoa-nut trees, where the
habitations of the natives are scattered in great numbers. The
shore all round the bay is covered with a black coral rock, which
makes the landing very dangerous in rough weather, except at the
village of Kakooa, where there is a fine sandy beach with a morai,
or burying-place, at one extremity, and a small well of fresh water
at the other. This bay appearing to Captain Cook a proper place
to refit the ships and lay in an additional supply of water and pro-
visions, we moored on the north side, about a quarter of a mile
from the shore.

As soon as the inhabitants perceived our intention of anchoring
in the bay they came off from the shore in astonishing numbers,
and expressed their joy by singing and shouting, and exhibiting a
variety of wild and extravagant gestures. The sides of the decks
and rigging of both ships were soon completely covered with them,
and a multitude of women and boys, who had not bceli able to get
canoes, came swimming round us in shoals ; many of them not
findir' room on board, remained the whole day playing in the water.

An ong the chiefs who came on board the Resolution was a young
man called Pareea, whom we soon perceived to be a person of
great authority. On presenting himself to Captain Cook, he told
him that he was a jackanee to the king of the island, who was at that
time engaged in a military expedition at Mowee, and was expected
to return within three or four days. A few presents from Captain
Cook attached him entirely to our interests, and he became
exceedingly useful to us in the management of his countiymen, as
we had soon occasion to experience ; for we had not been long at
anchor when it was observed that the Discovery had such a num-
ber of people hanging on one 5ide, as occasioned her to heel con-
siderably, and that the men were unable to keep off the crowds

CAPTAIN COOK.

T33

which continued pressing into her. Captain Cook being apprehen-
sive that she might siilYer some injury, pointed out the danger to
Pareea, who immediately sent to their assisiai^cc, cleared the ship
of its encumbrance, and drove away the canoes that surrounded he.-.
The authority of the chief 'over the inferior pc(-; !<- appeared from
this incident to be of the most despotic kind. Asm.ilar instance of
it happened the same day on board the Juso/iif/on, v>hen the crowd
being so great as to impede the necessary duties of the ship, no
were obliged to have recourse to the assistance of Kaneena, ani)ti;Lr
of their chiefs, who had likewise attached himself to Captam Cook.
The inconvenience we laboured under being made known, he im-
mediately ordered his countrymen to quit the vessel, and we were
not a little surprised to see them jump overboard, without a mo-
ment's hesitation, all except one m.an, who, loitering behind and
showing some unwillingness to obey, Kaneena took him up in his
arms and threw him into the sea. Ikuh these chiefs were men of
strong and wcil-proportioned bodies, and of countenances reniark-
ably pleasing. Kaneena especially, whose poi'rait was drawn l)y
Mr. Webber, v/as one i ^ the finest men I ever baw. He was
about six feet high, had regular and expressive features, with
Hvely, dark eyes, and his carriage was easy, iirm, and graceful.

It has been already mentioned, that during our long cruise near
this island the inhabitants had always behaved with fairness and
honesty in their dealings, and had not shown tlie slightest propen-
sity to theft, which appeared to us the more extraordinary because
those with whom we had hitherto held any intercourse were of the
lowest rank, either servants or fibhermen. We now found the case
exceedingly altered ; the immense crowd of islanders, which blocked
up every part of the ships, not only afforded frequent opjjortui.ity
of pilfering, without risk of discovery, but our numerical infe-
riority held forth a prospect of escaping with impunity, in case
of detection. Another circumstance, to which we attributed this
alteration in their behaviour, was the presence and encouragement
of their chiefs ; for, generally tracing the booty into the possession
of some men of consequence, wc had the strongest reason to sus-
pect that these depredations were committed at tlieir instigation.

Soon after the Rtsolutioi had got into her station, our two
friends, Pareea and Kaneena, brought on board a third chief,
named Koah, who, wc were told, was a priest, and had been in his
youth a distinguished warrior. He was a little old man, of a:i

134

THIRD AXD LAS7' VOYAGE OF

\i V

U II

emaciated fiijurc, his eyes exceedingly sore and red, and his body
covered with a white leprous scurf, the effects of an immoderate
uscofthcava. IJeing led into the cabin, he approached Captain
Cook with great veneration, and threw over his shoulders a piece of
red cloth, which he had brought along with him ; then, stepping a
few paces back, he made an offering of a small pig, which he held
in his hand -^vliilst he pronounced a discourse, that lasted for a
considerable time. This ceremony was frequently repeated during
our sta)- at Owhyhee, and appeared to us, from many circum-
s':ances, to Ije a sort of religious adoration. Their idols we found
always array ctl with red cloth, in the same manner as was done to
Captain Cook, and a small pig was their usual offering to the
Eatooas. Their speeches, or prayers, were muttered, too, with a
readiness and volubility that indicated them to be according to
some formulary. When this ceremony was over, Koah dined with
Captain Cook, eating plentifully of what was set before him, but,
like the rest of the inhabitants of the islands in these seas, could
scarcely be prevailed on to taste, a second time, our wine or spirits.
In the evening, Captain Cook, attended by r^Ir. Bayley and myself,
accompanied him on shore. We landed at the beach, and were
received by four men, who carried wands tipped with dogs' hair,
and marched before us, pronouncing, with a loud voice, a short
sentence, in wliich we could only distinguish the word "Orono."*
Captain Cook generally went by this name amongst the natives of
Owhyhee, but we could never learn its precise meaning ; some-
times they applied it to an invisible being, who, they said, lived in
the heavens : and we also found that it was a title belonging to a
personage of great rank or power in the island. The crov/d which
had been collected on the shore retired at our approach, and not a
person was to be seen, except a few lying prostrate on the ground,
near the huts of the adjoining village.

Before I jn'oceed to relate the adoration that was paid to

* IMr, S. S. Hill, in liis " Travels in tlic Sandwich and Society Islands," says that
the natives call Cajitain Cook " Lono,*' and entertain tlie tjrcatest veneration for his
nieraory. It appears that, at the time of Cook's visit, there were traditions among
the people coneerninij' tlie life ard actions of some wondertul person named Lono,
\\\u) had lon^ since sud(h'nly disappeared — sujjposed to be blown of! '.he coast in his
canoe — but who, it was believed, would one day reappear. Thoug-h several pfcnera-
tions liad passed away, Captain Cook was supposed to be this Lono; and, though
their god or hero was transformed to a white man, accompanied by mow of another
race as his subjects, and without any recollection of his former language, j'et the
supernatural resuscitation and return of their hero gave rise to no inquiry or surprise.

CAPTAIN COOK

'35

body
derate
iptain
ece of
)ing a
e held
for a
during
ircum-
found
one to
to the
with a
iing to
:d with
tn, but,
, could
spirits,
myself,
id were
is' hair,

short
rono."*
tives of

some-
ived in
ng to a
i which
d not a
ground,

paid to

says that
(jn for his
ns among
led Lono,
3ast in his
l1 genera -
(1, though
f another
}, yet the
r surprise.

Captain Cook, and the peculiar ceremonies with \vlii(,li lie w.-is
received on this fatal island, it will he necessary to flisciiSr il,f
morai, situated as J have already mentioned, at tlx sfjiitli :,i(l( <A
the beach at Kakooa. It was a s(|uare, solid [)ile of .tfjiic,, .iljfdit
forty yards long, twenty broad, and fourteen in Iiei'dit ; tin t'.p
was flat and well pa\'ed, and surrounded hy a woodei; r.-iil, (..m
which were fixed the skulls of the captives sacrificed on ijie de;;.'ii
of their chiefs. In the centre of the area stood a luineMi , uV\
building of wood, connected with the rail on each side !;y .'i. stone
wall, which divided the whole space into t'.^o par! .. On thr; -idc
next the country were fi\e poles, upward-, f^f twcnf}- \<j.\ hi;di,
supporting an irregular kind of scaffold ; and on th' o;/{jo ,itc :.idi-,
towards the sea, stood two small houses with w. covered cf^ni
munication. We were conducted Ijy Koah to the top of this pile
by an easy ascent, leading from the Ijcaeh tr< the north- wc.t
corner of the area. At the entrance ve saw tv, o !-u';;e v/ood'-n
images, with features violently di'-torted, .'i.nfl a Ion;.; [^ieee <A
carved wood, of a conical form inverted, rising froin *.}.e- top of their
heads ; the rest was without form, and wra[>ped x'awA v/itli r':d
cloth. \Vv; were here met by a tall young man with a long beard,
who presented Captain Cook to the images,, and, after ch.mtiri;; a
kind of hymn, in which he was joined by Koah, they led us to \^^■.^x
end of the morai where the five pole-, were fixed. At th'; foot of

them were twelve imaees raneed

a sernicirc't];..r for-.i. ,'jrjd

before the middle figure stood a high stand or ta!^.'' , e/aetiy
resembling the *' whatta "' (jf ''Jtaheitc, on which li.y :!. p itrid h(>^;,
and under it pieces of sugar-e.sne, cocoa-nuts, Ijrearl-fr ;t, ph'-.ntajijs,
and sweet potatoes. Koah having placed the eriptain urider this
stand, took down the hog, and held it to'.-.ards hi-M ; ;).nd -M' x
having a second time addresserl him in a Ion;; sfjeeel , joror.o'jrjce'-i
with much vehemence and rapidity, he let it fall to tliC ground, ^.xA
led him to the scaffolding, which they began to chn-h together, ,'.o'
without great risk of falling. At this lime v/e- sav/ cornir.g ,/;
solemri procession, at the entrance of the top of the rnor;),i, tv.o
men carrying a live hog and a large piece of x'-A cloth ; havir.g
advanced a few paces, they stopped and prostrated t}icra''>elve-.,
and Ka^reekeea, the young man aoove rnenhoned, v.er.t 'o ther*;
and received the cloth, carried it to Koalj, v.ho v, rapped it x(i'^^i'\
the captain, and afterwards offered him the hog, v.hieh v/ai h.'-oe'gl.'
by Kaireekeea v.dth the same ceremony.

