Seas; and, with the greatest deference and submission to Capt. Cook, I
think the name of Friendly Isles is a perfect misnomer, as their
behaviour to himself, to us, and to Capt. Bligh's unfortunate boat at
Murderer's Cove, pretty clearly evinces. Indeed Murderer's Cove, in the
Friendly Isles, is saying a volume on the subject.
Two or three of the officers were taking a walk on shore one evening, who
had the precaution to take their pistols with them. They seemed to crowd
round us with more than idle curiosity; but, on presenting the pistols to
them, they sheered off. The Captain soon joined us, and brought his
servant with him, carrying a bag of nails, and some trifling presents,
which he meant to distribute amongst them; but he took the bag from him,
and dispatched him with a message to the boat, on which the crowd
followed him. As soon as he got out of our sight, they stripped him
naked, and robbed him of his cloaths, and every article he had, but one
shoe, which he used for concealing his nakedness. At this juncture Lieut.
Hayward arrived from his expedition, and called the assistance of the
guard in searching for the robbers. We saw the natives all running, and
dodging behind the trees, which led us to suspect there was some mischief
brewing; but we soon discovered the great Irishman, with his shoe full
in one hand, and a bayonet in the other, naked and foaming mad with
revenge on the natives, for the treatment he had received. Night coming
on, we went on board, without recovering the poor fellow's cloathes.
Next day we were honoured with a visit from Tatafee, king of Anamooka,
who was of lineal descent from the same family that reigned in the island
when discovered by Tasman, the Dutch circumnavigator; and the story of
his landing and supplying them with dogs and hogs, is handed down, by
oral tradition, to this day.[133-1]
Here society may be said to exist in the second stage with respect to
Otaheite. As land is scarcer, private property is more exactly
ascertained, and each man's possession fenced in with a beautiful Chinese
railing. Highways, and roads leading to public places, are neatly fenced
in on each side, and a handsome approach to their houses by a
gravel-walk, with shubbery planted with some degree of taste on each side
of it. Many of them had rows of pine apples on each side of the avenue.
Messrs. Hayward and Corner, with their usual benevolence, took much pains
in teaching them the manner of transplanting their pine-apples; which
hint they immediately adopted, and were very thankful for any advice,
either in rearing their fruit, or cultivating their ground. The shaddocks
are superior in flavour to those of the West Indies; and they will soon
have oranges from what we have left amongst them.
The women here are extremely beautiful; and although they want that
feminine softness of manners which the Otaheite women possess in so
eminent a degree, their matchless vivacity, and fine animated
countenances, compensate the want of the softer blandishments of their
sister island.
There is a favourite amusement of the ladies here, (the cup and ball),
such as children play at in England. It serves to give them a dégagé kind
of air, by which means you have a more elegant display of their charms.
They are well aware of their fascinating powers, and use them with as
much address as our fine women do notting, and other acts of industry.
Trade went briskly on. They brought abundance of hogs, and several ton
weight of very excellent yams. We found that the pork took salt, and was
cured much better here than at Otaheite.
Many beautiful girls were brought on board for sale by their mothers, who
were very exorbitant in their demands, as nothing less than a broad axe
would satisfy them; but after standing their market three days, _la
pucelage_ fell to an old razor, a pair of scissors, or a very large nail.
Indeed this trade was pushed to so great a height, that the quarter-deck
became the scene of the most indelicate familiarities. Nor did the
unfeeling mothers commiserate with the pain and suffering of the poor
girls, but seemed to enjoy it as a monstrous good thing. It is customary
here, when girls meet with an accident of this kind, that a council of
matrons is held, and the noviciate has a gash made in her fore finger. We
soon observed a number of cut fingers amongst them; and had the razors
held out, I believe all the girls in the island would have undergone the
same operation.
A party was sent on shore to cut wood for fuel, and grass for the sheep;
but they would not permit a blade of grass to be cut till they were paid
for it.
