CAPTAIN COOK'S FIRST VOYAGE.
I.
The beginning of his maritime career--The command of the _Adventure_
entrusted to him--Tierra del Fuego--Discovery of some islands in the
Pomotou Archipelago--Arrival at Tahiti--Manners and customs of the
inhabitants--Discovery of other islands in the Society group--Arrival
at New Zealand--Interview with the natives--Discovery of Cook's
Strait--Circumnavigation of two large islands--Manners and productions
of the country.
In narrating the career of a distinguished man, it is well to neglect
none of those details which may appear of but slight importance. They
acquire significance as indications of a vocation unknown even to its
subject, and throw a light upon the character under consideration. For
these reasons we shall dwell a little upon the humble beginning of the
career of one of the most illustrious navigators whom England boasts.
James Cook was born at Marton, in Yorkshire, on the 27th of October,
1728. He was the ninth child of a farm servant, and a peasant woman
named Grace. When scarcely eight years of age little James assisted
his father in the rough toil of the farm of Airy Holme, near Ayton.
His amiability, and love of work, attracted the interest of the farmer,
who had him taught to read.
When he was thirteen years of age, he was apprenticed to William
Sanderson, a linendraper at Snaith, a fishing-hamlet of some
importance. But young Cook found little pleasure in an employment
which kept him behind a counter, and he spent every leisure moment in
chatting with the sailors who visited the port. Gaining his father's
consent, James soon left the linendraper's, to engage himself as
ship-boy, to Messrs. Walker, whose boats carried coal from England to
Ireland.
Successively ship-lad, sailor, and master, Cook rapidly learned all
the details of his profession.
In the spring of 1755, as the first hostilities between England and
France broke out, the boat upon which Cook served was anchored in the
Thames. The navy was recruited in those days by means of pressgangs.
At first Cook hid himself, but afterwards, urged no doubt by a
presentiment, he engaged himself on board the _Eagle_, a vessel of
sixty guns, to the command of which Sir Hugh Palliser was soon
appointed.
Intelligent, active, thoroughly at home in all the details of the
service, Cook was noticed by the officers, and attracted the attention
of his captain, who in a short time received a letter of warm
recommendation from the member for Scarborough, sent in accordance
with the pressing solicitations of all the inhabitants of Ayton, for
young Cook, who shortly afterwards received a warrant as boatswain. He
embarked upon the _Mercury_, bound for Canada, upon the 15th of May,
1759, and joined the fleet of Sir Charles Saunders, who, in
conjunction with General Wolfe, conducted the siege of Quebec.
In that campaign Cook found the first opportunity of distinguishing
himself. Ordered off to sound the St. Lawrence between Orleans Island
and the northern shore of the river, he executed his task with much
skill, and drew up a chart of the channel in spite of the difficulties
and dangers of the enterprise. His hydrographical sketch was
acknowledged to be so exact and complete that he received orders to
examine the channels of the river below Quebec. This duty he performed
so well that his chart of the St. Lawrence was published by the
English Admiralty. After the capture of Quebec, Cook passed on to the
_Northumberland_, under command of Lord Colville, and profited by his
stay on the shores of Newfoundland to devote himself to astronomy.
Important operations were now entrusted to him. He drew up the plan of
Placentia, and took the bearings of St. Peter and Miquelon.
In 1764 he was made naval engineer for Newfoundland and Labrador, and
was employed for three consecutive years in hydrographical tasks,
which obtained for him the notice of the ministry, and helped to
correct innumerable errors in the maps of America.
At the same time he addressed a treatise to the Royal Society of
London, upon an eclipse of the sun, which he had observed in
Newfoundland in 1766.
This document appeared in the "Philosophical Transactions." Cook was
not long in receiving a due reward for so much, and such successful
labour, and for his patient studies, the more meritorious, as he had
had few opportunities, and was self-taught.
A scientific question of the highest importance, viz., the transit of
Venus across the sun's disc, which had been announced for 1769, was
eagerly discussed by all the scientists of the day. The English
Government, confident that this observation could only be effectually
made in the Pacific Sea, resolved to send a scientific expedition
thither.
The command was offered to the famous hydrographer A. Dalrymple,
equally celebrated for his astronomical investigations, and his
geographical discoveries in the southern seas. But he was so exacting
in his demands, and so persevering in his request for a commission as
ship's captain, which Sir Edward Hawker as obstinately refused, that
the Secretary of the Admiralty proposed another commander for the
projected enterprise.
His choice fell upon James Cook, who was cordially recommended by Sir
Hugh Palliser, and to him therefore the command of the _Endeavour_ was
given, whilst he was at the same time raised to the rank of ship's
lieutenant.