136

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

Whilst Captain Cook was aloft in this awkward situation,
swathed round with red cloth, and with difficulty keeping his
h(Ad amongst the pieces of rotten scaffolding, Kaireekeea and
Koah began their office, chanting sometimes in concert, and some-
times alternately. This lasted a considerable time, until at length
Koah let the hog drop, when he and the captain descended
together. He then led him to the images before mentioned, and
iuiving said something to each in a sneering tone, snapping his
lingers at them as he passed, he brought him to that in the centre,
which, from its being covered with red cloth, appeared to be held
in greater estimation than the rest. Before this figure he pros-
trated himself and kissed it, desiring Cajitain Cook to do the same,
who suffered himself to be directed by Koah throughout the whole
of this ceremony. We were now led back into the other division
of tlie moral, where there was a space, ten or twelve feet square,
sunk about three feet below the level of the area ; into this we
descended, and Captain Cook was seated between the wooden
idols, Koah supporting one of his arms, whilst I was desired to
support the other. At this time arrived a second procession of
natives, carrying a baked hog and a pudding, some bread-fruit,
cocoa-nuts, and other vegetables. When they approached us,
Kaireekeea put himself at their head, and presenting the pig to
Captain Cook in the usual manner, began the kind of chant as
before, his companions making regular responses. We observed
th It, after every response, their parts became gradually shorter,
till, toward the close, Kaireekeea's consisted of only two or three
words, which the rest answered b\' the word Orono.

When this offering was concluded, which lasted a quarter of an
hour, the natives sat down fronting us, and began to cut up the
baked hog, to peel the vegetal)les, and break the cocoa-nuts ; whilst
others employed themselves in brewing the ava, which is done by

cliewmg

It, ni the same manner as at the Friendly Islands.

Kaireekeea then took part of the kernel of a cocoa-nut, which he
chewed, and wrapping it in a piece of cloth, rubbed with it the
captain's face, head, hands, arms, and shoulders. 'Jlie ava was
then handed round, and after we had tasted it, Koah and Pareea
began to pull the flesh of the hog m pieces, and to put it into our
mouths. I had no great objection to being fed by Pareea, who was
very cleanly in his person ; but Captain Cook, who was served by
Koah, recollecting the putrid hog, could not swallow a morsel, and

CAPTAIN COOK.

his reluctance, as may be supposed, was not .liminisliod, wlicn iho
old man, accordin;; to his own mode of civility, had chewed it lor
him. When this last ceremony was finished, which Captain (Ook
put an end to as soon as he decently coidd, he ([uitftHl the iiior.n,
after distributing; amongst the people some j)i(ces of iron and otiu i-
trifles, with which they seemed liigldy gratified. The men wiijj
wands conducted us to the boats, repeating the same words as
before ; the people again retired, and the few that remained pros-
trated themselves as we passed along the shore. We imm<'diat(jly
went on board, our minds full of what we liad seen, and extn.incly
well satisfied with the good disposition of om- new friends. 'J iu^
meaning of the various ceremonies with which we had been re-
ceived, and which, on account of their novelty and singularity,
have been related at length, can only be the subject of conjecturc-s,
and those uncertain and partial ; they were, howev .r, without
doubt, expressive of high respect on the part of the natives, and, as
far as related to the person of Captain Cook, they seemed ap-
proaching to adoration.

The next morning 1 went on shore, with :. guard of 'iylit
marines, including the corporal and lieutenant, having ord<TS to
erect the observatory on the most suitable spot for superinici dmg
and protecting the watcrers and the other working parties that wfrr?
to be on shore. As we were viewing a spot conveniently situated
for this purpose in the middle of the village, I'areea, who was
always ready to show his power and his goodwill, ollered to piil!
down some houses that would have obstructed our observations ;
however, we thought it proper to decline this offer, and fixerl on a,
field of sweet potatoes, adjoining the moral, which was readily
granted to us ; and the priests, to pre\-ent the intrusion f)f the
natives, immediately consecrated the place by fixing their wanc.s
round the wall by which it was enclosed. This sort of religions
interdiction they call "taboo,"'* a word we heard often repeai'd
during our stay amongst these islanders, and found to be of vry
powerful and extensive operation, and it procured us even more
privacy than we desired. No canoes ever presumed to kuid
near us ; the natives sat on the wall, but none offered to come
within the t'lbooed space till he had olnained our f ermission.

* This word "taboo," which, as we have seen, is in use both in the Fri-ndly nr.'l
Sandwich Islands, has been Anjiliciscd ; and to taborj a thin;; is to forbid cr inter-
dict it.

i m

ii '

138

THIRD AXD LAST VOYAGE OF

]^ut though the men, at our request, would come across the field
with provisions, yet not all our endeavours could prevail on the
women to approach us. Presents were tried, but without effect ;
and Parcea and Koah were tempted to bring them, but in vain,
as we were invariably answered that the Katooa and Terreeoboo,*
which was the name of their king, would kill them. This circum-
stance afforded no small matter of amusement to our friends on
board, where the crowds of people, and particularly of women, that
coatinued to Hock thither obliged thom almost every hour to clear
tlie vessel, in order to have room to do the necessary duties of the ship.
On these occasions two or three hundred women were frequently
made to jump into the water at once, where they continued swimming
and playing about till ihcy could again procure admittance.

From the 19th to the 24lh, when Parcea and Koah left us to
attend Terreeoboo, who had landed on some other part of the
island, nothing very material happened on board. The caulkers
were set to vrork on the sides of the ships, and the rigging was
carefully overhauled and repaired. The salting of hogs, for ser,
store, was also one of the principal objects of Captain Cook's atten-
tion, and met with complete success.

We had not long been settled on shore at the observatory before
we discovered, in our neighbourhood, the habitations of a society
of priests, whose regular attendance at this moral had excited our
curiosity. Their huts stood round a pond of water, and were
svwrounded by a grove of cocoa-nut trees, which separated them
from the beach and the rest of the village, and gave the place an
air of religious retirement. On my acquainting Captain Cook with

* At this timo Kalamliopun rci.i^nod in Owliyhce, and at his death, throe years
hiLer, the eastern portion oi tlie island tVll to tlie share of his son Kiwahio, and the
vvesrinn lo his son Kaniehanielia, who became, subsequent!}-, the most famous warrior
and king whose ileeds are recorded in the native annahs. In a great liattle he de-
feated and slew his brother, and reigned over the whole island. The otlicr chief in-
cidents in the history of tliesc islands are : — The visit of the unfortunate La Perouse,
who ancliorcil with his two frigates, in the straits between ]\Iowec and IMolokoi, on tlu»
28lh of Ma3% i7'^6 ; the visit to Karakakooa ] Jay of Vancouver, with the ships J)ts-
C'Vi'iy and OiatJuxiU, on the ^rd of March, 1702 ; and again in the following year,
and in January, 1794 ; the subjection of the entire group by King Kameh.imeha, with
the assistance of two British seamen, Young a^.d Davis; the death of the king, in
iSii), at the ago of sixty-six ; the arriv.al of the first Protestant missionary, in 1820:
the visit ot th.e young king Kamehameha the Second to Kngland, in 1824, and hi.>
death, and th.at ol his queen, in London; the establishment of the Roman Catholic
mission, in 1827 ; the adoption of a constitutional form of government by King Kame-
hameha the Jhi'-d, in 1840; .ind the recognition f^l the independence of the islands
by the governments of Queen Victoria and Louis Philippe, in 1843.

CAPTAIN COOK.

