| "The small Cutter was manned and sent after
him with the Master and a Midshipman in her, but in the hurry they went
away without arms; when the Indian saw the boat after him he made for a
Canoe which lay between him and the shore & he was taken into her.
Upon this we fired some muskets from the Ship at the Canoe, which paddled
away as hard as she could & was pursued by the Boat, but having only
two Oars in her was soon left behind. We kept on firing at the Canoe from
the Ship but she was at too great distance for us to do any execution.
Parea was on board when the Theft was committed & sett off immediately
for the shore promising to bring the things back: our boat still pursued
the Canoe which got ashore long before it and the Thief escaped, altho'
Captain Cook who was on shore at this time & saw the boat pursuing the
Canoe, had run with the 2nd Lieut. and a Marine armed to intercept his
Landing, but it seems that he was led out of the way designedly by some
Indians who intruded themselves as Guides to lead him to the place where
the Canoe would land".
"As our people drew near the shore in the
small Cutter they were met by another Canoe with the Tongues & Chizel
in her which the Indians instantly delivered up, together with the Lid of
the Water Cask which our people knew nothing of its being stole. As they
were without arms & only four in the Boat they were coming back to the
Ship, when the Resolution's Pinnace came up to them with five men
in her who had come away from the station where they were waiting for
Captain Cook, without orders and without Arms; the Officer in the Cutter,
who before was going quietly on board, being thus reinforced thought it
not sufficient to have the stolen Goods restored without having the Thief
or the Canoe which took him in delivered up. He therefore returned to the
shore to seize upon it and bring it to the Ship, he accordingly landed and
was pushing her off himself when Parea made his Appearance & desired
him to desist as the Canoe belonged to him, but no heed being given to his
remonstrance, he laid hold of the Officer & pinnioning his Arms behind
held him fast by the hair of his Head. Upon this one of the Resolution's
people struck him on the head with an oar which made him loose his
prisoner, he then seized on the Oar, wrenched it out of the Man's Hand
& broke it in two before his face; there was a great Croud gathered
about them on the Rocks, who now began to pelt them with Stones".
"The Boats crew took the stretchers and an
Oar or two in their Hands, landed & made a shew of Resistance, but the
Indians poured upon them so fast that they were soon driven back to the
Boat, where the Stones came so thick among them that they were all obliged
to jump out of the Pinnace & swim to the small Cutter, which lay a
little way off the shore with two men in her who took them in. The Master
and the Midshipman, not being able to swim, retreated upon a small Rock in
the Water where they were attacked by the Indians with stones, the broaken
Oars & Sticks; one man advanced close to them with a broaken Oar in
his hand & made a push at the Master, but his foot slipping he missed
him & slightly hit the midshipman, the Indians all the while pelting
them with stones from which they both received some hurts, & would
perhaps have been killed had not Parea just at this time made his
Appearance and ordered them to desist. The Indians then fell to plundering
the Pinnace, took out all her Oars and Gangboard and endeavoured with
large Stones to knock out the Bolts and other iron about her. The
Midshipman got into the Pinnace & was beat by them & had his cap
stolen".
"They complained to Parea of the Usage they
received from his Countrymen; he interposed his Authority & gained a
Cessation of Hostilities, he then desired the Gentlemen to go on board,
but being told that all the Oars had been taken away he went and brought
back two whole ones & one broken with which they rowed off to the
Tents, where Captain Cook arrived soon after & was informed of what
had happened. He was much displeased at our People for attempting to land
among the Indians & seize a Canoe without having any Arms, & more
especially with the Pinnace's Crew having intermeddled in this affair
& left their Station without orders. As the Boats were going towards
the Tents, Parea came up with them in his Canoe & delivered the Cap
which had been stole from the Midshipman; he asked them if Co-kee would
kill him for what had happened & the Gentlemen told him that he would
not, with which he seemed satisfied & left them & crossed the Bay
to the Town of Kavaroa".
"Tho' upon the whole Parea's behaviour to
our people was not blameable as he did nothing but in defence of his
property, yet many Circumstances make it probable that the whole of this
affair was occasioned by him, and that he set the Man on to steal as he
was taken into his Canoe which seemed to be lying ready for that purpose,
and that the whole Scheme had been concerted between him and his People.
The Indian Chiefs frequently enquire of us who are the Tata Toa or
fighting Men among us, they suppose none are such but those who are tall
& stout, the same as they are among them. To day one of them asked
Captain Cook if he was a Toa & he answered in the affirmative, then
Indian then desired him to shew his Wounds, on which Captain Cook held out
his right hand to him which had a large Gash upon it between the Thumb
& fore finger, and the Indian Chief seemed satisfied & then put
the same Question to the 2nd Lieut who was in Company, but he not having
the marks of a Tata toa, the Indian told them that he was a fighting Man
and shewed his Wounds. An Indian brought some pieces of iron on board the Resolution
among which was the breech pin of a Gun; they seem to intimate that they
got the iron they had before our arrival from the mast of a ship which had
been driven ashore on the Island but that they saw neither ship nor men. I
saw a Dagger to day at the Town of Kavaroa which the Indians told us had
not come from either of the Ships, & it was evident it had been beat
out & formed into a Dagger by themselves".
