Captain Cook left Tahiti after a stay of three months. During the
greater part of this period the sailors and natives had lived together
in the most cordial friendship, and in the perpetual interchange of
kindly acts. It must be borne in mind that, though the unchristianised
natives of the South-Sea Islands are all degraded, cruel, and savage,
all are not equally so. Those inhabiting the Feejee group are generally
reported to be the worst in all respects. Those who inhabited Tahiti,
on the other hand, were, at the time of Cook's visit, said to be
comparatively amiable.
At all events, the departure of the _Endeavour_ called forth a strong
display of tender feeling on the part of the natives of that island. In
writing of this Cook says--
"On the next morning, Thursday, the 13th July, the ship was very early
crowded with our friends, and surrounded by multitudes of canoes, which
were filled with natives of an inferior class. Between eleven and
twelve we weighed anchor, and as soon as the ship was under sail the
Indians on board took their leave, and wept with a decent and silent
sorrow, in which there was something very striking and tender. The
people in the canoes, on the contrary, seemed to vie with each other in
the loudness of their lamentations, which we considered rather as an
affectation than grief. Tupia (a chief who had made up his mind to sail
with us) sustained himself in this scene with a firmness and resolution
truly admirable. He wept, indeed, but the effort that he made to
conceal his tears concurred with them to do him honour. He sent his
last present, a shirt, to a friend on shore, and then went to the
mast-head, where he continued waving to the canoes as long as they were
in sight."
Thus ended the visit of the great navigator to Tahiti, an island which
afterwards became the scene of one of the most romantic incidents that
was ever recorded in the annals of maritime adventure, namely, the
mutiny of the men in H.M.S. _Bounty_, and the consequent colonisation of
Pitcairn Island. Tahiti is now civilised, and under the protective
government of the French. The produce of the island is bread-fruit,
cocoa-nuts, bananas of thirteen sorts, plantains, a fruit not unlike an
apple, which, when ripe, is very pleasant, sweet potatoes, yams,
sugar-cane, which the natives eat raw, besides many other kinds of
fruits, roots, and vegetables, all of which grew wild when Cook was
there, or with so little culture that the islanders are almost
altogether exempted from labour.
Setting sail from Tahiti, the _Endeavour_ visited several other isles,
and at length arrived at the celebrated island of New Zealand. This is
one of the largest in the South Seas, and is now the site of several
thriving British settlements. Flourishing cities have been built on its
rich soil; large portions of it have been brought under cultivation;
gold-mines have been discovered; churches and schools have been erected,
and many of the natives have become partially civilised.
Very different indeed was the state of things when Captain Cook first
drew near to its shores in the year 1769.
He cast anchor on the 8th of October in a bay near the mouth of a small
river about half a league from shore. The sides of the bay were white
cliffs of great height, and inland the hills rose one behind another,
towering upwards until they terminated in a chain of mountains in the
far distance. Some natives had been seen on the beach, so, when the
ship was secured, Cook took two of his boats, and, accompanied by Mr
Banks and Dr Solander, with a party of men, went on shore. They landed
on the east side of the river, but finding it too deep to cross, and
seeing some natives on the other side, they took one of the boats--the
yawl--and went over, leaving the other boat--the pinnace--behind them.
When the navigators drew near to the place where the natives were
assembled, the latter ran away. The sailors then landed, and, leaving
four boys in charge of the boat, walked up to some huts which were two
or three hundred yards from the beach. But they had not gone far from
the water-side when four men, armed with long lances, rushed out of the
woods, and ran to attack the boat. They would certainly have succeeded
in overpowering the four boys and making off with the boat, had they not
fortunately been seen by the people left in the pinnace, who called out
to warn the boys of their danger, telling them to push off and drop down
stream. The boys obeyed instantly. Being closely pursued by the
savages, one of them fired a musket over their heads.
At this they stopped in surprise and looked round them, but in a few
minutes renewed the pursuit, brandishing their lances in a threatening
manner, as if about to cast them into the boat, which they could easily
have done. The boys then fired a second shot over their heads, but of
this they took no notice, and one of them lifted his spear with the
intention of darting it; another musket was therefore fired, which shot
the savage dead. When he fell the other three stood motionless for some
time, as if petrified with astonishment. As soon as they recovered they
went back to the woods, dragging the dead body, but they soon dropped it
and fled when they saw Cook and his companions running to the rescue.