139

these circumstances, he resolved to pay them a visit, and as he
expected to be received in the same manner as belorc, he brouglit
Mr. Webber with him to make a drawing of the cciemony. On
his arrival at tlie beach, he was conducted to a sacred buildini;-
called IIarre-no-()rono, or the house of (Jrono, and seated before
the entrance at the foot cf a wooden idol, of tlif^ same kind wiiii
those in the moral. 1 was here again made to support one of his
arms, and, after wraj^ping him in red cloth, Kaircckeea, accom-
panied by twelve priebts, ma.de an offering of a pig with tlie usual
solemnities. The pig was then strangled, and a fn-e being kindled,
it was thrown into the embers, and after the hair was singed off,
it was again presented uith a repetition of tlie clip.nting, in the
manner before descriljcd. 'ihe dead pig was then held for a short
time under the captain's nose, after which it was kiid with a
cocoa-nut at his feet, and the jjcrformers sat dou'n. The ava was
then brewed and handed round ; a fat hog, rcatiy dressed, was
brought in, and we here fed as l^efore.

During the rest of the time we remained in the bay, wlienever
Captain Cook came on shore he was attended ]j\ one of these
priests, who went before him, giving notice that the Orono had
landed, and ordering tlie people to prostrate themsehcs. The same
person also constantly accompanied him on the water, standing in
the bow of the boat, with a wand in liis hand, and giving notice of
his approach to the natives, who were in canoes, on which they im-
mediately left off paddling, and la> down on their faces till he had
passed. Whenever wc stopped at the observatory, Kaireei<.eea and
his brethren immediately made their appearance with hogs, cocua-
nuts, bread-fruit, t\:c.,and presented them with the usual solemnities.
It was on these occasions that some of the inferior oliiefs frcciuently
requested to be permitted to r 1 an offering to the Orono ; when
this was granted, they presenter the hog themselves, generally with
evident marks of fear in their countenances, whilst Kaireekeea and
the priests chanted their accustomed hymns.

The civilities of this society were not, however, connncd to mere
ceremony and parade. Our party on shore i-ecoived from them,
every day, a constant supply of hogs and vegetables, more than
sufficient for our subsistence, and several canoes, loaded with pro-
visions, were sent to the ships with the same punctuality. Xo return
was ever demanded or even hinted at in the most distant manner.
Their presents were made with a regularity more like the discharge

1- '•

140

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

of a religious duty llian the effort of mere liberality ; and when vvc
inquired at whose charge all this munilicence was displayed, we
were told it was at the expense of a great man called Kaoo, the
cliicf of the priests, and grandfather of Kaireekeea, who was at that
lime al;sent, attending llie king of the island.

As everything relating to the character and behaviour of this
people must be interesting to the reader, on account of the tragedy
th.at was afterwards acted here, it will be proper to acquaint him
that we had not always so much reason to be satisfied with the con-
duct of the warrior chiefs, or lOarces, as with that of the priests. In
all our dealings with the former we found thcin sufliciently attentive
to their own interests ; and besides their habit of stealing, which
may admit of some excuse from the universality of the practice
amongst the islanders of these seas, they made use of other artifices
equally dishonourable.

Things continued in this state till the 24th, when we were a good
deal surprised to find that no canoes were suffered to put ofl from
the shore, and that the natives kept close to their houses. After
several hours' suspense, we learned that the bay was tabooed, and
all intercourse with us interdicted on account of the arrival of
Terreeoboo. As we had not foreseen an accident of this sort, the
crews of both ships were obliged to pass the day without their usual
supply of vegetables. The next morning, therefore, they endea-
voured, both by threats and promises, to induce the natives to come
alongside, and, as some of them were at last venturing to come oft",
a chief was observed attempting to drive them away. A musket
was immediately fired over his head to make him desist, which
had the desired effect, and supplies were soon after purchased as
usual. In the afternoon, Terreeoboo arrived, and visited the ships
in a private manner, attended only by one canoe, in which were his
wife and children. He stayed on board till near ten o'clock, when
he returned to the village of Kowrowa.

The next day, about noon, the king, in a large canoe, attended
by two others, set out from the village, and paddled towards the
ships in great state, presenting a striking aj^pearance. In the fi.rst
canoe was Terreeoboo and his chiefs, dressed in their rich feathered
cloaks and helmets, and armed with long spears and daggers ; in
the second canoe the venerable Kaoo, the chief of the priests, and
his brethren, with their idols displayed on icd cloth. These idols
were busts of a gigantic size, made of wickcrwork, and curiously

CAPTAIN COOK,

141

m wc
i, we

3, the
t that

f this
igedy
t him
I con-
is. In
entive
which
•act ice
rLifices

I cfood
I from

After
d, and
ival of
)rt, the

usual
endca-

come
me off,
nusket

which
sed as

ships
ere his
:, when

tended
ds the
he first
ithered
ers ; in
;ts, and
;e idols
iriously

covered with small feathers of various colours, wrought in the same
manner as their cloaks ; tiicir eyes wer jnade of larj.'c; pearl
oysters, with a black nut fixed in the cent/c, I heir moiiihs were

set with a double row of the fan^^s of doj;s, and, toKdher wilh the
rest of their features, were stran;^^ely distorted. 'I'lie tliiid canoe
was filled with hogs and various sorts of vegetables. As they went
along, the priests in the centre canoe sung their liymns with };reat
solemnity, and, after paddhng round the shij)s, instead of going on
board, as was expected, they made towards the siiore at the beach
where we were stationed. As soon as 1 saw them approaching, 1
ordered out our little guard to receive the king ; and Captain Cook,
perceiving that he was going on shore, followed him and airived
nearly at the same time. We conducted them into the tent, where
they had scarcely been seated, when the king rose up, and, in a
very graceful manner, threw over the cajjtain's shoulders tlie cloak
he himself wore, put a feathered helmet upon his head and a curious
fan into his hand. He also spread at his feet live or six other
cloaks, all exceedingly beautiful, and of the great(jst value. His
attendants then brought four very large hogs, with sugar-canes,
cocoa-nuts, and bread-fruit ; and this part of the ceremf>ny was
concluded by the king exchanging names with Cajjtain Ojok,
which, amongst all the islanders of the Pacific (Jcean, is esteemed
the strongest pledge of friendship. A procession of j;riests, with a
venerable old personage at their head, now appeared, f(jllowed by a
long train of men leading large hogs, and others with jjlantains,
sweet potatoes, and other articles of food. By the looks and ges-
tures of Kaireekeea, I immediately knew the old man to be the
chief of the priests before mentioned, on whose bounty we had so
long subsisted. He had a piece of red cloth in his hands, whicli he
wrapped round Captain Cook's shoulders, and afterwards jvresented
him with a small pig in the usual form. A seat was then made for
him next to the king, after which Kaireekeea and his fol'owers began
their ceremonies, Kaoo and the chiefs joining in the responses.

I was surprised to see, in the person of this king, the same infirm
and emaciated old man that came on board the RcsolutioJi v.hen
we were off the north-east side of the is/and of Mowee, and we soon
discovered amongst his attendants rnosi of the persons who, at that
time, had remained with us all night. Of this number were the two
younger sons of the king, the eldest of whom was sixteen years of
age, and his nephew, ^iaiha-Maiha, whom at first we had some

I-

hi! I

1 .

143

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

difficulty in recollecting, his hair being plastered over with ci dirty-
brown paste and powder, which was no mean heightening to the
most savage face I ever beheld. As soon as the formalities of the
meeting were over, Captain Cook carried Terreeoboo, and as many
chiefs as the pinnace would hold, on board the Resolution. They
were received with every mark of respect thnt could be shown
them. And Captain Cook, in return for the feallicred cloaks, put a
linen shirt on the king, and girt his own hanger round him. Kaoo
and about half a dozen old chiefs remained on shore and took
up their abode at the priests' houses. During all this time not a
canoe was seen in the bay^ and the natives either kept within their
huts, or lay prostrate on the ground. Ik^ore the king left the
Ri'soliiiion, Captain Cook obtained leave for the natives to come and
trade with the ships as usual ; but the women, for what reason we
could not learn, still continued under the effects of the taboo.

The quiet and inoffensive behaviour of the natives having taken
away every apprehension of danger, we did not hesitate to trust our-
selves amongst them at all times and in all situations. The officers
of both ships went daily up the country in small parties, or even
singly, and frequently remained out the whole night. It would be
endless to recount all the instances of kindness and civility which
we received upon these occasions ; wherever we went the people
flocked about us, eager to offer any assistance in their power, and
highly gratified if their services were accepted. Various little arts
were practised to attract our notice, or to delay our departure.
The bc^ys and girls ran l:)cfore us as we walked through the
villages, and stopped us at every opening where there was room to
form a group for dancing. At one time we were wanted to accept
a draught of cocoa-nut milk, or some other refreshment, under the
shade of their huts ; at another we were seated within a circle of
young women, who exerted their skill and agiUty to amuse us with
songs and dances.