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14th: "To widen the Breach
between us, the Indians last Night took away our large Cutter which lay
swamped at the Buoy of the small Bower Anchor, they carryed her off so
quietly that we knew nothing of it till we missed her at daylight this
Morning. Captain Clerke immediately waited upon Captain Cook to inform him
of what had happened, and soon returned with orders for our Launch and
small cutter to go Under the Command of the 2nd Lieut. to lie off the East
point of the Harbour called Kei, & intercept any Canoes going out of
the Bay and if he found it necessary to fire upon them; at the same time
the Resolution's Launch & small Cutter under the Command of the
3rd Lieut. were ordered on the same service to the West point of the Bay,
and the large Cutter with the Master in her was sent after a large double
Canoe that was already under sail & paddling out of the Bay, the Boat
soon came up with her & firing a few Muskets at her, drove her ashore
on the east point. Captain Cook being upon deck & seeing this, said
that she was secure, which made one of the Gentlemen who stood by him say
that the Indians would probably defend her if our people attempted to
land, Captain Cook answered that he was sure they would not stand the fire
of a single musket, and in this he certainly was right tho' the fatal
Accident that soon after followed may at first sight seem to prove the
contrary".
"The Loss of so useful a boat as the great
Cutter would be attended with great inconvenience to the Ship, the
Recovery of her therefore was an object of importance. While the Boats
stationed off each point of the Bay prevented any Canoes getting out,
Capt. Cook resolved to go ashore himself at the Town of Kavaroa & if
Kariopoo should be there to get him on board the Ship & detain him
till the Boat was returned, which was the only means that could be used
with any probability of Success; but if he found that he and his people
had fled as there was reason to suppose, his intention was to retaliate
upon them by burning their Houses & seizing upon the large Canoes
which were hauled up on the Beach. The Business required dispatch, he
therefore about seven o'Clock set out in the Pinnace attended by the
Lieut. of Marines, a Serjeant, Corporal and seven private Men with a Mate
and Boats' Crew armed. As he expected to meet with Resistance, he had the
Precaution first to order the Launch which lay at the point to come more
in & act in concert with the pinnace, as he might want their
assistance after he got on shore, he then landed with the Marines at the
Town on the most convenient Spot for drawing them up. The Indians
immediately flocked round him as usual, without any hostile appearance,
but not choosing to trust to this he was careful to have them kept at a
proper distance from his men; he enquired for the two Boys the King's
Sons, upon which two Messengers were directly sent for them, the 2 boys
soon arrived and he asked them for their Father, they told him that he was
asleep at a House in the Town a little distance off and he accompanyed
them thither with the Marines".
"As Capt. Cook passed along the Indians
prostrated themselves on their Faces before him & shewed him the same
Respect as usual, and Kanina & some other Chiefs who had joined him
kept the croud in order according to their usual Custom. They asked him if
he wanted any Hogs or Roots, he told them that he did not, but that he
wanted to see the King. They soon arrived at the House where he was which
belonged to a Chief called Ke-heina; Capt. Cook desired some of the
Indians to go in and inform Kariopoo that he wanted to speak to him, they
came out several times & presented some pieces of red Cloth to him
which made Captain Cook suspect that the King was not there, he therefore
ordered the Lieut. of Marines to go in and see while he himself stood on
the outside holding his musket. The Lieut. found the old Man just awoke
from his sleep and somewhat surprized at the Message delivered to him, but
came out without any hesitation to Capt. Cook who took him by the hand and
asked him in a friendly Manner if he would go on board the Ship with him;
to this the King who suspected no Harm most readily consented and every
thing hitherto wore the Appearance of Friendship and Tranquility. Captain
Cook was amazed at this and said, 'These People are entirely innocent of
stealing the Cutter, I can do nothing with them, however I must get the
King on board'".
"However, as soon as Kariopoo came out of
the House some of the Indians were observed arming themselves, he sat down
& a large Ring was formed before the House in which the Marines were
drawn up, Kanina & his Brother Koo-howrooa were very active in keeping
order among the Croud which was now become very great. About this time two
men in a Canoe, having first called at the two Ships to tell the story,
arrived with the News of a Chief called Ka-ree-moo having been just killed
on the opposite side of the Bay by the Discovery's Boats that were
stationed there; The Women who were sitting together on the rocks by the
water side eating their Breakfast & talking in a friendly manner to
some of our people in the Boats, on this immediately retired and a
confused Murmur ran through the Croud. An old Priest came into the Ring to
Captain Cook holding a Cocoa nut in his hand which he offered to him as a
present according to their Custom, at the same time singing very loud,
tho' often desired by Captain Cook to cease and the Lieut. clapped his
hand to his mouth, but in spite of every thing the old Man kept bellowing
on, and this seemed intended to divert their attention from the Indians
who were arming in great numbers with Spears, Daggers, Clubs and Stones,
& putting on their coarse thick matts which they use as Armour to
defend themselves from stones & the Weapons used at these
Islands".