The dead body was examined, and found to be that of a man of middle
size, with brown complexion and a tattooed face. He was covered with a
kind of native cloth, and wore his hair tied up in a knot on the top of
his head. Cook immediately returned to the ship, from the deck of which
he could hear the voices of the natives on shore talking with great
earnestness and in a very loud tone.
Being anxious to enter into friendly intercourse with these people, Cook
renewed the attempt next morning. He ordered three boats to be manned
with seamen and marines, and proceeded towards the shore, accompanied by
Mr Banks and Dr Solander, also by Tupia, the Tahitan, to act as
interpreter. About fifty natives came to the beach and sat down to
await their landing. In order to prevent them taking fright, Cook
landed first and advanced, accompanied only by the two gentlemen above
named and Tupia. But they had not proceeded many paces before the
savages started up, and every man produced either a long pike or a small
weapon of green talc extremely well polished, about a foot long, and
thick enough to weigh four or five pounds. Tupia endeavoured to appease
them, but this could not be managed until a musket was fired wide of
them. The ball struck the water, and on observing its effect they
ceased their menaces.
Meanwhile the marines were landed and marched to a commanding position,
where they were drawn up, while Captain Cook again advanced. When they
came near enough, Tupia explained that they wanted provisions and water,
for which they would give iron in exchange. He then asked them to lay
down their arms, but they would not consent to do so. The river still
lay between the two parties, and Cook invited the natives to come over
and trade. They were unwilling at first, but in a short time one,
bolder than the rest, stripped himself and swam over without his arms.
He was immediately followed by two or three more, and soon after by most
of the others. These last, however, brought their arms with them.
Presents of iron and beads were now made to the savages, but they seemed
to care little for these things, and in a few minutes they attempted to
snatch the arms out of the sailors' hands. In this they failed, and
Cook ordered Tupia to tell them that if they tried to do that again, he
would be compelled to kill them. In a few minutes Mr Green, one of the
gentlemen, happened to turn about; immediately one of them snatched away
his sword and ran to a little distance, waving it round his head with a
shout of triumph. Seeing this, the rest became extremely insolent, and
more savages came to join them from the other side of the river. It
therefore became necessary to check them, and Mr Banks fired with
small-shot at the man who had taken the sword. The shot had only the
effect of stopping his shouts and causing him to retire a little farther
off, still flourishing the sword, however. Seeing this, Mr Monkhouse
fired with ball, and the man dropt instantly. Upon this the main body
of the natives, who had retired to a rock in the middle of the river,
began to return. Two that were near the man who had been killed ran to
the body, and one seized his weapon of green talc, while the other tried
to secure the sword, but Mr Monkhouse ran up in time to prevent this.
Three muskets loaded with small-shot were then fired at the party, which
wounded several, and caused them to retire to the opposite side of the
river, after which Cook returned to the ship.
This was a matter of great disappointment to the voyagers, because they
were much in want of fresh water. Cook now resolved to seize some of
the natives if possible, and prove to them, by kind treatment, that they
had nothing to fear. Soon after he had an opportunity of trying this
plan. Two canoes were seen coming in from sea; one under sail, the
other worked by paddles. Taking three boats full of men he gave chase
to them; but the people in the nearest canoe perceived them, and turning
aside made with all possible haste for a point of land and escaped. The
other canoe was intercepted, and Tupia called to them to come alongside
and they would receive no harm; but they took down the sail, took to
their paddles, and made off so quickly that the boats could not overtake
them. Cook then ordered a musket-ball to be fired over them. On
hearing the shots they stopped paddling and began to strip, intending,
no doubt, to leap into the sea. But they quickly changed their minds
and resolved not to fly but to fight. When the boats came up they began
the attack with their paddles and with stones so vigorously, that the
voyagers were obliged to fire at them in self-defence. Unhappily four
were killed, and the three who remained leaped into the sea.
These were soon captured, and were found to be mere boys--the eldest
about nineteen, and the youngest about eleven. Cook deeply regretted
this unfortunate affair, and blamed himself for it, but remarked, in
justification of himself, that, "when the command has once been given to
fire, no man can restrain its excess or prescribe its effect."
As soon as the poor wretches were taken out of the water into the boat
they squatted down, expecting, no doubt, to be instantly put to death.
But when they found that instead of being killed they were treated with
kindness, they became exceedingly joyful. On reaching the ship they
were offered some bread, which they devoured with a voracious appetite.