The satisfaction we derived from their gentleness and hospitality
was, however, frequently interrupted by the propensity to stealing
which they have in common with all the other islanders of these
seas. This circumstance was the more distressing as it sometimes
obliged us to have recourse to acts of severity, which we would
willingly have avoided if the necessity of the case had not absolutely
called for them. Some of their most expert swimmers were one day
discovered under the ships, drawing out the tilling-nails of the

CAPTAIN COOK,

L dirty-
to the
of the
nianv

Thcy
shown
, put a

Kaoo
\ took
; not a
\\ their
eft the
lie and
son wo

I taken
List our-
officers
Dr even
Duld be
/ which
people
er, and
:tle arts
Darture.
igh the
oom to
accept
der the
;ircle of
us with

;pitahty
steahng
)f these
netimes
; would
solutely
one day
of the

»»i

shcathin^% which they i)eiforiiH'(l very 'loxtcrou'^ly, hy means of .1
short stick with a 'int stmic lixed in tin: tjiid ol ii. 'I'<» pn a ■.i,,|,
to this practice, which endatv.'t.MTfl the very rxisieiiee of the ve'.',el--»,
we at first fired small shot al tlie olleixlers, l»iit th^y «;r,ily ;»()| nut
of our reach by divin^^ under the ship's hotioni ; il vva. lli< rcluic
found necessary to niakj an example l>y li'n;;',m;.; one ol tin in on
board the Disco7>cr\\

About this time a larc^e party of p^entlemen, fiom lioth sliips. set
out on an excursion into tlie interir^r of the (ountty, v/ith a vmw ol
examining its natural pro(hictif>ns ; and it ;ill'»r<l«:f| liaoo .1. Im-sIi
opportvmity of showing his attention anrl ;^«'n(jrosity, lor a, -.oon ;e>
he was informed of their departure he- sent a lar;-/; Mipjjjy ol j^ro-
visions after them, together with orders tha.t the- inhahilanls ol tlie
country through which they were to pass sliould jove ih' in every
assistance in their power ; and, to complete- the- deli' ;iey arifl <li-,
interestedness of his conduct, even the people we emjiloyed eonld
not be prevailed on to accept the smallest f^re-sent. Alor remaininj',
out six days our ofilccrs returned, without havin;^ bee-n .-ihle to pene
trate above twenty miles into the island, partly Irom svant of pr.per
guides and partly from the impracticability of the- country.

The head of the Rtsolution' . rudder bein;^ found exceedin;dy
shaken, and most of the pintles ei'.her iooie- or broken, il wa-, un-
hi-nsr. and taken on shore on the 27th to underi'^o a thorough r(,'p;iir.
At the same time the carpenters were sent into tlie country, u/ider
conduct of some of Kaoo's people, to cut planks for the }iead-railv.'Of k,
which was also entirelv decaved and rotten. On 'he 2>;th ^ ar>tajn
Cicrke. v.-hose ill-health confined him for tlie most pan on ooard,
paid Terreeoboo his first visit at his hut on sliore. ife- v/as received
with the same formalities as were observed towards Taj^t.^m '.ook ;
ar'd on his coming av.-ay, though the visit v/a-i ouiie en';/}jeet':d, \\i'.
received a present of thirty large hogs, and as much fruit ar/: root!*
as his crew could consume in a v.-eek.

As we had not seen anything of their sports or athhrtic ezereiv:»,
the natives, at the request of some of our officers, enterturied tji>
this evenir.:^ with a boxing match. 7ho-jgh these j^arnes were much
inferior, as well in point of solemnity and magnificence as \n t/je
skill and prowess of the com"oatanv-;, to what we had seen czhibited
at the Friendly Islands, yet, as they difi'ered in some particulars, it
may not be improper to give a short ac^yvunt of th'rm, V»'e i'jitid a
vast concourse of people assembled on a level !ipot of ground, at a

144

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

little distance from our terxts. A long space was left vacant in the
midst of then-], at the upper end of which sat the judges, under three
standards, from which hung slips of cloth of various colours, the
skins of wild geese, a few small birds, and bunches of feathers.
When the sports were ready to begin, the signal was given by the
judges, and immediately two combatants appeared. They came
forward slowly, lifting up their feet very high behind, and drawing
their hands along the soles. As they approached they frequently
eyed each other from head to foot in a contemptuous manner,
casting several arch looks at the spectators, straining their muscles,
and using a variety of affected gestures. Being advanced within
reach of each other, they stood with both arms held out straight
before their faces, at which part all their blows were aimed. They
struck in what appear-^d to our eyes an awkward manner, with a
full swing of the arm ; made no attempt to pa.'ry, but eluded their
adversary's attack by an Inclination of the body, or by retreating.
The battle was quickly decided, for if either of them was knocked
down, or even fell by accident, he was considered as vanquished,
and the victor expressed his triumph by a variety of gestures,
which usually excited, as was intended, a loud laugh among the
spectators. He then waited for a second antagonist, and if again
victorious, for a third, till he was at last in his turn defeated. A
singular rule observed in these combats is, that whilst any two are
preparing to fight, a third person may step in, and choose either
of them for his antagonist, when the other is obliged to withdraw.
Sometimes three or four followed each other in this manner before
the match as settled. When the combat proved longer than
usual, or appeared too unequal, one of the chiefs generally stepped
in, and ended it by putting a stick between the combatants. The
same good-humour was preserved througnout which wc before so
much admired in the Friendly islanders. As these games were
given at our desire, we found it universally expected that we should
have borne our part in them ; but cur people, though much pressed
by the natives, turned a deaf ear to their challenge, remembering
full well the blows they got at the Friendly Islands.

This day died William Watman, a seaman of the gunner's crew,
an event which I mention the more particularly, as death had
hitherto be^n very rare amongst us. He was an old man, and
much respected on account of his attachment to Captain Cook.
He had formerly served as a marine twenty-one years ; after which

CAPTAIN COOK,

145

the

crew.

he entered as a seaman on board the Resolution in 1772, and
served with Captain Cook in his voyage towards the vSouth Pole.
On their return, he was admitted into Greenwich Hospital through
the captain's interest, at the same time with himself; and being
resolved to follow throughout the fortunes of his benefactor, he also
quitted it along with him on his being appointed to the command
of the present expedition.

At the request of the king of the island, he was buried on the
moral, and the ceremony was performed with as much solemnity as
our situation permitted. Old Kaoo and his brethren were spec-
tators, and preserved the most profound silence and attention
whilst the service was reading. When we began to fill up the
grave, they approached it with great reverence, threw in a dead
pig, some cocoa-nuts, and plantains ; and, for three nights after-
wards, they surrounded it, sacrificing hogs, and performing their
usual ceremonies of hymns and prayers, which continued tiU day-
break. At the head of the grave we erected a post, and nailed
upon it a square piece '^f board, on which was inscribed the name
of the deceased, his age, and the day of his death. This they
promised not to remove ; and we have no doubt but that it will
be suffered to remain as long as the frail materials of which it is
made will permit.

The ships being in great want of fuc"., Captain Cook desired me,
on the 2nd of February, to treat with the priests for the purchase
of the rail that surrounded the top of the morai. I must confess I
had at first some doubt about the decency of this proposal, and
was apprehensive that even the bare mention of it might be con-
sidered by them as a piece of shocking impiety.

In this, however, I found myself mistaken ; not the smallest
surprise was expressed at the application, and the wood was readily
given, even without stipulating for an} thing in return. Whilst the
sailors were taking it away, 1 observed one of them carrying off a
carved image ; and, on further inquiry, I found that they had
conveyed to the boats the whole semicircle. Though this was
done in the presence of the natives, who had not shown any mark
of resentment at it, but had even assisted them in the removal, I
thought it proper to speak to Kaoo on the subject, who appeared
very indifferent about the matter, and only desired that we would
restore the centre image I have mentioned before, which he carried
into one of the priests' houses.

J46

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

' ■*

\'\\

Terfeeoboo and his cliiefs had for some days past been very
inquisitive about the time of our departure. This circumstance
had excited in me a great curiosity to know what opinion this
people had formed of us, and what were their ideas respecting the
cause and objects of our voyage. 1 took some pains to satisfy
myself on these points, but could never learn anything further than
that they imagined we came from some country where provisions
had failed, and that our visit to them was merely for the purpose of
filling our bellies ; indeed, the meagre appearance of some of our
crew, the hearty appetites with which we sat down to their fresh
provisions, and our great anxiety to purchase as much as we were
able, led them naturally enough to such a conclusion. To these
may be added a circumstance which puzzled them exceedingly, our
having no women with us, together with our quiet conduct and un-
warlike appearance. It was ridiculous enough to sec them stroking
the sides and patting the bellies of the sailors, who were certainly
much improved in the sleekness of their looks during our short stay
on the island, and telling them, partly by signs, and partly by
words, that it M^as time for them to go ; but if they would come
again the next bread-fruit season, they should be better able to
supply their wants.