"The House before which Capt. Cook had his
party drawn up is about thirty yards from the water side & they were
there entirely surrounded by the Indians to the Number of two or three
Thousand, which in the present hostile appearance was by no means an
eligible Situation, he therefore ordered the Marines to march down to the
water side and form on the Rocks, so as to leave no room for the Indians
to get between them & the 2 Boats which were at this time close
together within a few Yards of the Shore. The Indians opened and made a
Lane for the marines to pass and did not offer to molest them. Captain
Cook followed them having hold of Kariopoo's Hand who came with him very
willingly, leaning on two of his people and accompanyed by his two Sons,
the younger of whom (Ke-owa) went directly into the Pinnace expecting his
father to follow. The old Priest still attended them making the same
savage Noise. When they had come near the Beach an old Woman came crying
to the King & throwing her arms round his neck, with the assistance of
two of the Chiefs attending him made him sit down by the side of a double
Canoe hauled on the Rocks. They wou'd not suffer him to go any further,
telling him that if he went on board the Ship he would be killed. Kariopoo
on this hung down his head & looked disconsolate as if suspecting some
disagreeable Consequences would ensue which it was not in his power to
prevent. A Chief well known to us whose name is Coho was seen skulking
about them concealing a long iron dagger under his Cloak, the Lieut. took
notice of him and told the Captain that he meant to stab one of them and
asked if he should fire at him, but Capt. Cook who was ever too tender of
the Lives of Indians would not permit him; however, the Man still closing
upon them the Officer struck him with the butt end of his Musket, which
made him retire, another Fellow laid hold of the Serjeant's Musket and
endeavoured to wrench it from him, but desisted on the Lieut. offering to
strike him with his piece".
"Captain Cook seeing the Indians resolute
& armed all round, said 'If we take him away by force I see we must
kill a great number of them', and as he was pausing and as it is immagined
just going to give Orders to return to the Boats, an Indian was seen
threatening to hit him with a Stone, upon which he fired at him with Small
shot with which one of the barrels of his double Piece was loaded; but as
the man had a thick matt before him He received no hurt and he brandished
his Spear & threatened Captain Cook again, on which being still
unwilling to take his Life he advanced to him & knocked him down with
his Musket. The Marines were all this time drawn up on the edge of the
Rock facing the Indians. All Thoughts of getting Kariopoo on board were
now given up & Captain Cook acted entirely on the defensive in order
to secure a safe and orderly Embarkation for his small party into the
boats; to gain that point it became necessary to resist the Impetuosity of
the Indians who in a body of several Thousands of people were pressing
upon them, and ready to seize on the first advantagious opportunity of
falling upon our Men should they turn their Backs to them & retreat
with Precipitation and Disorder. Keowa the King's Son on hearing Captain
Cook's fire was frightened & at his own desire was put on shore out of
the Pinnace, as no Mischief was even at this time apprehended to those on
shore by the People in the Boats".
"The Indians were now grown very daring
& troublesome, they threw several Stones at our people by which one of
them was knocked down. One was seen behind the double Canoe threatening to
dart his Spear at Captain Cook, who on being shewn the man shot at him,
but it seems killed another who stood by him; the Serjeant told him that
he had shot the wrong Person upon which he ordered him to shoot the right
one, which he did and killed him. The Ardour and Impetuosity of the
Indians were by this a little repressed, they were staggered & the
body of them fell back; a Volley of Stones now came among our People on
which the Marines gave a general fire & left themselves without a
Reserve, this was instantly followed by a fire from the Boats, on which
Capt. Cook expressed his Astonishment, waved his hand to the Boats, told
them to cease their fire and come nearer in to receive the People. On
receiving the fire the Indians fell back & many of them dropped &
it is highly probable that a vigourous push at this juncture would have
put them to flight; but no sooner had the Marines made the general
Discharge but the body of them flung down their pieces and threw
themselves into the water, on this all was over, the Indians immediately
rushed down upon them, dragged those who could not swim upon the Rocks
where they dashed their brains out".
"Captain Cook was advanced a few paces
before the Marines when they fired, the Stones flew as thick as hail which
knocked the Lieut. down & as he was rising a fellow stuck him in the
back with a Spear, however he recovered himself shot the Indian dead and
escaped into the Water. Captain Cook was now the only Man on the Rock, he
was seen walking down towards the Pinnace, holding his left hand against
the Back of his head to guard it from the Stones & carrying his Musket
under the other Arm. An Indian came running behind him, stopping once or
twice as he advanced, as if he was afraid that he should turn round, then
taking him unaware he sprung to him, knocked him on the back of his head
with a large Club taken out of a fence, & instantly fled with the
greatest precipitation; the blow made Captain Cook stagger two or three
paces, he then fell on his hand & one knee & dropped his Musket,
as he was rising another Indian came running to him & before he could
recover himself from the Fall drew out an iron Dagger he concealed under
his feathered Cloak & stuck it with all his force into the back of his
Neck, which made Capt. Cook tumble into the Water in a kind of a bite by
the side of the rock where the water is about knee deep; here he was
followed by a croud of people who endeavoured to keep him under water, but
struggling very strong with them he got his head up & looking towards
the Pinnace which was not above a boat hook's Length from him waved his
hands to them for Assistance, which it seems it was not in their Power to
give".
"The Indians got him under water again but
he disengaged himself & got his head up once more & not being able
to swim he endeavoured to scramble on the Rock, when a fellow gave him a
blow on the head with a large Club and he was seen alive no more. They now
kept him under water, one man sat on his Shoulders & beat his head
with a stone while others beat him with Clubs & Stones, they then
hauled him up dead on the Rocks where they stuck him with their Daggers,
dashed his head against the rock & beat him with Clubs & Stones,
taking a Savage pleasure in using every barbarity to the dead body; as
soon as one had stuck him another would take the Instrument out of his
Body and give him another Stab. At the same time four of the Marines were
killed (viz.) James Thomas the Corporal, Theophilus Hinks, Thomas Fatchett
& John Allen private. The corporal was stabbed in the Bowels while in
the Water, he fired at the fellow who had stabbed him & as some say
killed him, he was soon hauled on the Rock with the rest of our people
where the Savages dashed their heads & beat them with Clubs &
Stones in such a violent Manner & so long continued, as if they
thought they would never be dead. Let us now come to the Boats, which at
the time that Captain Cook waved to them with his hand & told them to
come nearer in, lay close together within five or six yards of the Shore
& at the distance of 15 or twenty yards from the Marines a little to
the right of them; the Mate in the Pinnace immediately complyed with Capt.