Cook was now forty years of age. This was his first appointment in the
Royal Navy. The mission entrusted to him called for varied
qualifications, rarely to be met with in a sailor. For, although the
observation of the transit of Venus was the principal object of the
voyage, it was by no means the only one. Cook was also to make a
voyage of discovery in the Pacific Ocean. But the humbly born
Yorkshire lad was destined to prove himself equal to his task.
Whilst the _Endeavour_ was being equipped, her crew of eighty-four men
chosen, her store of eighteen months' provision embarked, her ten guns
and twelve swivel guns, with the needful ammunition, shipped, Captain
Wallis arrived in England. He had accomplished his voyage round the
world. He was consulted as to the best spot for the observation of the
transit of Venus, and he selected an island which he had discovered,
and which was named by him after George III. It was later known by its
native name of Tahiti. From this spot therefore Cook was to take
observations.
Charles Green, assistant to Dr. Bradley, of Greenwich Observatory,
embarked with him. To Green was entrusted the astronomical department,
Doctor Solander, a Swedish doctor of medicine, a disciple of Linnaeus,
and professor at the British Museum, undertook the botanical part.
Finally, Sir Joseph Banks joined the expedition, out of simple
interest, anxious to employ his energy and fortune. After leaving
Oxford, Sir Joseph Banks had visited the Newfoundland coast and
Labrador, and had there acquired a taste for botany. Two painters
accompanied the expedition, one a landscape and portrait painter, the
other a scientific draughtsman. In addition to these persons, the
company comprised a secretary and four servants, two of whom were
negroes.
The _Endeavour_ left Plymouth upon the 26th of August, 1768, and put
into port at Funchal, in the island of Madeira, on the 13th of
September, to obtain fresh fruit and make discoveries. The expedition
met with a cordial reception.
During their visit to a convent, the staff of the _Endeavour_ were
entreated by the poor immured recluses to let them know when it would
thunder, and to find a spring of fresh water for them, which they
sorely needed, in the interior of the convent. With all their learning,
Banks, Solander, and Cook found it impossible to satisfy these demands.
From Madeira to Rio de Janeiro, where the expedition arrived on the
13th of November, no incident interrupted the voyage, but Cook's
reception by the Portuguese was hardly what he expected. The whole
time of his stay in port was spent in disputes with the viceroy, a man
of little knowledge, and quite incapable of understanding the
scientific aspect of the expedition. However, he could not well refuse
to supply the English with fresh provisions, of which they had
absolutely none left. As, however, Cook was passing Fort Santa Cruz on
leaving the bay, two shots were fired after him, whereupon he
immediately cast anchor, and demanded the meaning of the insult. The
viceroy replied that the commandant of the Fort had orders to allow no
vessel to leave the bay without his having received notice, and
although Captain Cook had notified his intention to the viceroy, it
had, by pure neglect, not been communicated to the Commandant of the
Fort. Was this an intentional act of discourtesy on the part of the
viceroy? or was it simple heedlessness?
If the viceroy was equally negligent in all the details of his
administration, the Portuguese colony must have been well regulated!
Cook entered the Straits of Lemaire on the 14th of January, 1769.
Kippis, in his Life of Captain Cook, gives the following account:--
"The sea ran so high, that the water was above Cape San Diego, and the
vessel was so driven by the wind that her bowsprit was constantly
under water. Next day anchor was cast in a small harbour, which was
recognized as Port Maurice, and soon afterwards they anchored in the
Bay of Good Success. Whilst the _Endeavour_ remained off this spot a
strange and untoward adventure befell Banks, Solander, Dr. Green, and
Monkhouse, the surgeon of the vessel, and their attendants. They were
proceeding towards a mountain in search of plants, and as they climbed
it they were surprised by cold, so penetrating and sudden, that they
were all in danger of perishing. Dr. Solander was seized with vertigo,
two negro servants died on the spot, finally the gentlemen were only
able to regain the vessel after a lapse of two days. They rejoiced in
their deliverance, with a joy which can only be estimated by those who
have escaped similar dangers, whilst Cook showed a lively pleasure in
the cessation of the anxiety their absence had caused him. This event
gave them a proof of the severity of the climate."
It was the middle of summer in this part of the world, and the day,
when the cold surprised them, had begun as warmly as an ordinary May
morning in England.
James Cook was enabled to make some curious observations upon the
savage inhabitants of those desolate regions. Destitute of the
necessaries of life, without clothes, without efficient shelter from
the almost perpetual severity of this glacial latitude, unarmed, and
unlearned in any industrial art which would enable them to construct
the more necessary utensils, they passed a miserable life, and could
only exist with difficulty. In spite of these facts, of all the
articles offered in exchange they invariably chose the least useful.
They joyfully accepted bracelets and necklaces, and rejected hatchets,
knives, and fish-hooks. Careless of what we consider valuables, our
superfluities were their necessaries.