We had now been sixteen days in the bay ; and if our enormous
consumption of hogs and vegetables be considered, it need not be
wondered that they should wish to see us take our leave. It is very
probable, however, that Terreeoboo had no other view in his
inquiries at present than a desire of making sufiicient preparation
for dismissing us with presents suitable to the respect and kindness
with which he had received us ; for, on our telling him we should
leave the island on the n xt dav but one, we observed that a sort
of proclamation was immediately made through the villages to
require the people to bring in their hogs and vegetables, for the
king to present to the Orono on his departure.

We were this day much diverted, on the beach, by the buffooneries
of one of the natives. His style of dancing was entirely burlesque,
and accompanied with strange grimaces and pantomimical distor-
tions of the face, which, though at times inexpressibly ridiculous,
yet, on the whole, was without much meaning or expression. In
the evening, we were again entertained with wrestling and boxing
matches, and we displayed in return the few fireworks we had left.
Nothing could be better calculated to excite the admiration of these

CAPTAIN COOK,

our

islanders, and to impress them with an idea of our great supviio;ily,
than an exhibition of tliis kind.

The carpenters from both ships havinj.', been sent iij) l!u' < ouiilry
to cut planks for the head-railwork of the Rtwohitioit, this hciiij; tin:
third day since their departure, wc began to be viry auxioii:. loi
their safety. We now communicated our ;ipj)niK'nsions to old
Kaoo, who appeared as nmch concerned as ourselves, and were
concerting measures with him for sending after lliem, when lh< y
arrived in safety. They had been obliged to go farther jnlo the
country than was expected, before they met wilii trees iit for their
purpose ; and it was this circunistanee, together with the ba(hu-,s
of the roads and the difliculty of bringi-.g back the limber, which
had detained them so long. They spoke \\\ hij'ji term:, (S ih< n
guides, who both supplied them with {jrovisions, and guarded ih' n
tools with the utmost fidehty. The next day being IiaccI for om
departure, Terreeoboo invited Ca[jtain Cook and myself to attend
him on the 3rd to the pkice where l\aoo resided. On our arriv;ij,
\ve found the ground covered with parcels of cloth, a vast quanlily
of red and yellow feathers tied t(j the fibres of c(>coaruii jjushs,
and a great number of hatchets and other pieces of ir<>n-w."cre tlia',
had been got in barter from us. At a little- distance from tljcsc lay
an immense quantity of vegetables of cw^^x)' kind, and near them
was a large herd of hogs. At first, we ima;/ined the w)jole to l>e
intended as a present for us, till Kaireekeea informed me that it
was a gift or tribute from the ];eople of that district to iln: king ;
and accordingly, as we were seated, they brougiit all the bunflle-.^
and laid them severally at Terreeoboo's feet, s[jreading out the
cloth and displaying the feathers and iron- ware before hini. 'i he
king seemed much pleased v,ith this mark of their duly ; ai;d
having selected about a third part of the iron-v-are, the san^e jne
portion of feathers, and a fc-.v pieces of cloth, thc.e were set asjde
by themselves, and the remainder of the cloth, together witJj all lh'.
hogs and vegetables, were afterwards presented to Captain Cook
and myself. We were astonislied at the value and n'jagnjiude of
this present, which exceeded everything of tlie kind v.t )iad s<;en
either at the Frieridly or Society Islands. Jioals were imrnedi.atejy
sent to earn- them on board ; the large hogs were picked out lo i>e
salted for sea store, and upv.,irds of thirty sriiaJler p;;is and the
vegetables were divided betv\een the two crev/s.

The same cay v.-e quitted the rnorai and got tlie tent:-, and a'.t;o

148

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

nomical instruments on board. The charm of the taboo was now
removed, and we had no sooner left the place than the natives
rushed in and searched eagerly about in expectation of finding
something of value that we might have left behind. As I happened
to remain the last on shore, and waited for the return of the boat,
several came crowding round me, and having made me sit down by
them, began to lament our separation.

It was, indeed, i:ot without difficulty I was able to quit them.
Having had ihe command of the party on shore during the whole
time we were in the bay, I had an opportunity of becoming better
acquainted with the natives, and of being better known to them,
than those whose duty required thcni to be generally on board. As
I had every reason to be satisfied with their kindness in general, so
I cannot too often nor too particularly mention the unbounded and
constant friendship of their priests. C)n my part I spared no endea-
vours to conciliaLC *heii affections and gain their esteem ; and I
had the good fortune to succeed so far that, when the time of our
departure was made known, I was strongly solicited to remain
behind, not without offers of the most flattering kind. When I
excused myself by jaying that Captain Cook would not give his
consent, they proposed that I should retire into the mountains,
where they said they would conceal me till after the departure of
the ships, and on my further assuring them that the captain would
not leave the bay without me, Terreeoboo and Kaoo waited upon
Captain Cook, whose son they supposed 1 was, with a formal
request that I might be left behind. The captain, to avoid giving
a positive refusal to an offer so kindly intended, told them that he
could not part with me at that time, but that he should return to
the island next year, and would then endeavour to settle the matter
CO their satisfaction.

Early in the morning of the 4.th of February we unmoored and
sailed out of the bay, with the Discovery in company, and were
followed by a great number of canoes. Captain Cook's design, was
to finish the survey of Owhyliee before we visited the other islands,
in hopes of meeting with a road better sheltered than the bay we
had just Icit ; and in case of not succeeding here, he purposed to
take a view of the south-east part of Mowec, where the natives
informed us we should find an excellent harbour. We had calm
weather all this and the following day, which made our progress to
the northward very slow. We were accompanied by a great number

IS now

latives
inding
)pened
J boat,
)\vn by

them.

whole

better

them,

d. As

iral, so

id and

endea-

and I

cf our

remain

^hen I

ive his

ntains,

ture of

would

d upon

formal

feivmg

cri

hat he
turn to
matter

ed and
i were
rn was
lands,
3ay we
sed to
latives
i calm
ress to
umber

CAPTAIN COOK.

149

of these natives in their canoes, and Teirccol)oo ^mvc a frcsli jtioof
ot his friendship to Captain Cook by a hir^c iirL-sciU of lioj^s and
vegetables that was sent after him.

In the night of the 5th, having a lij^lit l)iciv.c off the land, wc
made some way to the northward, and in the morniii;.; of th' 6th,
having passed th? westernmost point of th(i isl.-iiid, wc; found our-
selves abreast of a deep bay called by the natives I <j( -yah yah. We
had great hopes that this iDay would furnish us with a. coinniodious
harbour, as wo saw several fine streams of water, and th': whole had
the appearance of being well sheltered. 'I'liese (jl)st:rvations aj'Ti-eing
with the accounts given us by Koah, who ar;(:onij)an !.,•(! Capf aia ('ook,
and had changed his name, out of comjjliin<;nt to us, into I'witannee,
the pinnace was hoisted out, and the master, with lirilannt' foi his
guide, was sent to examine the bay whilst the ships work<-*l up after
them. In the afternoon the weather became ;._df)oniy, anri the jMjsts
of wind that blew off the land were so violent as to make it neces-
sary to take in all the sails and bring to under t)ie mizen staysail.
All the canoes left us at the beginning of the gale ; and Mr. I'^ligh,
on his return, had the satisfaction of saving an old woman and two
men whose canoe had been upset by the violence of the wjnd, as
they were endeavouring to gain the sliore. Jiesides these distressed
people, we had a great many women on board wliom the natives
had left behind, in their hurry to shin for themselves.

In the evening, the weather being more moderate, we- again made
sail ; but about midnight it blew so viol'.-ntly as to split botlj the \<)Xi:.
and main-topsails. On the morning of the 7th v.e bent fresh sajjs,
and had fair v.-eather and a light breeze at noon. \'/e were- four or
five leagues from the shore, and as the weather was very unsettled
none of the canoes would venture out, so that our g jests we-re
obliged to remain with us, much indeed to their di-.satisfaction,
for they were all sea-sick, and many of them had left young cl.uidren
behind them.

In the afternoon, though the weather was still squally, v.e stood
in for the land, and being about three leagues from it, sav/ a canoe,
with two men paddling tov/ards us, who, we immediately conjec-
tured had been driven otT the shore by the late boisterous v/ealher,
and therefore stopped the ship's way in orrier to take tliern m.
These poor wretches were so exhausted with fatigue ihat, had not
one of the natives on board, observing their weakness, jumped jnto
the canoe to their assistance, thev would scarcely liave been able to

I50

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

I ,

fcjLSten it to the rope we had thrown out for that purpose. It was
with difficuhy we got them up the ship's side, together with a
child about four years old, which they had lashed under the
thwarts of the canoe, where it had lain with only its head above
water. They told us they had left the shore the morning before,
and had been from that ,4me without food or water. The usual
precautions were taken in giving them victuals, and the child
being committed to the care of the women, soon perfectly re-
covered.