Cook's Orders & brought that boat as near in as he could without
grounding, which would have been dangerous as some of the Indians now
attacked the boat and endeavoured to lay hold of her and haul her on
shore, at the same time that the boats Crew were busy in taking the
Marines in who had escaped from the Indians, which creating unavoidable
confusion & disorder in such a small boat prevented them entirely from
using their fire arms & giving assistance to Capt. Cook".
"The officer who commanded the Launch
mistaking, as he himself says, the Signal which Capt. Cook made by waving
his hand as an order to get further out, immediately ordered that Boat to
pull off the Shore at the very Moment her assistance was so much wanted,
& got to the distance of about fifty yards out of the reach of the
Stones where she lay upon her Oars, while some of the Marines were drowned
for want of a boat to take them in, Allen even crying out to them that he
should be drown'd if they did not come nearer in & give him
assistance, which he accordingly was, not being able to swim & it is
highly probable that the Corporal might have been saved had this Boat come
nearer in. This Conduct of the Officer who commanded in the Launch was
taken Notice of at the time by the Lieut. of Marines, who presently after
exclaimed against it & said that he once thought of shooting him on
the Spot; the Crew of that Boat likewise spread a Report, that if they had
gone in according to Capt. Cook's Orders they might have given him &
the rest of the people on shore some assistance, whereas in the Situation
to which the officer had ordered them, they could be of no manner of
service to any of the People; for all those who escaped with their Lives
by swimming were taken in by the Pinnace, which was thereby so crouded
that the Crew could not make use of their fire Arms against the Indians
who were killing Captain Cook".
"The Officer of Marines after getting into
the Pinnace, finding her so incommoded by the number of people in her
jumped over board & swam to the Launch, first having saved the Life of
Jackson a Marine who was just sinking after having received a violent blow
on his head. The Launch kept a fire from the Situation she was in on the
Indians on shore, at the same time the officer gave Orders for the small
Cutter to go close in shore with four or five youngsters in her & keep
a fire on the Indians; they went close in but could hardly find an Indian
to fire at, there being only a few Stragglers thinly scatter'd here &
there, & the dead Bodies of Captain Cook and the four Marines lying on
the rock close to the water's edge with only two or three Indians about
them, so that there could be no manner of difficulty in taking them in.
However one or two muskets having got wet in the Launch & about as
many men saying that their Cartridges were almost expended, this was
thought a sufficient excuse for returning to the Ship & leave the dead
body of their great Commander exposed on the beach to the insults &
Barbarities of the Indians. What can be said to this! - they did return on
board with the Boats with about forty men in them, the major part of whom
according to their own declaration had their boxes nearly full, not having
expended above 3 or four Cartridges; as they were pulling off, the
Coxswain of the Pinnace fired at a few Indians on the Beach and killed one
of them on which the rest immediately fled & left the Place
clear".
"To have come away at such a time as this
& forsaken the body of Captain Cook cannot be thought on without
feeling the keenest anguish and Indignation; the Men it must be said were
most sincerely affected on this Occasion & had they been left to
themselves would most certainly have brought him off, when they came along
side they cryed out with Tears in their Eyes that they had lost their
Father! Those on board knew of their Loss before this, having seen with
their Glasses Captain Cook knocked down, on which two or three great Guns
were fired among the Indians which made them fly in great Numbers; had
this fire been kept up the beach would soon have been cleared & it is
difficult to say positively that it would not have given Captain Cook some
Chance for his life, it is certain that this alone would have cleared the
Beach for a few Men out of the Boats to land & bring his body off,
however for some Reason even this fire was discontinued almost as soon as
it was begun. It is the general Opinion that on account of the situation
he was in the Boats could not have saved Captain Cook's Life; still it
appears difficult to decide what might have been effected by three Boats
with near forty men in them, from what was done by one of the smallest
which at the most important moment was engaged in picking up those who
swam from the shore. Tho' at first, while men's Passions were yet warm it
was common to cry up the Intrepidity & more than manly Courage of
these Indians, yet when we consider the matter coolly it appears very
evident that they never faced our people or attacked them except at a
distance with Stones, untill they were encouraged to fall on our people
turning their backs to them & falling into disorder. Indians never
will, be they ever so numerous, stand before a set of resolute Men with
fire arms who will firmly maintain their Ground; nor, except they have you
entirely in their Power, will they stand the fire of a single musket, but
no people are quicker to observe or more active in taking advantage of
their Enemies when that Vigour & firmness which ought ever to be kept
in full force, begins once to relax - when the different parts which ought
to act as one body begin to fall asunder, then by a furious onset they
increase the confusion and gain a very easy conquest. All those who were
wounded were wounded in the Back. When Captain Cook was left upon the Rock
alone, the Indian seem'd afraid of approaching him even when his back was
turned to him, it was not every man among them who dared even in his
present situation to attack him; he was a Chief of great consequence &
nearly related to Kariopoo who had the Courage to do it, Capt. Cook was
entirely detached from the Croud, the Man advanced to him slyly when he
could not suspect any thing. Had he been aware of his coming time enough
to have faced him, it does not admit of a doubt but that the Indian would
have fled his presence like the Souldier did from the brave Roman when he
cryed out, 'Fellow darest thou kill Caius Marius'? Tho' these Indians are
undoubtedly brave, yet a small body of well disciplined Europeans with
fire Arms will have much more to suspect from their Treachery than their
Courage. Upon the whole may it not be fairly inferred that had the Launch
stood by the Pinnace, & both had resolutely pulled in & kept a
regular & well directed fire upon the Indians, that they must have
given way and thereby the Life of that Man been saved whose Loss his
Country must ever deplore".
