Celebrated Travels and Travellers, Part 2.: The Great Navigators of the Eighteenth CenturyVerne, Jules
History
Celebrated Travels and Travellers, Part 2.: The Great Navigators of the Eighteenth Century
Verne, Jules
Discoveries in geography; Explorers; Voyages and travels
"Many of the natives had their faces painted in an extraordinary way,
and feathers fixed in their heads. Although they appeared friendly, it
was impossible to persuade any of them to come on board. However, as
the vessels had cast anchor, the captain had the sails furled, took in
the topmasts, and unrigged the mizzen mast of the _Resolution_, in
order to allow of repairs. Barter with the Indians soon commenced, and
the most rigorous honesty prevailed. The objects offered were bear and
wolf skins, and those of foxes, deers, and polecats, weasels, and
especially otters, which are found in the islands east of Kamschatka.
Also clothes made of a kind of hemp, bows, lances, fish-hooks,
monstrous figures, and a kind of stuff of hair or wool, bags filled
with red ochre, bits of sculptured wood, trinkets of copper and iron
shaped like horse-shoes, which they wore hung from the nose.
"Human ears and hands, not yet free from flesh, struck us most among
the things they offered us. They made us clearly understand that they
had eaten the portions that were missing, and we indeed perceived that
these hands and ears had been on the fire."
The English were not long in ascertaining that these natives were as
habitual robbers as any they had hitherto met with. They were even
more dangerous, as, possessing iron implements, they could easily cut
the cords. They combined their thefts with intelligence, and one of
them amused the sentinel at one end of the boat, whilst another
snatched the iron from the other end. They sold a quantity of very
good oil, and a great deal of fish, especially sardines.
When the numerous repairs needed by the ships were made, and the grass
required for the few goats and sheep remaining on board had been
shipped, Cook set sail on the 26th of April, 1778.
He gave the name of King George's Sound to the spot where he had
stayed, although it was called Nootka by the natives.
The vessels had scarcely gained the open sea when a violent tempest
overtook them, during which the _Resolution_ sprung a leak on the
starboard side below the water line.
Carried away by the storm, Cook passed the spot selected by
geographers as the situation of the Strait of Admiral de Fonte, though
he greatly wished to dispel all doubt on the subject.
The captain therefore continued along the American coast, surveying
and naming the principal points. During this cruise he had constant
intercourse with the Indians, and was not slow in noticing that their
canoes had been replaced by boats, of which only the framework was
wood, and over which were spread seal-skins.
[Illustration: Prince William's Sound.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account