At midnight a gale of wind came on^ which obliged us to double-
reef '.he topsails and send down the topgallant yards. On the Sth,
at daybreak, we found that the fore-mast had given way, the fishes^
which were put on the head in King George's or Nootka Sound, on
tho coast of America, being sprung, and the parts so very defecii\e
as to make it absolutely necessary to replace tliem, and, of course,
to unship the mast. In this difficulty Captain Cook was for some
time in doubt whether he should run the chance of meeting with a
harbour in the islands to leeward or return to Karakakooa. That
bay was not so remarkably commodious, in any respect, but that a
better might probably be expected, both for the purpose of repairing
the masts and for securing supplies, of winch, it was imagined, the
neighbourhood of Karakakooa had been already pretty well drained.
On the other hand, it was considered as too great a risk to leave a
place that was tolerably sheltered, and which, once left, could not
be regained, for the mere hope of meeting widi a better, the failure
of which might perhaps have left us without resource. We there-
fore continued standing on towards the land, in order to give the
natives an opportunity of releasing their friends on board from their
confinement ; and at noon, being within a mile of the shore, a few
canoes came off to us, but so crowded with people that there was
not room in them for any of our guests ; we therefore hoisted out
the pinnace to carry them on shore, and the master, who went with
them, had directions to examine the south coasts of the bay for
water, but returned without finding any. The winds being variable,
and a current setting to the northward, we made but little progress
in our return ; and at eight o'clock in the evening of the 9th it
began to blow very hard from the south-east, which obliged us to

* Fish, or fisli-piere, is a long^ piece of hard wood, convex on one side and concave
on the other ; two .ire bound opposite to eacli other to stren^'thcn the lower masts, or
the yards, when thf^y arc sprung-, to efTcct which they are well secured by bolts and
hoops, or stout rope called woolding.

CAPTAIN COOK

«S>

It was
with a
ler the
[ above
before,
2 usual
e child
ctly re-

double-
the Sth,
; fishes"^
»und, on
iefecii\c

course,
or some
g with a
L That
.it that a
epairing
ned, the
drained.
) leave a
Duld not
e failure
e there-
give the
om their
re, a few
icre was
sted out
rent with

bay for
variable,

progress
le 9th it
ed us to

nd concave

r masts, or

^ bolts and

close-reef the topsails. At Uvo in ilic moi lun;', <*l ili< I'.ih, m .1
heavy squall, we found ourselves close in wilii iIk- I<i< .iI'.< i , iImi \v
to the northward of the west point of <Jvviiyl»(<' ; ;in<l v,^ I.... I
just room to haul off and avoid llicni, and In' d -xm^ \,\\ ;Miir. i./
apprise the Discovery of the d;in;.',cr. in iIk f<ii' n-x/n iIk- w< .iiIk i
was more moderate, and a few canoe-> r.-imc tM n, n ,, /k/im
which we learnt that tlic late slonns had don«- jm;' h nir,' I.j' \, .wA
that several lar^^e canoes had been lo-i. J^unn;.; iIk- i« jii.im.<!» i
of the day we kept beating about to v.jjirjvvaid, an<j L<f'/i' Ji-jdii
we were within a mile of the bay; bnt nol '.Jioo',;/);; lo inn ni
while it was dark, we stood off and on till dayiijdii \ < /\ /;jOi/i;/);^,
when we dropped anchor nearly in the '.ani': piaee -.v. b< io/<-.

Towards the evenin;^^ r,f tli^j 13th, tiie- offieei v.!jo ' oinjnai)«i« d t)ii;
wateri^/g-party of the Jjisco-^'cry came lo infor/n lu*-. ijjat ^« v< ;al
chiefs had assenibled at the well near t.h»; beaelj, drivin^'^ av/ay ijj<:
natives, whom he had hired lo a^.sisl the sadors jjj r'/Amy 'i<,v.ii !Ji<;
casks to the shore. He told me at the same- rune, ih.j* he »Jjon3.djt
their beha-.iour extrem.ely suspicious, arjd thai iliey nf-.aiA to ' aMt><;
a disturbance. At his requea, therefore, i ser;l a njann*- ;do/-j^ v/dh
hirn. but sunered him to take only }jis side-arLo'i. i/j ;i :J-o;! Utnf.
the officer returned, and, on his acquainlin;'^ j.';e ^/ja» ij!'; liiUnnU:!^ iia/J
armed theniselves v.jth stones. a;.d v.ere ;-;/ov, n -.'.ry rijn;ult!io'Ji, i
went mvself to the sr-/Ot. attenced ]jy a /naij.'ie v.JOi jji^j jnijbk.trl,
Seeing us approach, they threw av.'ay their Mojje?;,a!.d o/; //jv tj><ak
ing to some cf the chiefs, the mob v.ere driven away, a/iO li^o^e wh'^
chose it were s-jfr'c-red to assist in fdlinj.^ the cask';, iiav.nj^^ i.«.-i>
ihin^-s quiet here. I went to rr.eet Captain (jj^jk, v.;,o;:- i >,;5vy '/jiumy^
<:n shore :n the pir.na':':. i relate'l to liirn what liad jutst j/ai,t,Mi,
an- he ordered me, in 'jase of their be^^innin;'^ "> Oj'ow Moi.et 0/
bthave i'solently, immedi-ate^y lo iirt a baii at ij;e oflej.'.« rb. J
arc^rdingiy ga-/e' orders to l;-e oorporaJ to ijave i)i.e pie<.et 'A ib«;
sentmels'loaced vi-ith bail, instead of '.maji -vIjoI.

So'jn after o^jr returr. to the ter.t^. wt were 'di^nn'-A uy a oof/tjrmtvC
f^rt of m-'j.skets from the Dmoviryy whioh we obvrrved to i/*. '.i/< •'.«/;
a: a CEj:.oe that 't^t s-aw pacdJjnjf toward-i i)j<: %\i.i/XK iu '^irtkiX i.-i.t>i^:.
pursued bv one of our sr/^aJl ryjals. V.'e ,j:x;.ooodAa.l«riy ooi>oj>ot/;
iba: the trm? was :n c^jnsequenoe of y;iri.e tiidi, and <,'n\Aa.ii. C'yA
orderec ine lo fvliow him w;ih an arm'^Q marj/;e, a>'id to ♦.->'.c*';7V'/^f
to seize tdic people as they oame on U^ore. Aooorc/nj^^jy v^«: /i»-r
t:w2-rd£ *_ht p.u:.e where wt vy^\yji>''A the ear.ve w</ui<; iai^C, ^/tl^

152

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

.!«

were too late, the people having quitted it and made their escape
into the country before our arrival. We were at this time ignorant
that the goods had been already restored, and as we thought it pro-
bable, iVom the circumstance we had at tirst observed, that they
might be of importance, were unwilling to relinquish our hopes of
recovering them. Ilaving therefore inquired of the natives which
way the people had tied, we followed them till it was near dark,
when, judging ourselves to be about three miles from the tents, and
suspecting, that the natives, who frequently encouraged us in the
pursuit, were amusing themselves by giving us false information,
we thought it in vain to continue our .search, and returned to the
beach. JJuri ng our alDscnce a difference of a more serious and un-
pleasant r.rtnre h:Kl happened. The oflicer who had been sent in
the small boat, and was returning on board with ihc goods which
had been restored, observing Captain Cook and me engaged in the
pursuit of the offenders, thought it his duty to seize tlie canoe which
waif \':h drawn up on the shore. Unfortunately this canoe belonged
to :'arcc<i, who, arriving at the same moment fror on board the
D'^covt'ry, claimed his property, with many protestations of his
innocence. The oflicer refusing to give it up, and being joined by
th'" crew of the pinnace, which was waiting for Captain Cook, a
scuulc ensued, in which Pareea was knocked dov/n by a violent blow
on the head with an oar. 'x'he natives v/ho were collected about the
spot, and had hitherto been peaceable spectators, immediately
attacked our people -vith such a shower of stones, as forced them
to retreat with great precipitation and swim off to a rock at some
distance fr')m the shore. The pinnace was immediately ransacked
by the islanders, and but for the timely interposition of Pareea, who
seemed to have recovered from the blow and forgotten it at the
same instant, would soon hn.ve been entirely demolished. Having
driven away the crowd, he made signs to cur people that they might
come and take possession of the pinnace, and that he would endea-
vour to get back the things which had been taken out of it. After
their departure he followed them in his canoe, with a midshipman's
cap and some other trilling articles of the plunder, and with mich
apparent concern at what had happenec, asked if the Orono would
kill him, and whecher he would permit him to come on board the
next day. On being assured that he would be well received, he
joined noses (as their custom is) with the officers, in token of friend-
ship, and paddled over to the village of Kowrcwa.