Cook had reason to congratulate himself upon the selection of this
route. He took thirty days to double Tierra del Fuego, from the date
of his entrance into the Straits of Lemaire to his arrival, three
degrees north of Magellan. No doubt a much longer time would have been
needed, if he had followed the winding course of the Strait of
Magellan. His very exact astronomical observations, in which Green
joined him, and the directions he gave for this dangerous navigation,
smoothed the difficulties of his successors, and rectified the charts
of L'Hermite, Lemaire, and Schouten.
[Illustration: Captain James Cook. (Fac-simile of early engraving.)]
Cook noticed no current of any importance from the 21st January, the
day upon which he doubled Cape Horn, to the 1st of March, in a
distance of one hundred and sixty leagues of sea. He discovered a good
many islands in the Dangerous Archipelago, which he respectively named,
Lagoon, Arch, Groups, Birds, and Chain Islands. The greater number
were inhabited and were covered with vegetation, which to sailors who
for three months had seen only sea and sky, and the frozen rocks of
Tierra del Fuego, appeared luxuriant. Soon they found Martea Island,
which Wallis had named Osnaburgh, and on the next day, 11th of June,
the island of Tahiti was reached.
Two days later, the _Endeavour_ cast anchor in Port Matavai, called
Port Royal by Wallis, and where that captain had had a struggle with
the natives, over whom, however, he had triumphed without much
difficulty. Cook, aware of the incidents of his predecessor's stay in
this port, wished above all to avoid similar scenes. Moreover, it was
essential to the success of his observations that no interruption or
distraction should occur. His first care was to read out standing
orders to his crew, which they were forbidden under heavy penalties to
infringe. He first declared that he intended in every possible way to
cultivate friendly relations with the natives, then he selected those
who were to buy the needed provisions, and forbade all others to
attempt any sort of traffic without special permission. Finally, the
men who landed were on no pretext to leave their posts, and if any
soldier or workman parted with his arms or implements, not only would
the price be deducted from his wages, but he would be punished in
proportion to the exigency of the case.
In addition to this, to guard the observers from attack, Cook decided
on constructing a sort of fort, in which they might be sheltered
within gun range of the _Endeavour_. He then landed with Messrs. Banks,
Solander, and Green, soon found a favourable spot, and in presence of
the natives immediately traced out the extent of land he intended to
occupy. One of them, named Owhaw, who had had friendly intercourse
with Wallis, was particularly profuse in his protestations of
friendship.
As soon as the plan of the fort was fixed, Cook left thirteen men and
an officer in charge of the tents, and accompanied his associates into
the interior of the island. But he was speedily recalled by the sound
of firing.
A very painful incident, the consequences of which might have been
serious, had occasioned this.
One of the natives had surprised a sentinel near the tents, and had
possessed himself of his gun. A general discharge was immediately
directed upon the inoffensive crowd, but fortunately no one was
injured. The robber meantime was pursued and killed.
A great commotion ensued, and Cook was profuse in his protestations,
to pacify the natives. He promised payment for all that he required
for the construction of his fort, and would not allow a tree to be
felled without their sanction. Finally, he had the butcher of the
_Endeavour_ mast-headed and flogged, for threatening the wife of one
of the chiefs with death.
This proceeding effaced the recollection of the painful antecedents,
and with the exception of some thieving by the natives, the friendly
relations remained undisturbed.
And now the moment for the execution of the primary object of the
voyage approached. Cook accordingly took steps for putting the
instructions he had received into effect. With this view, he
despatched observers with Sir Joseph Banks to Eimeo, one of the
neighbouring isles.
Four others proceeded to a favourable distance from the fort, where
Cook himself proposed to await the transit of the planet. Hence the
point of observation was called Point Venus.
The night preceding the observation passed with many fears of
unfavourable weather, but on the 3rd of June, the sun rose in all its
glory, and not a cloud troubled the observers throughout the day.
The observations, according to W. de Tonnelle's article in "Nature,"
for the 28th of March, 1874, were most fatiguing for the astronomers,
for they began at twenty-one minutes after nine in the morning, and
only terminated at ten minutes after three in the afternoon, at which
moment the heat was stifling. The thermometer registered 120 degrees
Fahrenheit. Cook assures us, and we can readily believe it, that he
himself was not certain of the end of his observation. In such
thermetrical conditions, the human organism, admirable instrument as
it is, loses its powers.
On passing the sun, the rim of Venus was elongated as though attracted.
A black point or dark ligament, a little less dark than the body of
the star, was formed; the same phenomenon occurred upon the second
interior contact.
"The observation," says Cook, "was made with equal success at the fort,
and by those I had sent to the east of the island. From the rising to
the setting of the sun, not a single cloud obscured the sky, and Mr.