"Such were the Circumstances of this most
unfortunate Affair, in the Relation of which attention has been paid to
every particular of it, which probably has rendered the narrative tedious
& prolix; & however disagreeable a Task it may be to sum up those
facts which reflect no Credit on the Conduct of one of the officers, yet I
hope it has been done with Candour, and that even the great Veneration in
which I hold the Abilities & Virtues of Captain Cook has not cast such
a Mist before my Eyes but that I have been able to see & honest enough
to follow the Path that is enlightened by the Rays of Truth. It may be
affirmed that nothing has been aimed at in this Narrative but to relate
matter of fact and that the excellent Precept of Shakespear has been all
along kept in view & inviolably adhered to,
'Nothing extenuate nor set down aught
in Malice'.
The accident happened at eight o'Clock in the Morning, Capt. Cook having
been ashore about an hour; as soon as the Boats went off the Indians came
down & carryed away the dead Bodies of our people & of their own
which lay on the Rocks. The top of the Hill above the Town was all this
time covered with people looking on & others flocking out of the Town
in great numbers. Those who were most active on this Occasion were the
Chiefs, who had got a great Number of iron Daggers from us, which being so
much superior to their own became the chief instruments of our
Destruction, & had they not been supplyed with these it is probable we
should not have suffered so much as we did ..."
"As soon as the boats came on board the
Pinnace was sent to the Discovery to inform Captain Clerke upon
whom the chief Command had now devolved, of what had happened, he went
immediately on board the Resolution. The Security of her foremast,
which was repairing on shore on that side of the Harbour where the Tents
were erected, became now the first Object; a reinforcement of Men was sent
to Mr. King the 2nd Lieut of the Resolution who commanded there,
& who was already surrounded by a great number of Indians who attacked
the People at a distance & from behind some walls & Houses with
Stones, the Discovery's Boats which lay at the east point of the
bay now joined him, & he drew up all his force on the Pile of Stones
called Ohekeaw which was a very advantageous Situation, where he was
secure from any sudden Onset of the Indians, and where he could overlook
& guard the People who were getting the foremast into the water &
the Tents into the Boats to be carryed on board the Ships; the Indians
from all Quarters pelted our people with Stones but did them no hurt, but
a few of them fell by our fire arms. The Priest Kaireekea who had been our
constant Friend, and by his honest & obliging behaviour had gained
universal Esteem among us, staid all this time by our people & at the
desire of the Lieut. expostulated with his Countrymen on their attacking
our people, and telling them that we meant to do them no hurt except we
were forced to it in our own defence; but this having no effect upon them,
who still continued to throw stones, Mr. King told Kaireekea that it would
be better for him to stay with us no longer, lest his Countrymen might
take offence at it or some Accident might happen to him from our people,
upon which this friendly Indian went away ..."
"Sometimes one of them would come out of
bravado & expose himself as a mark for our people & if they missed
him would wave his matt over his head in triumph; one Man having stood
several shot, had still the rashness to stand there & brave our people
till at last he was brought down ... On seeing the fire & smoke at the
discharge of the Muskets the Indians concluded that they did the execution
by burning, and then naturally supposed that water would destroy their
Effect which made them all wet their matts in a pond close by. There were
five or six Indians killed & not any of our people hurt, the Mast
& Tents were got safe on board; after they had quitted their Station
on Ohekeeaw the place was immediately occupied by the Indians, but having
got every thing from the Shore we had no further Molestation to fear from
them. Notwithstanding we are at open war with these people we had a few
Girls on board both Ships all this day".
"Reflections being universally Cast on the
Conduct of the third Lieut. of the Resolution who commanded in the
Launch, he desired that a public Enquiry might be made into the affair;
accordingly several of that Boat's Crew were called who gave answers to
the several questions that were put to them, agreeable to the Account that
has been before given of this morning's Transactions, but some of the
mates seemed to prevaricate and dissent from their first Assertions, even
expressly contradicting what they had said to the officer of Marines when
he blamed the Conduct of the third Lieut."
