INTERCOURSE WITH THE NATIVES--MAQUINA--SEIZURE OF THE VESSEL AND MURDER
OF THE CREW
In this manner, with a fair wind and easy weather from the 28th of
December, the period of our passing Cape Horn, we pursued our voyage to
the northward until the 12th of March, 1803, when we made Woody Point in
Nootka Sound, on the North-West coast of America. We immediately stood
up the Sound for Nootka, where[36] Captain Salter had determined to
stop, in order to supply the ship with wood and water before proceeding
up the coast to trade. But in order to avoid the risk of any molestation
or interruption to his men from the Indians while thus employed, he
proceeded with the ship about five miles to the northward of the
village, which is situated on Friendly Cove, and sent out his chief mate
with several of the crew in the boat to find a good place for anchoring
her. After sounding for some time, they returned with information that
they had discovered a secure place for anchorage, on the western side of
an inlet or small bay, at about half a mile from the coast, near a small
island which protected it from the sea, and where there was plenty of
wood and excellent water. The ship accordingly came to anchor in this
place, at twelve o'clock at night, in twelve fathom water, muddy bottom,
and so near the shore that to prevent the ship from winding we secured
her by a hawser to the trees.
On the morning of the next day, the 13th, several of the natives came on
board in a canoe from the village of Nootka, with their king, called
Maquina, who appeared much pleased on seeing us, and with great seeming
cordiality welcomed Captain Salter and his officers to his country. As I
had never before beheld a savage of any nation, it may readily be
supposed that the novelty of their appearance, so different from any
people that I had hitherto seen, excited in me strong feelings of
surprise and curiosity. I was, however, particularly struck with the
looks of their king, who was a man of a dignified aspect, about six feet
in height and extremely straight and well proportioned; his features
were in general good, and his face was rendered remarkable by a large
Roman nose, a very uncommon form of feature among these people; his
complexion was of a dark copper hue, though his face, legs, and arms
were, on this occasion, so covered with red paint, that their natural
colour could scarcely be perceived; his eyebrows were painted black in
two broad stripes like a new moon, and his long black hair, which shone
with oil, was fastened in a bunch on the top of his head and strewed or
powdered all over with white down, which gave him a most curious and
extraordinary appearance. He was dressed in a large mantle or cloak of
the black sea-otter skin, which reached to his knees, and was fastened
around his middle by a broad belt of the cloth of the country, wrought
or painted with figures of several colours; this dress was by no means
unbecoming, but, on the contrary, had an air of savage magnificence. His
men were habited in mantles of the same cloth, which is made from the
bark of a tree,[37] and has some resemblance to straw matting; these are
nearly square, and have two holes in the upper part large enough to
admit the arms; they reach as low as the knees, and are fastened round
their bodies with a belt about four inches broad of the same cloth.
From his having frequently visited the English and American ships that
traded to the coast, Maquina had learned the signification of a number
of English words, and in general could make himself pretty well
understood by us in our own language. He was always the first to go on
board such ships as came to Nootka, which he was much pleased in
visiting, even when he had no trade to offer, as he always received some
small present, and was in general extremely well treated by the
commanders. He remained on board of us for some time, during which the
captain took him into the cabin and treated him with a glass of
rum--these people being very fond of distilled spirits--and some biscuit
and molasses, which they prefer to any kind of food that we can offer
them.[38]
As there are seldom many furs to be purchased at this place, and it was
not fully the season, Captain Salter had put in here not so much with an
expectation of trading, as to procure an ample stock of wood and water
for the supply of the ship on the coast, thinking it more prudent to
take it on board at Nootka, from the generally friendly disposition of
the people, than to endanger the safety of his men in sending them on
shore for that purpose among the more ferocious natives of the north.
With this view, we immediately set about getting our water-casks in
readiness, and the next and two succeeding days, part of the crew were
sent on shore to cut pine timber, and assist the carpenter in making it
into yards and spars for the ship, while those on board were employed in
refitting the rigging, repairing the sails, etc., when we proceeded to
take in our wood and water as expeditiously as possible, during which
time I kept myself busily employed in repairing the muskets, making
knives, tomaxes,[39] etc., and doing such ironwork as was wanted for the
ship.