CAPTAIN COOK.

escape
norint
it pio-
it they
)pcs of
, which
r dark,
ts, and
in the
n.ation,
to the
md un-
sent in
5 which
\ in the
e which
clonged
ard the
\ of his
lined by
Cook, a
nt blow
Dout the
cdiately
•d them
It some
isacked
ca, who
at the
Having
y might
endea-
After
ipman's
n: ich
o would
ard the
ived, he
f friend-

«53

When Captain Cook was informed of wli.it h.nl passed, lir ex-
pressed much uneasiness at it, and said, .1 , v,<: v.- i<' i» iniijin;; on
board, " I am afraid that these ]>eople will ohlry hm lo 1.,. j.i,,,,.
violent measures ; for they inti.t no' ix- |. fi t./ ihm-'uk- ili.ii ilu-y
have gained an advantage over us.' li(Avrv<i, .1, n' w;r, \uu l.iir
to take any steps this evening, he coril«i)t<(| |,,Mi -cK witli ;Mvin^'
orders that every man and woi.ian on hfj.iid -XxowW, Lc iniuicdj.iirjy
turned out of the ship. As s(Jon as thi . umVx vv;i , < /.»mjI< «l i
returned on shore ; and our former conhdciH ': in tlj<: rj;itiv«:*> hf-wi^'
now much abated by the events of the fl.iy, 1 \>',x>A ;i douhli: jMjar«i
on the morai, with orders to cull nnj if iliL-y -.aw .Miy m* ;. \h'iV\\\\\
about the beach. At about eleven o'f.lof.k fiv<^ i'>l;j.nM»-r'v v/<:i«:
observed creeping round tlie botlom of rlie morai ; Ui«-y -.i.i.wnA
very cautious in approaching us, and, at V.vX^ fir^'im;'^ lii«:ni'-,'.]v<:>*
discovered, retired out of sig},i. About inMnigli'. one of \\\*:u\
venturing up close to the observatory, the sentind hn;'! ov r hji/j,o;»
which the man tied, and we passed th': r'ji.'jaind':.- of rh*: \.\\'\A
without further disturbance. Next rnoriiing al daylj^d.i 1 v, ':.•,? 0/1
board the Resolution for the timekeeoer, and on r;.v v,;-",
hailed by the Discoi'oy, and ]rA<jri'.i<:'\ \):hX th'.-r '.A'jj

been stolen during the night f'-om the buov where it

.i '.A

moored.

\\'hen I arrived on board I four^d the i!i''a'iu''\ hrtiiiny
CcLptain Cook loading h'.< double-bd.rrtiled ^^ui;. Wiiil"-.' I
relating to him what had happene'i to u\ in it.'t Ji.'^Ji* he iri'-er-
rupted me with some eagerness, an^- a'','^ jLainte'J rr;e v,.\ij t;.i': los.^
of the Dis::i'C}ys cutter, and with the preparaiio:,". he \>r.x\ y..ii.Vit.',i
for its recovery. It had been his usujiI pra'.tJO':. v.he.'.'rv .: a;.y*J..;j^
of consequence v/as lost at any of the r-il^xiA'i in th;b <?cean, vo j^'r^,
the king, or some of the principal eree^. '>:. "v.arC, and Vj h*-.^]/
them as hostages till it was restore''! 'Jh.'i r.vr*.;jod, "Vkh./.:. ;^'>
been ai-A-ays attended with suceei;, he r;.eaLt t<> pvri •-«:'>•/. ';.«
present occasion ; and at the same t^rr.e had j;ivfrn orders

to ^rvp

a.: tne crjic^es tnat snouiO attempt to leave t.'.e ^jzy, w.i;, r;.r. j//.t^-
tion of sei^ir.? and destroying them if he •.. . -, :,^. v.'/j\*:j *hK
cur.er by peaceable means. Accorcingiy t:.--; voa'^ vf bvh vh-^i;
well rt.anned ar.'i armed, were station*;'! a',Tv
I "eft the sb:o some ;^reat ^ -.as had bee:. * -e-

:he ba . . ar^'i b'^'^re

# -

a*, tv. Ifcj^e '.^-'-'/«.

iLat

^«-^

.a:>e.

'A a*:

.f' y (;^»^ ^_J

;^^.

154

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

if 1

o'clock when we quitted the ship together : Captain Cook in the
pinnace, having Mr. Phillips and nine marines with him, and
myself in the small boat. The last orders I received from him were
to t[uiet the minds of the natives on our side of tlif'' bay, by assuring
them they should not be hurt, to keep my people together, and to
be on my guard. We then parted ; the captain went towards
Kowrowa, where the king resided, and i proceeded to the beach.
IVIy first care, on going ashore, was to give strict orders to the
marines to remain within the tent, to load their pieces with ball, and
not to quit their arms. Afterwards I took a walk to the huts of old
Kaoo and the priests, and explained to them, as well as I could, the
hostile preparations, which had exceedingly alarmed them. I found
that they had already heard of the cutter being stolen, and I assured
them that though Captain Cook was resolved to recover it, and to
punish the authors of the theft, yet that they, and the people of the
village on our side, need not be under the sm;vllest apprehension of
suffering any evil from us. I desired the priests to explain this to
the people, and to tell them not to be alarmed, but to continue
peaceable and quiet. Kaoo asked me, with great earnestness, if
Torreeoboo was to be hurt. I assured him he was not, and both
he and the rest of his brethren seemed much satisfied with this
assurance.

In the meantime Captain Cook, having called off the launch,
which was stationed at the north point of the bay, and taken it
along with him, proceeded to Kowrowa, and landed with the
lieutenant and nine marines. He immediately marched into the
village, where he was received with the usual marks of respect, the
people prostrating themselves before him, and bringing their
accustomed offerings of small hogs. Finding that there was no
suspicion of his design, his next step was to inquire for Terreeoboo
and the two boys, his sons, who had been his constant guests on
board the Resolution. In a short time the boys returned along
with the natives who had been in search of them, and immediately
led Captain Cook to the house where the king had slept, and after
a short conversation with him about the loss of the cutter, from
which Captain Cook vas convinced that he was in nowise privy to
it, he invited him tO return in the boat and spend the day on board
the Resolution. To this proposal the king readily assented, and
immediately got up to accompany him.

: in the
m, and
iin were
Lssurin^
, and to
.owcirds
: beach,
to the
lall, and
s of old
uldjtlie

1 found
assured

and to

2 of the
ision of

this to
ontinue
ness, if
d both
th this

launch,
ikcn it
th the
ito the
set, the

their
Kvas no
eeoboo
jsts on

along
diately
d after
r, from
rivy to

board
d, and

CAPTAIN COOK,

155

Things were in this prosperous train, the two boys being already
in the pinnace, and the rest of the party having advanced near the
water-side, when an elderly woman called Kanee-Kabareea, the
mother of the boys, antl one of the king's favourite wives, came
after him, and, with many tears and entreaties, besou[,du him not
to go on board. At the same time, two chiefs, who came along
with her, laid hold of him and forced him to sit down. The
natives, who were collecting in prodigious numbers along the
shore, and had probably been alarmed by the liring of the great
guns and the appearance of hostility in the bay, began to throng
round Captain Cook and their king. In this situation, the lieutenant
of marines observing that his men were huddled close together in
the crowd, and thus incapable of using their arms, if any occasion
should rec[uirc it, proposed to the captain to draw them up along
the rocks close to the waters edge ; and the crowd readily making-
way for them to pass, they were drawn up in a line, at the distance
of about thirty yards from the place where the king was sitting.
All this time the old king remained on the ground, with the
strongest marks of terror and dejection in his countenance. Cap-
tain Cook, not willing to abandon the object for which he had come
on shore, continued to urge him in the most pressing manner to
proceed ; whilst, on the other hand, whenever the king apjieared
inclined to follow him, the chiefs, who stood round him, interposed,
at first wit\ prayers and entreaties, but afterwards with force antl
violence, insisting on his staying where he was. Captain Cook,
therefore, und ng that the alarm had spread too generally, and that
it was in vain to think any longer of getting the king off without
bloodshed, at last gave up the point, observing to Mr. Phillips that
it would be impossible to compel him to go on board without the
risk of killing a great number of the inhabitants.

Though the enterprise which had carried Captain Cook on shore
had now failed, and was abandoned, yet his person did not appear
to have been in the least danger till an accident happened, which
gave a fatal turn to the af(\iir. The boats which \.\'^ been
stationed across the bay having tired at some ca^ ,. that were
attempting to get out, unfortunately had killed a chief of the first
rank. The news of his death arrived at the village where Captain
Cook was, just as he had left the king and was walking slowly
towards the shore. The ferment it made was very conspicuous \

156

THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

the women and children were immediately sent off and the men
put on their war-mats and armed themselves with spears and stones.
One of the natives having in his hands a stone and a lar^e iron
spike, which they call a pahooa, came up to the captain, nourishing
his weapon by way of defiance, and threatening^ to throw the stone.
The captain desired him to desist, but the man persistinj^ in his
insolence, he was at length provoked to fire a load of small shot.
The man having his mat on, which tiie shot were not able to pene-
trate, this had no other effect than to irritate and encourage them.
Several stones were thrown at the marines, and one of the erees
attempted to stab Mr. Phillips with his pahooa, but failed in the
attempt, and received from him a blow with the butt-end of his
musket. Captain Cook now fired his second barrel loaded with
ball, and killed one of the foremost of the natives. A general
attack witli stones immediately followed, which was answered by a
discharge of musketry from the marines and the people in the boats.
The islanders, contrary to the expectations of every one, stood the
fire with great hrmness, and before the marines had time to reload,
they broke in upon them with dreadful shouts and yells. What
followed was a scene of the utmost horror and confusion.