"The foremast being got on board Our next
object was to recover the Body of Capt. Cook from the Indians, & as it
was thought impracticable now to get it by force, as in all probability it
was removed up into the Country, the only method left was to endeavour to
make them give it up by fair means. The mast having taken a long time in
getting upon deck it was four o'Clock before this Plan could be put in
execution, When the Boats of both Ships were manned with about 80 People
all armed under the Command of Mr. King, who had orders not to land or
fire upon the Indians without they first attacked our people, but to
endeavour to come to a parley with some of them & try by fair Means to
get the Body restored. As the Boats approached the Shore many of the
Indians, who were collected together in great numbers on the Beach, fled,
others retired a little way from the water side and threw Stones at us
with Slings; they all appeared with their Matts on & armed with long
Spears & Daggers, since morning they had thrown up several little
breastworks of stones in many places near the Spot where our People were
killed, probably expecting an attack from us at that place. Mr King got
out of the Pinnace into the small Cutter & hoisting a table Cloth as
an ensign of peace rowed close in shore, while the rest of the boats lay a
little further off on their Oars. We opened our arms & cried out that
we were at peace with them, by which means we gained a Parley with them
& some of them spread out their Arms & shewed us they had no
weapons; one of them advanced to the Water side & beckoned to us to
come on shore, but not choosing to do that, we desired that he would come
to us, at which he made no hesitation but jumped into the water & swam
off to us. We found it was our old Acquaintance Coo-a-ha the Priest, he
came into the boat & saluted us by touching Noses & made a crying
Noise, lamenting the unfortunate quarrel that had happened between his
Countrymen and us. We told him that we were come for the Body of the Orono
(by which Name Captain Cook was mostly called by them) and asked him where
it was, he told us it was up towards the Hills and that we should have it
& that he himself would go & see it brought to us; he then (how
strange the disposition of these people!) asked us for a Toi, & it was
given to him upon which he went ashore, and we lay upon our oars waiting
the Event at the distance of 10 or 12 yards off the Shore & the other
boats a short way without us; we saw one Man parading about with Captain
Cook's Hanger in his hand and another with one of our people's Trowsers
on. The Indians were all armed but did not offer to assault us. We
frequently enquired for the body & they told us that it would be
brought to us presently; in a short time we saw the Indians prostrating
themselves and a Chief of some Consequence called Ee-apo came toward the
beach dressed in a long feathered Cloak, he went and sat in a large Canoe
that was hauled up dry expecting we would come to him, but finding that
none of us chose to trust ourselves ashore he came down to us. The Indians
at this time shewed such a peaceable Disposition that the Lieut. was
almost tempted to venture on shore among them himself, but when Ee-apo
came down to the Water side he told us that the Orono was not killed; at
the same time he kept lurking behind a rock concealing a Dagger under his
Cloak, & had upon the whole such a suspicious Appearance that
presented such a lively picture of Treachery as was sufficient to put
Simplicity herself on her Guard. Soon after another Chief well known to us
called Ta-hedoa, who had lived many days on board the Discovery,
came down & in a friendly Manner called one or two of his old
Shipmates by Name with whom the day before he was so intimate; we asked
him for the Orono & he told us that he was a good way in the Country
& that he would be brought to us to morrow, at the same time some
Indians were informing the Men in the other boats that the body of Captain
Cook & the four Marines were all cut to pieces. Tahedoa planted a
white ensign on the Rock & there was another stuck on a small heap of
stones on the spot where they had killed Captain Cook. Mr King having
waited above half an hour to no manner of purpose, the Indians seeming
only to trifle with us, sent on board to Captain Clerke to Inform him of
what the Indians said & to know what he would have him do further. The
boat returned with orders not to commit any hostilities, to return on
board & wait till to morrow to see if the Indians would perform their
promise. Upon this We all put back to the Ship to the great disappointment
& vexation of all the People, who wished for nothing more than to
revenge the Death of their much loved Commander on the spot where but a
few hours before they had seen his dead body lie & insulted by the
Indians; it was with much difficulty they could be restrained from firing
upon them, and indeed it required more than human Patience tamely to look
on while one Man brandished Captain Cook's Hanger full in our faces and
others paraded about with some of our peoples Cloaths on, & to
compleat the whole some of them smacked their back sides at us in contempt
as we were pulling off and others threw Stones. Yet we bore it all very
quietly. The Indians frequently desired some of us to land, telling us we
should have the dead Body which probably was intended as a snare to get us
into their hands. As soon as we came away they all retired from the Beach
& went up towards the foot of the Hill behind the Town where we
suppose the dead Bodys were, having seen them carryed that way in the
Morning, & since perceived with our Glasses from the ship some of them
lying along stripped of all their Cloaths & crowds of Indians about
them. Soon after We got on board Coo-a-ha the Priest came along side the
Ship in his Canoe with a white flag hoisted, he told Captain Clerke that
if he would accompany him ashore the dead body of the Orono would be
delivered to him; finding that he could not prevail upon him He
endeavoured to persuade the 2nd Lieut. to go with him & it is
unnecessary to say that he likewise refused, upon which the old Priest
paddled ashore. Parea seems to have been the sole Occasion of this unhappy
quarrel, as it is pretty clear that he set the Man on to steal the
Armourers Tongues & Chizel & not improbable but that he was the
Man who stole the Cutter. Last night the Centries at the Tents heard the
women in the Town close by making mournful Cries; perhaps they knew that
some Mischief was brewing by their Husbands. To night a boat was ordered
to row Guard round each Ship. The Resolution lay off the Town of
Kavaroa at the distance of about a quarter of a mile & the Discovery
about a Cable's Length from her, between her & the Town of Keragegooa
on the opposite side of the Bay to Kavaroa".
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15th: "During the whole
night we saw many Lights moving backwards & forwards behind the Town
& several Fires burning, where we immagined the Indians were
destroying the dead Bodies of our people, & by the Lights we supposed
they were burying their own people at the foot of the Hill, & we heard
Howlings & Lamentations from many parts of the Bay. We were quiet in
the Ships none of them offering to disturb us in the Night. Early this
Morning a Canoe passed the Ship at a little distance in which was only one
man, he told us that the Body of Capt. Cook was brought down to the Beach.