The watering party shared the same fate; and notwithstanding a guard of
armed men were sent to protect the others whilst on that duty, the
natives were continually harassing them, and commiting depredations. One
of them came behind Lieut. Corner, and made a blow at him with his club,
which luckily missed his head, and only stunned him in the back of the
neck; and, while in that state, snatched his handkerchief from him; but
Mr. Corner recovering before the thief got out of sight, levelled his
piece and shot him dead.
Tatafee[135-1] the king was going to collect tribute from the islands
under his jurisdiction, and went in the frigate to Tofoa; but previous to
our sailing, a letter was left to Mr. Oliver, the commander of the
tender, should he chance to arrive before our return, with Macaucala, a
principal chief. In the night, the burning mountain on Tofoa exhibited a
very grand spectacle; and in the morning two canoes were sent on shore,
to announce the arrival of those two great personages, Tatafee and
Toobou, who went on shore in the _Pandora's_ barge, to give them more
consequence; but the tributary princes came off in canoes, to do homage
to Tatafee before he reached the shore. They came alongside the barge,
lowered their heads over the side of the canoe, and Tatafee, agreeable to
their custom, put his foot upon their heads. When on shore, what presents
he had received from us, he distributed amongst his subjects, with a
liberality worthy of a great prince.
Some of the people were here who behaved with such savage barbarity to
Capt. Bligh's boat at Murderer's Cove. They perfectly recollected Mr.
Hayward, and seemed to shrink from him. Captain Edwards took much pains
with Tatafee, the king, to make him sensible of his disapprobation of
their conduct to Capt. Bligh's boat. But conciliatory and gentle means
were all that could be enjoined at present, lest our tender should fall
in amongst them.
FOOTNOTES:
[126-1] This gives occasion for a splenetic and unjust tirade from an
anonymous writer in the _United Service Journal_ for 1831: "When this
boat with a midshipman and several men (four) had been inhumanely ordered
from alongside, it was known that there was nothing in her but one piece
of salt beef, compassionately thrown in by a seaman; and horrid as must
have been their fate, the flippant surgeon, after detailing the
disgraceful fact, adds 'that this is the way the world was peopled,' or
words to that effect, for we quote only from memory." With a fresh E.S.E.
breeze and no provisions there can be little doubt that Midshipman Sival
perished at sea, but neither Edwards nor Hamilton are to be censured, the
former for despatching a boat on ordinary duty, the latter for penning a
platitude.
[128-1] This suggests the Fijian _Nanga_, or 'bed of the ancestors,' a
cult introduced by native castaways many generations ago. These castaways
may have been Polynesians.
[129-1] Savaii in the Samoa group. See p. 49 _ante_.
[129-2] It is known by its native name, Tutuila.
[132-1] A mistake. Hayward visited Huapai only.
[133-1] Tasman visited Namuka in 1642.
[135-1] Fatafehi.
CHAP. III.
VOYAGE FROM ANAMOOKA, WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE LOSS OF THE _PANDORA_.
THE wind not permitting us to visit Tongataboo, we proceeded to Catooa
and Navigator's Isles, the loss of our tender having prevented us from
doing it before, and endeavoured to fall in with the eastermost of these
islands.
On the morning of the 12th of July, we discovered a cluster of islands in
the N.W. quarter; but the wind being favourable for us, left examining of
them till our return to the Friendly Isles.[136-1] On the 14th, in the
forenoon, saw three isles, supposed to be the cluster of isles called by
Bougainville Navigator's Isles. The largest the natives called
Tumaluah.[136-2] We passed them at a little distance, and found much
intreaty necessary to bring them on board.
On the 15th, we saw another island, which proved to be Otutuelah,[136-3]
which has been already described. Here we found some of the French
navigator's cloathing and buttons; and there is little doubt but they
have murdered them.[136-4]
On the 18th, saw the group of islands we discovered on our way here; and
on the 19th, ran down the north side till we came to an opening, where we
saw the sea on the other side. A sound is formed here by some islands to
the south east and north west, and interior bays, which promises better
anchorage than any other place in the Friendly Isles. The natives told us
there were excellent watering-places in several different parts within
the sound. The country is well wooded. Several of the inferior chiefs
were on board, one of the Tatafee, and one of the Toobou family; but the
principal chief was not on board. We supposed he was coming off just as
we sailed.[137-1] The natives in general were very fair and honourable in
their dealings. They were more inoffensive and better behaved than any we
had seen for some time. They have frequent intercourse with Anamooka, and
their religion, customs, and language, are the same.
