The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VII. Being the Third of the Third VoyageKing, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VII. Being the Third of the Third Voyage
King, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
Captain Clerke, conjecturing that he had brought the bones of Captain
Cook, which proved to be the fact, went himself in the pinnace, to
receive them; and ordered me to attend him in the cutter. When we
arrived at the beach, Eappo came into the pinnace, and delivered to the
captain the bones wrapped up in a large quantity of fine new cloth, and
covered with a spotted cloak of black and white feathers. He afterward
attended us to the Resolution, but could not be prevailed upon to go on
board; probably not choosing, from a sense of decency, to be present at
the opening of the bundle. We found in it both the hands of Captain Cook
entire, which were well known from a remarkable scar on one of them,
that divided the thumb from the fore-finger, the whole length of the
metacarpal bone; the skull, but with the scalp separated from it, and
the bones that form the face wanting; the scalp, with the hair upon it
cut short, and the ears adhering to it; the bones of both arms, with the
skin of the fore-arms hanging to them; the thigh and leg-bones joined
together, but without the feet. The ligaments of the joints were entire;
and the whole bore evident marks of having been in the fire, except the
hands, which had the flesh left upon them, and were cut in several
places, and crammed with salt, apparently with an intention of
preserving them. The scalp had a cut in the back part of it, but the
skull was free from any fracture. The lower jaw and feet, which were
wanting, Eappo told us, had been seized by different chiefs, and that
Terreeoboo was using every means to recover them.
The next morning, Eappo, and the king’s son, came on board, and brought
with them the remaining bones of Captain Cook; the barrels of his gun,
his shoes, and some other trifles that belonged to him. Eappo took great
pains to convince us, that Terreeoboo, Maiha-maiha, and himself were
most heartily desirous of peace; that they had given us the most
convincing proof of it in their power; and that they had been prevented
from giving it sooner by the other chiefs, many of whom were still our
enemies. He lamented, with the greatest sorrow, the death of six chiefs
we had killed, some of whom, he said, were amongst our best friends. The
cutter, he told us, was taken away by Pareea’s people; very probably in
revenge for the blow that had been given him; and that it had broken up
the next day. The arms of the marines, which we had also demanded, he
assured us, had been carried off by the common people, and were
irrecoverable; the bones of the chief alone having been preserved, as
belonging to Terreeoboo and the _Erees_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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