Meantime more or less of the natives came on board of us daily, bringing
with them fresh salmon, with which they supplied us in great plenty,
receiving in return some trifling articles. Captain Salter was always
very particular, before admitting these people on board, to see that
they had no arms about them, by obliging them indiscriminately to throw
off their garments, so that he felt perfectly secure from any attack.
On the 15th the king came on board with several of his chiefs; he was
dressed as before in his magnificent otter-skin robe, having his face
highly painted, and his hair tossed with the white down, which looked
like snow. His chiefs were dressed in mantles of the country cloth of
its natural colour, which is a pale yellow; these were ornamented with a
broad border, painted or wrought in figures of several colours,
representing men's heads, various animals, etc., and secured around them
by a belt like that of the king, from which it was distinguished only by
being narrower: the dress of the common people is of the same fashion,
and differs from that of the chiefs in being of a coarser texture, and
painted red, of one uniform colour.
Captain Salter invited Maquina and his chiefs to dine with him, and it
was curious to see how these people (when they eat) seat themselves (in
their country fashion, upon our chairs) with their feet under them
crossed like Turks. They cannot endure the taste of salt, and the only
thing they would eat with us was the ship bread, which they were very
fond of, especially when dipped in molasses; they had also a great
liking for tea and coffee when well sweetened. As iron weapons and tools
of almost every kind are in much request among them, whenever they came
on board they were always very attentive to me, crowding around me at
the forge, as if to see in what manner I did my work, and in this way
became quite familiar, a circumstance, as will be seen in the end, of
great importance to me. The salmon which they brought us furnished a
most delicious treat to men who for a long time had lived wholly on
salt provisions, excepting such few sea fish as we had the good fortune
occasionally to take. We indeed feasted most luxuriously, and flattered
ourselves that we should not want while on the coast for plenty of fresh
provisions, little imagining the fate that awaited us, and that this
dainty food was to prove the unfortunate lure to our destruction!
On the 19th the king came again on board, and was invited by the captain
to dine with him. He had much conversation with Captain Salter, and
informed him that there were plenty of wild ducks and geese near
Friendly Cove, on which the captain made him a present of a
double-barrelled fowling-piece, with which he appeared to be greatly
pleased, and soon after went on shore.
On the 20th we were nearly ready for our departure, having taken in what
wood and water we were in want of.
The next day Maquina came on board with nine pair of wild ducks, as a
present; at the same time he brought with him the gun, one of the locks
of which he had broken, telling the captain that it was _peshak_,[40]
that is, bad. Captain Salter was very much offended at this observation,
and, considering it as a mark of contempt for his present, he called the
king a liar, adding other opprobrious terms, and, taking the gun from
him, tossed it indignantly into the cabin, and, calling me to him, said,
"John, this fellow has broken this beautiful fowling-piece, see if you
can mend it." On examining it, I told him that it could be done. As I
have already observed, Maquina knew a number of English words, and
unfortunately understood but too well the meaning of the reproachful
terms that the captain addressed to him. He said not a word in reply,
but his countenance sufficiently expressed the rage he felt, though he
exerted himself to suppress it, and I observed him, while the captain
was speaking, repeatedly put his hand to his throat, and rub it upon his
bosom, which he afterwards told me was to keep down his heart, which was
rising into his throat and choking him. He soon after went on shore with
his men, evidently much discomposed.
On the morning of the 22nd the natives came off to us as usual with
salmon, and remained on board; when about noon Maquina came alongside,
with a considerable number of his chiefs and men in their canoes, who,
after going through the customary examination, were admitted into the
ship. He had a whistle in his hand, and over his face a very ugly mask
of wood, representing the head of some wild beast, appeared to be
remarkably good-humoured and gay, and whilst his people sang and capered
about the deck, entertaining us with a variety of antic trick and
gestures, he blew his whistle to a kind of tune which seemed to regulate
their motions. As Captain Salter was walking on the quarter-deck,
amusing himself with their dancing, the king came up to him and inquired
when he intended to go to sea? He answered, "To-morrow." Maquina then
said, "You love salmon--much in Friendly Cove, why not go there and
catch some?" The captain thought that it would be very desirable to have
a good supply of these fish for the voyage, and, on consulting with Mr.