Four of the marines were cut off amongst the rocks in their
retreat, and fell a sacrifice to the fury of the enemy ; three more
were dangerously wounded, and the lieutenant, who had received a
stab between the shoulders with a pahooa, having fortr ;ately
reserved his fire, shot the man who had wounded him just as he
was going to repeat his blow. Our unfortunate commander, the
last time he was seen distinctly, was standing at the water's edge,
and calling out to the boats to cease firing and to pull in. Whilst
he fLiced the natives none of them had offered him any violence, but
having turned about to give his orders to the boats he was stabbed
in the back, and fell on his face into the water. On seeing him
fall the islanders set up a great shout, and his body was immedi-
ately dragged on shore and surrounded by the enemy, who, snatch-
ing the dagger out of each other's hands, showed a savage eagerness
to have a share in his destruction.

Thus fell our great and excellent commander ! After a life of so
much distinguished and successful enterprise, his death, as far as
regards himself, cannot be reckoned premature, since he lived to
finish the great work for which he seemed to have been designed ;

CAPTAIN COOK.

^^1

: men
tones,
i iron
ishinj;
stone,
in his

shot,
pene-
thcni.

erees
in the
of his
:l with
encral
d by a
boats,
od the
cload,
What

\ their
; more
iived a
;ately
t as he
ler, the
s edge.
Whilst
ice, but
tabbed
ig him
nmedi-
snatch-
jerness

fe of so

far as

lived to

iigned ;

and was rather removed from the enjoyment than cut off from the
acquisition of ^lory. How sincerely his loss was ^clt and lamented
by those who had so long found their general security in his skill
and conduct, and every consolation under their hardshij-)s in his
tenderness and humanity, it is neither necessary nor possible for
me to describe ; much less shall I attempt to paint the horror with
which we were struck, and the universal dejection and dismay which
followed so dreadful and unexpected a calamity.

The i()th was chiclly taken up in sending and receiving the mes-
sages which passed between Captain Clerke and Terrceoboo.
Eappo was very pressing that one of our ofliccrs should go on
shore, and in the meantime oftered to remain as a hostage on
board. Tliis recjucst, howc\'cr, it was not thought proper to comply
with, and he left us with a promise of bringing the bones of Captain
Cook the next day. At the beach the waterers did not meet with
the least opposition from the natives, who, notwithstanding our
cautious behaviour, came amongst us again without the smallest ap-
pearance of diffidence or apprehension.

Early in the morning of the 20th we had the satisfaction of get-
ting the fore-mast stepped. It was an operation attended with
great difficulty and some danger, our ropes being so exceedingly
rotten that the purchase gave way several times, lietween ten and
eleven o'clock we saw a great number of people descending the hill,
which is over the beach, in a kind of procession, each man carrying
a sugar-cane or two on his shoulders, and bread-fruit, taro, and plan-
tains in his hand. They were preceded by two drummers, who, when
they came to the water-side, sat down by a white tlag, and began to
beat their drums, while those who had followed them advanced one
by one, and having deposited the presents they had brought, retired
in the same order. Soon after, Eappo came in sight, in his long
feathered cloak, bearing something with great solemnity in his hands,
and having seated himself on a rock, he made signs for a boat to be
sent to him. Captain Clerke, conjecturing that he had brought the
bones of Captain Cook, which proved to be the fact, went himself in
the pmnace to receive them, and ordered me to attend him in the
cutter. When we arrived at the beach, Eappo came into the pin-
nace, and delivered to the captain the bones wr.apped up in a large
quantity of fine new cloth, and covered with a spotted cloak of black
and white feathers. He afterwards attended us to the RcsolutioUy

158

27/JRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF

but could not be prevailed upon to go on board, probably not
choosing, from a sense of decency, to be present at the opening of
the bundle. We found in it both the hands of Captain Cook entire,
which were well known from a remarkable scar on one of them, that
divided the thumb from the forefinger the whole length of the meta-
carpal bone ; the skull, but with the scalp separated from it, and the
bones that form the face wanting ; the scalp, with the hair upon it
cut short, and the ears adhering to it, the bones of both arms, with
the skin of the fore-arms hanging to them ; the thigh and leg bones
joined together, but without the feet. The ligaments of the joints
were entire, and the whole bore evident marks of having been in the
tire, except the hands, which had the flesh left upon them, and were
cut in several places, and crammed with salt, apparently with an
intention of preserving them. The scalp had a cut in the back part
of it, but the skull was free from any fracture. The lower jaw and
feet, which were wanting, Eappo told us had been seized by different
chiefs, and that Terrecoboo was using every mears to recover them.
The next morning Eappo and the king's son x-ame on board, and
brought with them the remaining bones of Captain Cook, the barrels
of his gun, his shoes, and some other trifles that belonged to him.
Eappo took great pains to convince us that Terreeoboo, Maiha-
maiha, and himself, were most heartily desirous of peace ; that they
had given us the most convincing proof of it in their power, and
that they had been prevented Irom giving it sooner by the other
chiefs, many of whom were still our enemies. He lamented with
the greatest sorrow the death of six chiefs we had killed, some of
whom, he said, were amongst our best friends. The cutter, he told
i!s, was taken away by Pareea's people, very probably in revenge
for the blow that had been given h'm, and that it had been broken
up the next day. The arms of the marines, which we had also de-
manded, he assured us had been carried oft* by the common peopl'^*,
and were irrecoverable, the bones of the chief alone having been
preserved, as belonging to Terreeoboo and the erees.

Nothing now rema-ned but to perform the last ofticcs to our great
and unfortunate commande';. Eappo was dismissed with orders
to taboo all the bay ; and in the afternoon, the bones having
been put into a coffin, and the service read over them, they were
committed to the deep with the usual military honours. What
our feelings were on this occasion I leave the world to conceive ;

CAPTAIN COOK,

159

y not
ng of

entire,
1, that
meta-
idthe
pen it
;, with
bones
joints
in the
i were
ith an
k part
w and
fferent
them,
d, and
barrels
o him.
Vlaiha-
at they
er, and
; other
d with
ome of
he told
evenge
broken
lIso de-
people,
g been

ir great
orders

having

jy were
What

liceive ;

those who were present know that it is not in my power to express
them.

During the forenoon of the 22nd not a canoe was seen paddling
in the bay, the taboo, which Eappo had laid on it the day before at
our reciuest, not being yet taken off. At length Eappo came off to
us. We assured him that we were now entirely satisfied, and that,
as the Orono was buried, all remembrance of what had passed was
buried with him. We afterwards desired him to take off the taboo,
and to make it known that the people might bring their provisions
as usual. The sliips were soon surrounded with canoes, and many
of the chiefs came on board, exjjressing great sorrow at what had
happened, and their satisfaction at our reconciliation. Several of
our friends, who did not visit us, sent presents of large hogs and
other provisions. Amongst the rest came the old treacherous Koah,
but he was refused admiitance. As we had now everything ready
for sea, Captain Gierke, imagining that if the news of our proceed-
ings should reach the islands to leeward before us, it might have a
bad effect, gave orders to unmoor. About eight in the evening we
dismisseil all the natives, and Eappo and the friendly Kaireekeea
took an affectionate leave of us. We immediately weighed and
stood out of the bay. The natives were collected on the shore in
great numbers, and as we passed along received our last farewells
with every mark of affection and goodwill.

Space will not allow us to record llie liomeward voyage, and our
readers will probably agree with us that the interest of this third and
fatal expedition comes in and goes out with the immortal navigator.

In conclusion, we must remark that while the value and extent of
Captain Cook's additions to our knowledge of the Polar regions
have been equalled by the contributions of other seamen, he stands
pre-eminent as the greatest and most renowned circumnavigatc-r
that this or any other country has produced. While other explorers
discovered unknown lands and islands, only to sail away after
sighting them, Captain Cook determined their insularity or other-
wise, fixed their position on the chart, and surveyed them as far as
time and circumstances would permit. With him the merely vulgar
thirst for fame as a discoverer gave place to a determination to
make a scientitic and methodical survey of the coasts and seas he
traversed, and record a full ethnological description of the races in-
habiting the countries and islands he visited.

i6o THIRD AND LAST VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN COOK,

It may with truth be said that, in the long roll of illustrious naval
heroes, whose deeds have illumined the pages of Lhis country's
annals, few there are who have better earned a niche in the temple
of fame, and a place in the hearts of their c untrymen, than the
intrep'd seaman, scientific officer, and accomplished navigator,
Captain James Cook.

S^i

THE END.

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mntry's
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lan the
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