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
A young female slave, who was born and bred up among the English at
Bencoolen, and had learnt a little of the language, told Mr. Banks that
her father, when he was dying, acquainted her that he had a crocodile
for his _Sudara_, and solemnly charged her to give him meat when he
should be dead, telling her in what part of the river he was to be
found, and by what name he was to be called up. That, in pursuance of
her father’s instructions and command, she went to the river, and,
standing upon the bank, called out _Radja Pouti_, White King, upon which
a crocodile came to her out of the water, and ate from her hand the
provisions that she had brought him. When she was desired to describe
this paternal uncle, who in so strange a shape had taken up his dwelling
in the water, she said, that he was not like other crocodiles, but much
handsomer; that his body was spotted and his nose red; that he had
bracelets of gold upon his feet, and ear-rings of the same metal in his
ears. Mr. Banks heard this tale of ridiculous falsehood patiently to the
end, and then dismissed the girl, without reminding her, that a
crocodile with ears was as strange a monster as a dog with a cloven
foot. Some time after this, a servant, whom Mr. Banks had hired at
Batavia, and who was the son of a Dutchman by a Javanese woman, thought
fit to acquaint his master that he had seen a crocodile of the same
kind, which had also been seen by many others, both Dutchmen and Malays:
that being very young, it was but two feet long, and had bracelets of
gold upon its feet. There is no giving credit to these stories, said Mr.
Banks, for I was told the other day that a crocodile had ear-rings; and
you know that could not be true, because crocodiles have no ears. Ah,
Sir, said the man, these Sudara Oran are not like other crocodiles; they
have five toes upon each foot, a large tongue that fills their mouth,
and ears also, although they are indeed very small.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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