The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. II. Being the Second of the First VoyageCook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. II. Being the Second of the First Voyage
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
At eight o’clock the next morning, we were visited by several of the
natives, who were now become quite familiar. One of them, at our desire,
threw his lance, which was about eight feet long; it flew with a
swiftness and steadiness that surprised us, and though it was never more
than four feet from the ground, it entered deeply into a tree at fifty
paces’ distance. After this they ventured on board, where I left them,
to all appearance, much entertained, and went again with Mr. Banks to
take a view of the country; but chiefly to indulge an anxious curiosity,
by looking round us upon the sea, of which our wishes almost persuaded
us we had formed an idea more disadvantageous than the truth. After
having walked about seven or eight miles along the shore to the
northward, we ascended a very high hill, and were soon convinced that
the danger of our situation was at least equal to our apprehensions; for
in whatever direction we turned our eyes, we saw rocks and shoals
without number, and no passage out to sea but through the winding
channels between them, which could not be navigated without the last
degree of difficulty and danger. We returned therefore to the ship, not
in better spirits than when we left it: we found several natives still
on board, and we were told that the turtles, of which we had no less
than twelve upon the deck, had fixed their attention more than any thing
else in the ship.
On the 19th, in the morning, we were visited by ten of the natives, the
greater part from the other side of the river, where we saw six or seven
more, most of them women, and, like all the rest of the people we had
seen in this country, they were stark naked. Our guests brought with
them a greater number of lances than they had ever done before, and
having laid them up in a tree, they set a man and a boy to watch them:
the rest then came on board, and we soon perceived that they had
determined to get one of our turtle, which was probably as great a
dainty to them as to us. They first asked us by signs to give them one;
and being refused, they expressed, both by looks and gestures, great
disappointment and anger. At this time we happened to have no victuals
dressed, but I offered one of them some biscuit, which he snatched and
threw overboard with great disdain. One of them renewed his request to
Mr. Banks, and upon a refusal stamped with his foot, and pushed him from
him in a transport of resentment and indignation. Having applied by
turns to almost every person who appeared to have any command in the
ship, without success, they suddenly seized two of the turtles, and
dragged them towards the side of the ship where their canoe lay: our
people soon forced them out of their hands, and replaced them with the
rest. They would not however relinquish their enterprise, but made
several other attempts of the same kind, in all which being equally
disappointed, they suddenly leaped into their canoe in a rage, and began
to paddle towards the shore.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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