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
By this time, having been here only nine days, we began to feel the
fatal effects of the climate and situation. Tupia, after the flow of
spirits which the novelties of the place produced upon his first
landing, sunk on a sudden, and grew every day worse and worse. Tayeto
was seized with an inflammation upon his lungs, Mr. Banks’s two servants
became very ill, and himself and Dr. Solander were attacked by fevers:
in a few days, almost every person both on board and ashore were sick;
affected, no doubt, by the low swampy situation of the place, and the
numberless dirty canals which intersect the town in all directions. On
the 26th, I set up the tent for the reception of the ship’s company, of
whom there was but a small number able to do duty. Poor Tupia, of whose
life we now began to despair, and who till this time had continued
ashore with Mr. Banks, desired to be removed to the ship, where, he
said, he should breathe a freer air than among the numerous houses which
obstructed it ashore: on board the ship, however, he could not go, for
she was unrigged, and preparing to be laid down at the careening-place;
but on the 28th, Mr. Banks went with him to Cooper’s Island, or, as it
is called here, Kuypor, where she lay, and as he seemed pleased with the
spot, a tent was there pitched for him: at this place both the sea
breeze and the land breeze blew directly over him, and he expressed
great satisfaction in his situation. Mr. Banks, whose humanity kept him
two days with this poor Indian, returned to the town on the 30th, and
the fits of his intermittent, which was now become a regular tertian,
were so violent as to deprive him of his senses while they lasted, and
leave him so weak that he was scarcely able to crawl down stairs: at
this time, Dr. Solander’s disorder also increased, and Mr. Monkhouse,
the surgeon, was confined to his bed.
On the 5th of November, after many delays, in consequence of the Dutch
ships coming along side the wharfs to load pepper, the ship was laid
down, and the same day, Mr. Monkhouse, our surgeon, a sensible skilful
man, fell the first sacrifice to this fatal country, a loss which was
greatly aggravated by our situation. Dr. Solander was just able to
attend his funeral, but Mr. Banks was confined to his bed. Our distress
was now very great, and the prospect before us discouraging in the
highest degree: our danger was not such as we could surmount by any
efforts of our own; courage, skill, and diligence, were all equally
ineffectual, and death was every day making advances upon us, where we
could neither resist nor fly. Malay servants were hired to attend the
sick, but they had so little sense either of duty or humanity, that they
could not be kept within call, and the patient was frequently obliged to
get out of bed to seek them. On the 9th, we lost our poor Indian boy
Tayeto, and Tupia was so much affected, that it was doubted whether he
would survive till the next day.
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