The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. IV. Being the Second of the Second Voyage.Cook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. IV. Being the Second of the Second Voyage.
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
On the 9th, I sent the launch for more ballast, and the guard and
wooders to the usual place. With these I went myself, and found a good
many of the natives collected together, whose behaviour, though armed,
was courteous and obliging; so that there was no longer any occasion to
mark out the limits by a line; they observed them without this
precaution. As it was necessary for Mr. Wales’s instruments to remain on
shore all the middle of the day, the guard did not return to dinner, as
they had done before, till relieved by others. When I came off, I
prevailed on a young man, whose name was Wha-a-gou, to accompany me.
Before dinner I showed him every part of the ship; but did not observe
that any one thing fixed his attention a moment, or caused in him the
least surprise. He had no knowledge of goats, dogs, or cats, calling
them all hogs (_Booga_ or _Boogas_). I made him a present of a dog and a
bitch, as he showed a liking to that kind of animal. Soon after he came
on board, some of his friends followed in a canoe, and enquired for him,
probably doubtful of his safety. He looked out of the quarter-gallery,
and having spoken to them, they went ashore, and quickly returned with a
cock, a little sugar-cane, and a few cocoa-nuts, as a present to me.
Though he sat down with us, he did but just taste our salt pork, but eat
pretty heartily of yam, and drank a glass of wine. After dinner I made
him presents, and then conducted him ashore.
As soon as we landed, the youth and some of his friends took me by the
hand, with a view, as I understood, to conduct me to their habitations.
We had not gone far, before some of them, for what reason I know not,
were unwilling I should proceed; in consequence of which the whole
company stopped; and, if I was not mistaken, a person was dispatched for
something or other to give me; for I was desired to sit down and wait,
which I accordingly did. During this interval, several of our gentlemen
passed us, at which they showed great uneasiness, and importuned me so
much to order them back, that I was at last obliged to comply. They were
jealous of our going up the country, or even along the shore of the
harbour. While I was waiting here, our friend Paowang came with a
present of fruit and roots, carried by about twenty men; in order, as I
supposed, to make it appear the greater. One had a small bunch of
plantains, another a yam, a third a cocoa-nut, &c.: but two men might
have carried the whole with ease. This present was in return for
something I had given him in the morning; however, I thought the least I
could do now, was to pay the porters.
After I had dispatched Paowang, I returned to Wha-a-gou and his friends,
who were still for detaining me. They seemed to wait with great
impatience for something, and to be unwilling and ashamed to take away
the two dogs, without making me a return. As night was approaching, I
pressed to be gone; with which they complied, and so we parted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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