They asked and answered a great many questions, and when the people sat
down to dinner expressed a desire to touch and taste everything they
saw. The food that pleased them most was salt pork. At night they made
a hearty supper, and after they had each drunk above a quart of water,
they lay down to sleep on a locker well pleased with their treatment.
During the night, however, their true condition as prisoners seemed to
be impressed on them. Possibly they thought of their slain friends, for
they began to moan dismally, and it was all Tupia could do to comfort
them. Next morning they devoured an enormous breakfast, after which
they were dressed, and adorned with bracelet, anklets, necklaces,
etcetera, and sent on shore in the hope that they might carry a good
report of the strangers to their friends. Nothing came of this,
however, at the time. The natives still remained unfriendly, and Cook
finally weighed anchor and set sail in search of a part of the coast
where the people, it was hoped, would be more hospitable.
Soon after this a number of canoes came off to the ship, and the
natives, to the number of fifty, came on board without fear, saying that
they had heard such an account of the kindness of the sailors from the
three boys, that they had come to trade with them. And they did trade
with them, to such an extent that they parted with everything they had,
even stripping off their clothes, and offering them in exchange for
trinkets of little value!
About an hour before sunset, the canoes put off from the ship to return
to shore, and then it was discovered that three natives had been left
behind. Tupia hailed the canoes and told them of this, but they would
not return; and what seemed more surprising, the three savages did not
seem to care but remained on board eating and drinking, and entertaining
the ship's company with dancing and singing of a very remarkable kind,
after which they had their suppers and went quietly to bed. But they
were dreadfully horrified on awaking next morning to find that the ship
was sailing swiftly away with them; and they remained in a state of
consternation until a canoe happened to put off from shore, and after
much persuasion came alongside and took them away. The men in the canoe
were very timid about coming on deck, and they could not be got to do so
until the three savages assured them that the white people "did not eat
men!"
Cook then continued his voyage of discovery round New Zealand, making
careful notes of the coast, and naming the various headlands as he went.
As the island is fully as large as Great Britain, it took him some time
to accomplish the survey. He had many adventures, and saw many strange
things by the way, besides running considerable danger from the natives,
who showed themselves extremely hostile.
On one occasion, while they were entangled among some shoals, the hurry
on board in working the ship led the savages to suppose the voyagers
were alarmed, so taking advantage of this, four large canoes full of
armed men put off and came towards them with the intention, apparently,
of making an attack. A musket was fired over them, but as it did no
harm they continued to come on. A four-pounder, loaded with grape, was
then fired a little to one side of them. This caused them all to start
up with a shout of surprise, after which they returned quietly to the
shore.
On all occasions Captain Cook exerted himself to the utmost to prevent
bloodshed; but the natives were everywhere so warlike and treacherous,
that this could not always be avoided.
One day several canoes full of armed men came alongside, and were
induced to trade--exchanging native cloth and arms for the usual
trinkets. Tupia, the interpreter, had a little son with him named
Tayeto. This little fellow was employed to stand outside the bulwarks
of the ship to hand down the things from the ship to the savages in the
canoes. One of these rascals, watching his opportunity, suddenly seized
the lad and dragged him down into the canoe. Two of them held him down
in the fore part of it, and the others with great activity paddled off--
the rest of the canoes following as fast as they could.
Upon this the marines were ordered to fire. The shot was directed to
that part of the canoe which was farthest from the boy. One man
dropped, upon which the others quitted their hold of the boy, who sprang
nimbly into the water and swam towards the ship. A large canoe turned
to recapture him, but some muskets and a great gun being fired at it,
the rowers desisted from farther pursuit. The ship was immediately
brought to, a boat was lowered, and poor Tayeto was picked up, very much
terrified, but unhurt, and none the worse for his adventure.
After this the discoverers had the most convincing proof that the
inhabitants of New Zealand were cannibals. One day Mr Banks, Dr
Solander, Tupia, and others, went ashore and visited a party of natives
who appeared to have just concluded a repast. The body of a dog was
found buried in their oven, and many provision-baskets stood around. In
one of these they observed two bones, pretty cleanly picked, which did
not seem to be the bones of a dog. On nearer inspection they were found
to be those of a human being. That the flesh belonging to them had been
eaten was evident, for that which remained had manifestly been dressed
by fire, and in the gristles at the ends were the marks of the teeth
which had gnawed them. To put an end to doubt, Tupia asked what bones
they were, and the natives answered without the least hesitation that
they were the bones of a man, and they had eaten the flesh off them.