A number of beautiful paroquets were brought off by the natives, all
remarkable for the richness and variety of their plumage.
The group of islands was called Howe's Islands, but were particularly
distinguished by the names of Barrington's, Sawyer's, Hotham's, and
Jarvis's Islands. The sound itself was called Curtis's Sound. Under the
general denomination of Howe's Islands, were included several islands to
the south east, to which we gave no particular name, and two more islands
to the westward, called Bickerton's Islands, including two small islands
near the above. There seems to be a tolerable landing-place on the
north-west side of Gardner's Island. All this part of the island has a
most barren aspect. There were evident marks of volcanic eruptions having
happened. The very singular appearance which this part of the island
presented, I cannot omit mentioning; it bore the figure of a piece of
flat table-land, without the slightest eminence or indentation, and smoke
was issuing from the edges, round its whole circumference.
On the 23rd, we passed an inhabited island, which we supposed to be the
Pylestaart island. It has two remarkable high peaks upon it.
On the 26th, we saw Middleburg Island, and run down between it and Euah;
examined it without success; passed Tongatabu; got some provisions here,
but found the water brackish.
On the 29th, we anchored again in the road of Anamooka. We were sorry to
hear the tender had not been there. On the 5th of August, we again
proceeded on our voyage. As the occurrences at this time bore some
semblance to the transactions in our last visit, to avoid wounding the
delicate, or satiating the licentious, we shall conclude in the torpid
phraseology of the log, with ditto repeated.
Every thing being ready for sea on the 3d day of August, we sailed from
Anamooka; and on the 5th, discovered an island of some considerable
extent, called by the natives Onooafow,[138-1] which we called Proby's
Island, in honour of Commissioner Proby. We traded with the inhabitants
for some hours. The land was hilly, and the houses of much larger
construction than we had observed in those seas.
We were now convinced that we were further to the westward than we
imagined, and therefore shaped a course to fall in to the eastward of
Wallis's Island; and next day fell in with it. We gave presents, as
customary, to the first boat; who, from a theft they committed, were
afraid to return. Their cheek-bones were much bruised and flattened, and
some had both their little fingers cut off.[138-2]
We bore away, intending to steer in the track of Carteret and Bligh,
between Spirito Santo and Santa Cruz; and on the 8th saw land to the
westward. We sounded, but found no bottom. We run down the island, and
saw a vast number of houses amongst the trees. It is very hilly, and,
from the great height of some of them, may be called mountains. They are
cultivated to the top; the reason of which, I presume, is from its being
so full of inhabitants. It is about seven miles long; and being a new
discovery, we called it Grenville's Island, in honour of Lord Grenville.
The name the natives gave it is Rotumah. They came off in a fleet of
canoes, rested on their paddles, and gave the war-hoop at stated periods.
They were all armed with clubs, and meant to attack us; but the magnitude
and novelty of such an object as a man of war, struck them with a mixture
of wonder and fear. They were, however, perfectly ignorant of fire-arms,
and seemed much startled at the report of a musket, were too shy to stand
the experiment of a great gun. As they came off with hostile intentions,
they brought no women with them.
They wore necklaces, bracelets, and girdles of white shells. Their bodies
were curiously marked with the figures of men, dogs, fishes, and birds,
upon every part of them; so that every man was a moving landscape. These
marks were all raised, and done, I suppose, by pinching up the skin.
They were great adepts in thieving, and uncommonly athletic and strong.
One fellow was making off with some booty, but was detected; and although
five of the stoutest men in the ship were hanging upon him, and had fast
hold of his long flowing black hair, he overpowered them all, and jumped
overboard with his prize. There is a high promontory on this island,
which we named Mount Temple.
On the 11th, no land being then in sight, we run over a reef of coral, in
eleven fathom water. We were much alarmed, but passed it in five minutes;
and on sounding immediately afterwards, found no bottom. This was called
Pandora's Reef.
