The Life of Captain James Cook, the CircumnavigatorKitson, Arthur
History
The Life of Captain James Cook, the Circumnavigator
Kitson, Arthur
Cook, James, 1728-1779; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Geographers -- Great Britain -- Biography
On 7th October, sailing for New Zealand, they were delayed by contrary
winds, and did not sight the neighbourhood of Table Cape till the 21st.
They stood in to Tolago and Poverty Bays with the intention of presenting
any chiefs who came off, with pigs, fowls, and garden seeds in hopes of
making a commencement in stocking the island, but none were seen till
Cape Kidnappers was reached, when two made their appearance, and were
duly given two boars and two sows, and four hens and two cocks, first
obtaining a promise that they should not be killed; to these were added a
supply of seeds, such as peas, beans, cabbage, turnips, etc. Standing on
through a series of heavy squalls, in one of which the Resolution lost
her fore topgallant mast, they ran into a violent gale which lasted for a
week, and, after a slight moderation, came on with increased fury, and
the two vessels parted company.
On 3rd November the Resolution reached her old anchorage in Ship Cove,
Queen Charlotte's Sound; but the Adventure was seen no more during the
voyage. Forster was much upset by the stormy weather, "the dreadful
energy of the language" of the sailors, the absence of their consort
which "doubled every danger," the shortness of the table supplies and his
own dislike to a further trip to southern latitudes. Hoping the Adventure
might yet come in, Cook pushed on with his refit, and thoroughly
overhauled his stores. About 4000 pounds weight of ship's bread was found
unfit for food, and another 3000 pounds nearly as bad; they were very
fortunate, therefore, in getting a plentiful supply of scurvy grass and
wild celery, and a small quantity of vegetables from the gardens they had
previously laid out.
Any doubts that may have been felt about the cannibalism of the New
Zealanders was set at rest by some of the officers who surprised a party
engaged in a feast. A human head was purchased from the feasters and
taken on board, and a piece of the flesh being offered to a Maori, it was
greedily devoured. A South Sea Islander, Odidie, was intensely horrified,
and refused to touch the knife with which it had been cut, nor would he
be in any way friendly with the eater. Cook firmly believed that only
enemies killed in battle were eaten, and did not think the custom arose
from any shortness of food.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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