Upon one of the visitors pretending not to believe this, and saying that
they were the bones of a dog, a native seized his own forearm with his
teeth and made a show of eating it with great relish. He also took one
of the bones which Mr Banks held in his hand and bit and gnawed it,
drawing it through his lips, and showing by signs that it afforded a
delicious repast!
As if to relieve, somewhat, the feelings of disgust with which they were
oppressed by such sights, the voyagers were regaled with the most
delicious music on the following morning. About two o'clock they were
awakened by the sweet singing of birds, the number of which was
incredible, and their energy so great that they appeared to strain their
throats in emulation of each other. This wild melody was infinitely
superior to anything they had ever heard of the same kind; it seemed to
be like small bells most exquisitely tuned;--perhaps the distance of the
ship from shore, and the water between, may have lent additional charms
to the sound.
Ere long the birds ceased to sing, and the disagreeable subject of the
previous day was recalled by the appearance of a small canoe, in which
was an old man, who, on coming on deck, at once revived the conversation
about eating human flesh.
"But," said Tupia, after some minutes' talk, "I did not see any heads of
your enemies; what do you do with them? do you not eat them too?"
"No," replied the old man, "we only eat the brains, and the next time I
come I will bring off some of them to convince you that what I have told
you is true."
That same day some of the sailors found on shore near an oven three
human hip-bones, which they brought on board, and Mr Monkhouse, the
surgeon, discovered and took on board the hair of a man's head.
Here also they saw practised a remarkably simple and ingenious method of
catching fish, which we think might be tried with advantage on our own
coasts. Happening to observe a man in his canoe fishing, they rowed
alongside and asked him to draw up his line, which he readily did. At
the end of it they found a net of a circular form, extended by two hoops
about seven or eight feet in diameter. The top was open, and sea-ears
were fastened to the bottom as bait. This he let down so as to lie upon
the ground until he thought fish enough had assembled over it. Then he
drew it up by an extremely gentle and even motion, so that the fish rose
with it, scarcely sensible (it is supposed) that they were being lifted,
until near the surface of the water, when they were brought out in the
net by a sudden pull!
The ingenuity of the New Zealanders appeared in nothing more than in
their canoes, of which the following description is in Cook's own words:
"They are long and narrow, and in shape very much resemble a New England
whale-boat; the larger sort seem to be built chiefly for war, and will
carry from forty to eighty or a hundred armed men. We measured one
which lay ashore at Tolago. She was sixty-eight feet and a half long,
five feet broad, and three feet and a half deep. The bottom was sharp,
with straight sides like a wedge, and consisted of three lengths
hollowed out to about two inches, or an inch and a half thick, and well
fastened together with strong plaiting. Each side consisted of one
entire plank sixty-three feet long, ten or twelve inches broad, and
about an inch and a quarter thick, and these were fitted and lashed to
the bottom part with great dexterity and strength. A considerable
number of thwarts were laid from gunwale to gunwale, to which they were
securely lashed on each side, as a strengthening to the boat. The
ornament at the head projected five or six feet beyond the body, and was
about four feet and a half high. The ornament at the stern was fixed
upon that end as the stern-post of a ship is fixed upon its keel, and
was about fourteen feet high, two feet broad, and an inch and a half
thick. They both consisted of boards of carved work, of which the
design was much better than the execution."
The smaller canoes, which were of one piece hollowed out by fire,
usually had "outriggers,"--boards projecting from, and parallel to, the
canoes--to prevent their overturning, and occasionally two canoes were
joined together for the same purpose, as, if unsupported, they were
extremely liable to upset.
The tools with which these canoes and their other implements and
utensils were made consisted of axes and adzes made of a hard black
stone, or of a green talc, which latter stone is not only hard but
tough. They had chisels made of small fragments of jasper, and of human
bones. These also served the purpose of augers for boring holes.
Fish-hooks were of bone or shell; these, however, were not well made,
but in the fabrication of most of their implements, canoes, war-clubs,
baskets, etcetera, they displayed a considerable degree of taste,
neatness of hand, and ingenuity.
Our space forbids us following Captain Cook very closely in his many
voyages throughout the great archipelago of the South Seas. In this
volume we have touched but lightly here and there on the immense variety
of subjects which came under his observation. Those who wish for fuller
information will find it in the work entitled _The Voyages of Captain
Cook round the World_, which contains his own most interesting journals.
Passing over the years which intervene between the period of which we
have been writing and the last voyage he ever made to the islands of the
South Seas, we leap at once, in the next chapter, to the sad closing
scenes of the great navigator's career.