On the 12th, in the morning, we discovered an island well wooded, but not
inhabited. It had two remarkable promontories on it, one resembling a
mitre, and the other a steeple; from whence we called it Mitre Island. We
passed it, and stood to the westward; and at ten, the same morning,
discovered another island to the north west. It is entirely cultivated,
and a vast number of inhabitants, though only a mile in length. The beach
from the east, round by the south, is a white sand, but too much surf for
a boat to attempt to land. In gratitude for the many good things we had
on board, and the very high state of preservation in which they kept, we
called this Cherry's Island, in honour of ---- Cherry, Esq; Commissioner
of the Victualling-office.[140-1]
On the 13th of August, we discovered another island to the north west. It
is mountainous, and covered with wood to the very summit. We saw no
inhabitants, but smoke in many different parts of it, from which it may
be presumed it is inhabited. This we called Pitt's Island.[140-2]
On the 17th, at midnight, we discovered breakers on each bow. We had just
room to wear ship; and as this merciful escape was from the vigilance of
one Wells, who was looking out ahead, it was called Wells's Shoals. Those
hair-breadth escapes may point out the propriety of a consort. In the
morning, at day-light, we put about, to examine the danger we were in,
and found we had got embayed in a double reef, which will very soon be an
island. We run round its north west end, and on the 23d saw land, which
we supposed to be the Luisiade, a cape bearing north east and by east. We
called it Cape Rodney. Another contiguous to it was called Cape Hood;
and a mountain between them, we named Mount Clarence.
After passing Cape Hood, the land appears lower, and to trench away about
north west, forming a deep bay; and it may be doubted whether it joins
New Guinea or not.
We pursued our course to the westward, keeping Endeavour Straits open, by
which means we hoped to avoid the dangers Capt. Cook met with in higher
latitudes.
On the 25th, saw breakers; hauled up, and passed to the westward of them;
the sea broke very gently on them. To these we gave the name of Look-out
Shoals. Before noon we saw more breakers, the reef of which was composed
of very large stones, and called it Stony-reef Island.
On seeing obstruction to the southward, stood to the westward, where
there appeared to be an opening. We saw an island in that direction, and
a reef extending a considerable way to the north west. Hauled upon the
wind, seeing our passage obstructed, and stood off and on, under an easy
sail in the night, till daylight; and in the morning bore away, and
discovered four islands, to which the name of Murray's Islands was given.
On the top of the largest, there was something resembling a
fortification. We saw at the same time three two-masted boats. We kept
running along the reef, and in the forenoon thought we saw an opening.
Lieut. Corner was immediately ordered to get ready, to discover if there
was a passage for the ship, and went to the topmasthead, to look well
round him before he left us. It was judged necessary that he should take
with him an axe, some fuel, provisions, a little water, and a compass,
previous to his departure.
It was now the 28th of August. It had lately been our custom to lay to in
the night, M. Bougainville having represented this part of the ocean as
exceedingly dangerous; and it certainly is the boldest piece of
navigation that has ever yet been attempted. We would gladly have
continued the same custom; but the great length of the voyage would not
permit it, as, after we had passed to the wastward of Bougainville's
track, the ocean was perfectly unexplored.
At five in the afternoon, a signal was made from the boat, that a passage
through the reef was discovered for the ship; but wishing to be well
informed in so intricate a business, and the day being far spent, we
waited the boats coming on board, made a signal to expedite her, and
afterwards repeated it. Night closing fast upon us, and considering our
former misfortunes of losing the tender and jolly-boat, rendered it
necessary, both for the preservation of the boat, and the success of the
voyage, to endeavour, by every possible means, to get hold of her.