Delouisa, it was agreed to send part of the crew on shore after dinner
with the seine, in order to procure a quantity. Maquina and his chiefs
stayed and dined on board, and after dinner the chief mate went off with
nine men in the jolly-boat and yawl, to fish at Friendly Cove, having
set the steward on shore at our watering place, to wash the captain's
clothes.
Shortly after the departure of the boats, I went down to my vice-bench
in the steerage, where I was employed in cleaning muskets. I had not
been there more than an hour, when I heard the men hoisting in the
longboat, which, in a few minutes after, was succeeded by a great bustle
and confusion on deck. I immediately ran up the steerage stairs, but
scarcely was my head above deck, when I was caught by the hair by one of
the savages, and lifted from my feet; fortunately for me, my hair being
short, and the ribbon with which it was tied slipping, I fell from his
hold into the steerage. As I was falling he struck at me with an axe,
which cut a deep gash in my forehead, and penetrated the skull, but in
consequence of his losing his hold I luckily escaped the full force of
the blow, which otherwise would have cleft my head in two. I fell,
stunned and senseless, upon the floor; how long I continued in this
situation I know not, but on recovering my senses, the first thing that
I did was to try to get up, but so weak was I, from the loss of blood,
that I fainted and fell. I was, however, soon recalled to my
recollection by three loud shouts or yells from the savages, which
convinced me that they had got possession of the ship. It is impossible
for me to describe my feelings at this terrific sound. Some faint idea
may be formed of them by those who have known what it is to half waken
from a hideous dream and still think it real. Never, no, never shall I
lose from my mind the impression of that dreadful moment. I expected
every instant to share the wretched fate of my unfortunate companions,
and when I heard the song of triumph, by which these infernal yells was
succeeded, my blood ran cold in my veins.
Having at length sufficiently recovered my senses to look around me,
after wiping the blood from my eyes, I saw that the hatch of the
steerage was shut. This was done, as I afterwards discovered, by order
of Maquina, who, on seeing the savage strike at me with the axe, told
him not to hurt me, for that I was the armourer, and would be useful to
them in repairing their arms; while at the same time, to prevent any of
his men from injuring me, he had the hatch closed. But to me this
circumstance wore a very different appearance, for I thought that these
barbarians had only prolonged my life in order to deprive me of it by
the most cruel tortures.
I remained in this horrid state of suspense for a very long time, when
at length the hatch was opened, and Maquina, calling me by name, ordered
me to come up. I groped my way up as well as I was able, being almost
blinded with the blood that flowed from my wound, and so weak as with
difficulty to walk. The king, on perceiving my situation, ordered one of
his men to bring a pot of water to wash the blood from my face, which
having done, I was able to see distinctly with one of my eyes, but the
other was so swollen from my wound, that it was closed. But what a
terrific spectacle met my eyes: six naked savages, standing in a circle
around me, covered with the blood of my murdered comrades, with their
daggers uplifted in their hands, prepared to strike. I now thought my
last moment had come, and recommended my soul to my Maker.
The king, who, as I have already observed, knew enough of English to
make himself understood, entered the circle, and, placing himself before
me, addressed me nearly in the following words: "John--I speak--you no
say no; You say no--daggers come!" He then asked me if I would be his
slave during my life--if I would fight for him in his battles, if I
would repair his muskets and make daggers and knives for him--with
several other questions, to all of which I was careful to answer, yes.
He then told me that he would spare my life, and ordered me to kiss his
hands and feet to show my submission to him, which I did. In the
meantime his people were very clamorous to have me put to death, so that
there should be none of us left to tell our story to our countrymen, and
prevent them from coming to trade with them; but the king in the most
determined manner opposed their wishes, and to his favour am I wholly
indebted for my being yet among the living.