Soon after Coo-aha came along side the Resolution & wanted Mr.
King to go ashore; during the Course of the day he came to the Ship
several times under a flag of Truce & once brought a small Pig and a
head of Taroo as a present but we would not accept of them. In the
afternoon Capt. Cook's Cloaths were sold in the Cabbin to the Gentlemen of
both Ships. Coo-a-ha came to the ship again in the Dusk of the Evening; as
it seem'd that his whole business was only to make observations we told
him to go ashore directly. We waited all this day without seeing any thing
of the dead Body according to the promise of the Indians last night...
There were a great number of Indians at the Town of Kavaroa all this day,
every time the Priest returned from the Ship they crouded round him to
hear the News he had brought. Seeing from the Ships many Indians going in
the morning across the low hill behind the Town, we suspected that there
might be a Fleet of Canoes round the point waiting for an Opportunity to
attack the Ships, which made Capt Clerke send the Pinnace round the point
to see; as the boat rowed along the People on shore waved white Ensigns,
but notwithstanding when she approached near they hove stones at her. We
have had some Expectation of their Attacking the Ships, as they could
never find a better Opportunity than the Present, on account of the Resolution's
mast being repairing on Deck and the Ship much lumbered with rigging
&c. However it is highly improbable that they will ever make such an
attempt, the present good Will we bear to them make[s] the generality of
us very desirous that they would make a Trial. The Boat soon returned
without having seen any Canoes".
"To day Captain Clerke took upon him the
Command of the Resolution and appointed the first Lieut. of her, Mr
Gore, to the Command of the Discovery; the 2nd Lieut of her was
appointed 1st & the 3rd to be 2nd Lieut. of her. At eight o'Clock at
night the 2 Sentries on the Resolutions forecastle perceived a
Canoe under the Bows with two Men in her laying hold of the Cable, upon
which they fired upon them, the alarm was given in the Ship of the Indians
coming to attack her & all were immediately upon deck under arms. The
two Indians on being discovered & fired at cryed out for Teene (as
they called Mr King). Our people jumped into the Boats along side, seized
the Canoe & brought the two men on board, who were much frightened
& asked Mr King if they would be killed and he told them they would
not as they were well known to us, both belonging to our Friend Kaireekea
the Priest; one of them was he whom we called the Taboo Man as he always
went in the head of Captain Cook's Pinnace holding a long stick in his
hand... He had a bundle under his arm & he was carryed down into the
Cabbin where he opened it, and presented to us a Spectacle that struck us
with Horror; this was a large piece of human flesh, being the whole of the
upper part of a Thigh with the bone taken out, it smelled strong, he told
us repeatedly it was the Thigh of Capt. Cook & that he was carrying it
over as a present to Cahoo from Kariopoo, & we supposed it might be
intended as an Offering to their Gods. We asked him if they eat the flesh
of their Enemies, this he strongly denyed; we enquired for his Head &
the rest of the body, he told us that the head was beat to pieces &
the body & Limbs burnt & the Bones in the possession of Kariopoo.
Cahoo, who is the head priest & Chief of Ohekeaw, to whom the Taboo
man belongs, does not seem on this occasion to espouse the Interest of the
King but rather to favour us".
"The two Men staid on board till after nine
o'Clock and then went ashore at Ohekeeaw where Cahoo resides, & a boat
was sent with them past the Discovery lest the Guard boat might
fire at them. On seeing them under the ship's Bows the Sentries thought
they were cutting the Cable, to prevent which, as we had some Suspicion
that the Indians might make the attempt, they were placed on the
forecastle; the 2 shot had gone through the upper part of the Canoe but
has luckily missed the 2 men in her. These two men seemed to deal upon an
honest footing with us, told us that if any of us went on shore according
to the desire of Coo-a-ha that the Indians would kill them, and that their
shew of Friendship was intended to deceive. They expressed much fear least
they should know of his having come on board with the Thigh, they said
that all our people had been burnt last Night and their own buried. This
Morning some of the large Canoes were taken out of the Bay, the Indians
endeavouring to secure all of their Effects from falling into our
Hands".
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16th: "Last night Women
were heard howling & crying ashore, perhaps over their deceased
Husbands & Friends. This morning Captain Cook's Thigh was buried in
the Sea. Coo-a-ha came again to the Resolution under a Flag of
truce, wanting some of the officers to go ashore, & in the afternoon
came upon the same Errand to the Discovery; as we are acquainted
with the treacherous Design that this Man comes upon he owes his Life to
our forbearance & humanity, which on such an occasion as this seems to
be carryed to a degree almost bordering upon weakness. However be it still
our praise to err on the side of Mercy rather than on that of Severity ...
"
EDITOR'S NOTE: Although this log contains
more detail, for the sake of space, only those entries relating to
Captain Cook, or of particular interest will be shown in future.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18th: "About eight
o'Clock at night a man brought off some roasted bread fruit on a swimming
board to the Discovery, which was bought of him; soon after two or
three Canoes came loaded with the same Article, and one with Girls which
were admitted to the Ship, tho' we are at open war with their Countrymen.