False fires were burnt, and muskets fired from the ship, and answered by
the boat reciprocally; and as the flashes from their muskets were
distinctly seen by us, she was reasonably soon expected on board. We now
sounded, but had no bottom with a hundred and ten fathom line, till past
seven o'clock, when we got ground in fifty fathom. The boat was now seen
close under the stern; we were at the same time lying to, to prevent the
ship fore-reaching. Immediately on sounding this last time, the topsails
were filled; but before the tacks were hauled on board, and the sails
trimmed, she struck on a reef of rocks, and at that instant the boat got
on board. Every possible effort was attempted to get her off by the
sails; but that failing, they were furled, and the boats hoisted out with
a view to carry out an anchor. Before that was accomplished, the
carpenter reported she made eighteen inches water in five minutes; and in
a quarter of an hour more, she had nine feet water in the hold.
The hands were immediately turned to the pumps, and to bale at the
different hatchways. Some of the prisoners were let out of irons, and
turned to the pumps. At this dreadful crisis, it blew very violently; and
she beat so hard upon the rocks, that we expected her, every minute, to
go to pieces. It was an exceeding dark, stormy night; and the gloomy
horrors of death presented us all round, being every where encompassed
with rocks, shoals, and broken water. About ten she beat over the reef;
and we let go the anchor in fifteen fathom water.
The guns were ordered to be thrown overboard; and what hands could be
spared from the pumps, were employed thrumbing a topsail to haul under
her bottom, to endeavour to fodder her. To add to our distress, at this
juncture one of the chain-pumps gave way; and she gained fast upon us.
The scheme of the topsail was now laid aside, and every soul fell to
baling and pumping. All the boats, excepting one, were obliged to keep a
long distance off on account of the broken water, and the very high surf
that was running near us. We baled between life and death; for had she
gone down before day-light, every soul must have perished. She now took a
heel, and some of the guns they were endeavouring to throw over board run
down to leeward, which crushed one man to death; about the same time, a
spare topmast came down from the booms, and killed another man.
The people now became faint at the pumps, and it was necessary to give
them some refreshment. We had luckily between decks a cask of excellent
strong ale, which we brewed at Anamooka. This was tapped, and served
regularly to all hands, which was much preferable to spirits, as it gave
them strength without intoxication. During this trying occasion, the men
behaved with the utmost intrepidity and obedience, not a man flinching
from his post. We continually cheered them at the pumps with the delusive
hopes of its being soon day-light.
About half an hour before day-break, a council of war was held amongst
the officers; and as she was then settling fast down in the water, it was
their unanimous opinion, that nothing further could be done for the
preservation of his Majesty's ship; and it was their next care to save
the lives of the crew. To effect which, spars, booms, hen-coops, and
every thing buoyant was cut loose, that when she went down, they might
chance to get hold of something. The prisoners were ordered to be let out
of irons. The water was now coming faster in at the gun-ports than the
pumps could discharge; and to this minute the men never swerved from
their duty. She now took a very heavy heel, so much that she lay quite
down on one side.
One of the officers now told the Captain, who was standing aft, that the
anchor on our bow was under water; that she was then going; and, bidding
him farewell, jumped over the quarter into the water. The Captain then
followed his example, and jumped after him. At that instant she took her
last heel; and, while every one were scrambling to windward, she sunk in
an instant. The crew had just time to leap over board, accompanying it
with a most dreadful yell. The cries of the men drowning in the water was
at first awful in the extreme; but as they sunk, and became faint, it
died away by degrees. The boats, who were at some considerable distance
in the drift of the tide, in about half an hour, or little better, picked
up the remainder of our wretched crew.
Morning now dawned, and the sun shone out. A sandy key, four miles off,
and about thirty paces long, afforded us a resting place; and when all
the boats arrived, we mustered our remains, and found that thirty-five
men and four prisoners were drowned.
After we had a little recovered our strength, the first care was to haul
up the boats. A guard was placed over the prisoners. Providentially a
small barrel of water, a cag of wine, some biscuit, and a few muskets and
cartouch boxes, had been thrown into the boat. The heat of the sun, and
the reflection from the sand, was now excruciating; and our stomachs
being filled with salt water, from the great length of time we were
swimming before we were picked up, rendered our thirst most intolerable;
and no water was allowed to be served out the first day. By a calculation
which we made, by filling the compass boxes, and every utensil we had, we
could admit an allowance of two small wine glasses of water a-day to each
man for sixteen days.