As I was busy at work at the time of the attack, I was without my coat,
and what with the coldness of the weather, my feebleness from loss of
blood, the pain of my wound, and the extreme agitation and terror that I
still felt, I shook like a leaf, which the king observing, went into the
cabin, and, bringing up a greatcoat that belonged to the captain, threw
it over my shoulders, telling me to drink some rum from a bottle which
he handed me, at the same time giving me to understand that it would be
good for me, and keep me from trembling bling as I did. I took a
draught of it, after which, taking me by the hand, he led me to the
quarter-deck, where the most horrid sight presented itself that ever my
eyes witnessed. The heads of our unfortunate captain and his crew, to
the number of twenty-five, were all arranged in a line,[41] and Maquina,
ordering one of his people to bring a head, asked me whose it was: I
answered, the captain's. In like manner the others were showed me, and I
told him the names, excepting a few that were so horribly mangled that I
was not able to recognise them.
I now discovered that all our unfortunate crew had been massacred, and
learned that, after getting possession of the ship, the savages had
broke open the arm-chest and magazine, and, supplying themselves with
ammunition and arms, sent a party on shore to attack our men, who had
gone thither to fish, and, being joined by numbers from the village,
without difficulty overpowered and murdered them, and, cutting off their
heads, brought them on board, after throwing their bodies into the sea.
On looking upon the deck, I saw it entirely covered with the blood of my
poor comrades, whose throats had been cut with their own jack-knives,
the savages having seized the opportunity, while they were busy in
hoisting in the boat, to grapple with them, and overpower them by their
numbers; in the scuffle the captain was thrown overboard, and despatched
by those in the canoes, who immediately cut off his head. What I felt on
this occasion, may be more readily conceived than expressed.
After I had answered his questions, Maquina took my silk handkerchief
from my neck and bound it around my head, placing over the wound a leaf
of tobacco, of which we had a quantity on board. This was done at my
desire, as I had often found, from personal experience, the benefit of
this application to cuts.
Maquina then ordered me to get the ship under weigh for Friendly Cove.
This I did by cutting the cables, and sending some of the natives aloft
to loose the sails, which they performed in a very bungling manner. But
they succeeded so far in loosing the jib and top-sails, that, with the
advantage of fair wind, I succeeded in getting the ship into the Cove,
where, by order of the king, I ran her ashore on a sandy beach, at eight
o'clock at night.
FOOTNOTES:
[36] By "Nootka," Friendly Cove, or "Yucuaht," is meant; there is no
special place of that name; the word, indeed, is unknown to the natives.
Woody Point, or Cape Cook, is in lat. 50° 6' 31" N.
[37] The white pine (_Pinus monticola_). This is employed for making
blankets trimmed with sea-otter fur, but the mats used in their canoes
are made of cedar bark (_Thuja gigantea_).
[38] This is still true. Many years ago, when there was a threat of
Indian trouble at Victoria, Sir James Douglas, famous as the first
governor of British Columbia, and still more celebrated as a factor of
the Hudson Bay Company, immediately allayed the rising storm by ordering
a keg of treacle and a box of biscuit to be opened. Instantly the knives
and muskets were tossed aside, and the irate savages fell to these
homely dainties with the best of goodwill to all concerned. "Dear me!
dear me! there is nothing like a little molasses," was the sage
governor's remark. At the Alberni saw-mills, on the West coast, the
invariable midday meal of the Indians loading lumber was coarse ship's
biscuit dipped in a tin basin of the cheapest treacle, around which the
mollified tribesmen squatted.
[39] Tomahawks (little hatchets) in more familiar language.
[40] _Pesh-shuak, Wikoo_, or _Chuuk_ is also used in the same sense, but
the first word is most frequently employed.
[41] The Indians of the North-West coast and the wooded region protected
by the great rivers always take heads as trophies. The heads are
subsequently fixed on poles in front of their cedar-board lodges. The
prairie Indians and the tribes east of the Rocky Mountains generally
take, and always took, scalps alone, owing, perhaps, to the difficulty
of carrying heads. This is no obstacle to fighting men travelling in
canoes, on the bows of which they are often fastened while the warriors
are returning from hostile expeditions.