We enquired of some of these Indians what they had done with Captain
Cook's body and with those of the rest of our people; they told us that
the body of Captain Cook was divided in the following manner. His head
fell to the share of a Chief called Ke-koo-opeoo; his Hair to Kamehameha;
his Legs, Thighs, Arms & under Jaw to Kariopoo, and the body was
burnt. They told us that the King and his Attendants lived at present in
some Holes in the rocks behind the Town of Kavaroa".
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20th: "Between ten &
eleven o'Clock we saw a great Number of people coming down the hills in a
kind of procession, every one of them carrying a Sugar Cane or two on his
Shoulders & about as many breadfruit, Taroo root, or Plantains in his
Hand. Two Drummers who accompanyed them sat down on the Beach by a white
Flag & beat their Drums, while the Indians came one by one, laid down
their Sugar Cane &c. and then retired; another party came along the
Beach, in the same order, & laid down their Presents or peace
offerings upon the others & then withdrew. Another white Flag with one
Man sitting by it was flying about midway on the Beach. In a short time we
saw Eeapo in his feathered Cloak standing on a rock waving to us for a
boat to come on shore, on which Captain Clerke went to him in the Pinnace
attended by the 1st Lieut. in the large Cutter. They did not land, for
Eeapo attended by Taweno-ora came into the Pinnace, and a large bundle was
handed in covered with a black feathered Cloak, in which was contained the
remains of Captain Cook decently wrapped up in a large quantity of fine
new Cloth. Eeapo did not stay long on board either Ship, but soon returned
on shore with the presents that were made to him, a fine new Cloak was
given to him on board the Discovery made of red Bays with a border
of green. In the Afternoon the Bundle was opened on board the Resolution
in the Cabbin, we found in it the following bones with some flesh upon
them which had the marks of fire. The Thighs & Legs joined together
but not the feet, both Arms with the Hands seperated from them, the Skull
with all the bones that form the face wanting with the Scalp seperated
from it, which was also in the bundle with the hair on it cut short, both
Hands whole with the Skin of the fore Arms joined to them, the hands had
not been in the fire, but were salted, several Gashes being cut in them to
take the Salt in. Tho we had no doubt concerning the Identity of any of
the parts contained in the bundle, every one must be perfectly satisfied
as to that of the hands, for we all knew the right by a large Scar on it
seperating for about an inch the Thumb from the fore-finger. The Ears
adhered to the Scalp, which had a cut in it about an inch long, probably
made by the first blow he received with the Club, but the Skull was not
fractured so that it is likely that the Stroke was not mortal. Such was
the Condition in which those, who looked upon Captain Cook as their father
& whose great Qualities they venerated almost to adoration, were
doomed to behold his Remains; what their feelings were upon the Occasion
is not to be described".
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21st: "... Between four and
five o'Clock in the afternoon the Colours of both Ships were hoisted half
staff up and the yards crossed, and at ten minutes before six the Remains
of Captain Cook were committed to the deep under a discharge of 10
Guns".
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22nd: "We had no Canoes
along side this Morning; perhaps the Indians on hearing the Guns at the
funeral last night immagined that Hostilities were again commenced, but
however the Case might be with the generality, Eeapo and his Attendants
were well convinced of the contrary by the many presents that had been
made to them & the cordial manner in which he had been always
received, he therefore made no hesitation at coming on board the Ships, he
brought with him Captain Cook's under Jaw & his feet, one of his Shoes
and a piece of his hat ... They have not restored any of the Marines' arms
or indeed any thing else that could be of any Service to them. Kaireekea
the Priest tells us that even now these people are not our friends and we
have great reason to believe him. On talking about the two Chiefs who
killed Captain Cook he asked us in a low Voice if we did not mean to get
them into our hands and kill them before we went away. They are
universally known, having acquired great Fame by the action. The Indians
say that they thought Kariopoo would have been killed if he had gone on
board with Captain Cook. They tell us that Parea was the person who stole
the Discovery's great Cutter and that she was broke to pieces early
in the morning, which confirms the Suspicions we have all along had. We
are getting ready for sea, intending to sail out of the Harbour to night
with the land Breeze ... We have a great number of Girls on board, most of
them want to accompany us to the next Island, Mowee ... About nine o'Clock
at Night the land breeze springing up we sailed out of Kerag-egooa Harbour
and stood along shore for the Island of Mowee which lies to leeward of
us".
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd: "Standing along
shore towards Mowee with a light Wind and fair Weather, two or three
Canoes came off to us with a few Hogs, & one for two of the Girls. At
night it came on to blow fresh".
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24th: "Standing along
the Island Ca-how-ra-we with a fresh Breeze, having Mowee, Oranai and
Morotai in sight ... Canoes came off to us from the different Islands
around us with Hogs, breadfruit & roots to sell. The News of the
affair of Kerag-egooa had reached them before our arrival, for that was
almost the first thing they mentioned to us, and seemed desirous that we
should know that Kariopoo was not the King of these Islands but that they
belonged to Ka-hee-keere; the Girls who came with us gave them the
particulars of that Transaction to which they listened with great
attention and were very inquisitive about every Circumstance; as far as we
could understand them the Girls told them that we had come off with the
worst, having had our Chief killed, & their Numbers being of little
consequence when compared with the Loss of so great a Man. And it will be
well if the disgraceful representation which the Girls give of us may not
be the occasion of further quarrels with the Inhabitants of these Islands
before we leave them ... This being considered it should seem impolitic at
least to carry these Girls with us to propogate our unfortunate story from
Island to Island and be perpetual Recorders of our disgrace ..." |
