A Voyage Towards the South Pole and Round the World, Volume 1Cook, James
History
A Voyage Towards the South Pole and Round the World, Volume 1
Cook, James
Antarctica; Oceania -- Discovery and exploration -- Early works to 1800; Voyages around the world -- Early works to 1800
Early in the morning, I sent the two launches and the Resolution's cutter,
under the command of Mr Gilbert, to endeavour to recover the anchors we had
left behind us; they returned about noon, with the Resolution's bower
anchor, but could not recover any of the Adventure's. The natives came off
again with fruit, as the day before, but in no great quantity. I also had a
party on shore, trading under the protection of a guard; nothing, however,
was brought to market but fruit and roots, though many hogs were seen (I
was told) about the houses of the natives. The cry was, that they belonged
to Waheatoun the _Earee de hi_, or king, and him we had not yet seen,
nor, I believe, any other chief of note. Many, however, who called
themselves _Earees_, came on board, partly with a view of getting
presents, and partly to pilfer whatever came in their way.
One of this sort of _Earees_ I had, most of the day, in the cabin, and
made presents to him and all his friends, which were not few; at length he
was caught taking things which did not belong to him, and handing them out
of the quarter gallery. Many complaints of the like nature were made to me
against those on deck, which occasioned my turning them all out of the
ship. My cabin guest made good haste to be gone; I was so much exasperated
at his behaviour, that after he had got some distance from the ship, I
fired two muskets over his head, which made him quit the canoe, and take to
the water; I then sent a boat to take up the canoe, but as she came near
the shore, the people from thence began to pelt her with stones. Being in
some pain for her safety, as she was unarmed, I went myself in another boat
to protect her, and ordered a great gun, loaded with ball, to be fired
along the coast, which made them all retire from the shore, and I was
suffered to bring away two canoes without the least shew of opposition. In
one of the canoes was a little boy, who was much frightened, but I soon
dissipated his fears, by giving him beads, and putting him on shore. A few
hours after, we were all good friends again, and the canoes were returned
to the first person who came for them.
It was not till the evening of this day, that any one enquired after Tupia,
and then but two or three. As soon as they learnt the cause of his death,
they were quite satisfied; indeed, it did not appear to me, that it would
have caused a moment's uneasiness in the breast of any one, had his death
been occasioned by any other means than by sickness. As little enquiry was
made after Aotourou, the man who went away with M. de Bougainville. But
they were continually asking for Mr Banks, and several others who were with
me in my former voyage.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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