Green, Dr. Solander, and myself, observed the entire transit of Venus
with the greatest ease. Mr. Green's telescope and mine were of equal
power, and that of Dr. Solander still stronger. We noted a luminous
atmosphere or fog surrounding the planet, which rendered the actual
moment of contact and especially of interior contacts somewhat
indistinct. To this fact it is owing that our observations varied
somewhat one from the other."
Whilst the officers and _savants_ were engaged in this important
observation, some of the crew, forcing an entrance into the storeroom,
stole a hundredweight of nails. This was a grave offence, and one
which might have had disastrous results for the expedition. The market
was at once glutted with that one article of traffic, and as the
natives testified an immoderate desire to possess it, there was every
reason to anticipate an increase in their demands. One of the thieves
was detected, but only seventy nails were found in his possession, and
the application of eighty lashes failed to make him betray his
accomplices.
Other incidents of this kind constantly occurred, but friendly
relations were not seriously disturbed. The officers were free to make
incursions into the interior of the island to prosecute scientific
investigations, and to inquire into the manners of the inhabitants.
In one of these excursions, Sir Joseph Banks met a band of itinerant
musicians and _improvisatori_. They were somewhat surprised to find
that the arrival of the English, and the various incidents of their
stay formed the subjects of native songs. Banks followed the river
which flows into the sea at Matavai, some distance into the interior,
and found traces of a long extinct volcano. He planted, and also
distributed among the population a large number of kitchen-garden
seeds, such as water-melons, oranges, lemons, &c., and planned a
garden near the fort, where he sowed many of the seeds he had selected
at Rio Janeiro.
Cook, and his principal assistants, wished to accomplish the
circumnavigation of the island, which they estimated at thirty
nautical leagues. During this voyage they entered into amicable
relations with the chiefs of different districts, and collected a mass
of information as to the manners and customs of the natives.
A curious custom was that of allowing the dead to decompose in the
open air, and of burying the bones only. The corpse was placed in a
hut about fifteen feet in length, and eleven in height, and of
proportionate width. One end was closed up, and the three other sides
shut in by trellis-work of twigs. The board upon which the corpse
rested was five feet above the earth. There the dead body was laid,
covered in stuffs, with its club and stone hatchet. Cocoa-nuts,
wreathed together, were hung at the open end of the tent; half a
cocoa-nut, filled with soft water, was placed outside, and a bag
containing some bits of toasted bread, was attached to a post. This
species of monument is called Toupapow. Whence could that singular
method of raising the dead above the ground until the flesh was
decayed by putrefaction have been derived! It is quite impossible to
find out. Cook could only ascertain that the cemeteries called Morai,
are places where the natives observe certain religious customs, and
that they always betrayed some uneasiness when the English approached.
One of their most delicate dishes was dog. Those intended for the
table never ate meat, but were fed upon bread-fruits, cocoa-nuts, yams,
and other vegetables. The flesh placed in a hole upon hot stones
covered with green leaves, was stewed down in four hours. Cook, who
partook of it, says it has a delicious flavour.
On the 7th of July, preparations for departure began. In a short time
the doors and palings were removed, and the walls demolished. At this
moment, one of the natives, who had received the English with
cordiality, came on board with a young lad of about thirteen years of
age, who acted as his servant. He was named Tupia. Formerly first
minister to Queen Oberea, he was afterwards one of the principal
priests of Tahiti. He asked to be allowed to go to England. Many
reasons combined to decide Cook upon permitting this. Thoroughly
acquainted (as a necessary consequence of his high functions) with all
the particulars concerning Tahiti, this native would be able to give
the most circumstantial details of his compatriots, and at the same
time to initiate them into the civilized customs of the Europeans.
Finally, he had visited the neighbouring islands and perfectly
understood the navigation of those latitudes.
On the 13th of July there was a crowd on board the _Endeavour_. The
natives came to bid farewell to their English friends, and to their
countryman Tupia. Some overcome with silent sorrow shed tears, others,
on the contrary, uttered piercing cries, with less of true grief than
of affectation in their demonstrations.
In the immediate neighbourhood of Tahiti were to be found, according
to Tupia, four islands, Huaheine, Ulieta, Otaha, and Bolabola. He
asserted that wild pigs, fowls, and other needful provisions could
easily be obtained there. These commodities had become scarce in the
latter part of the stay at Matavai. Cook, however, preferred visiting
a small island called Tethuroa, about eight miles north of Tahiti, but
the natives had no regular settlement, and he therefore considered it
useless to wait there.
When they came in sight of Huaheine, several pirogues approached the
_Endeavour_, and it was only after they had recognized Tupia that the
natives consented to come on board. King Orea, who was among the
passengers, was greatly surprised at all the vessel contained. Soon
reassured by the welcome of the English, he became so familiar as to
wish to exchange names with Cook. During the entire stay in port, he
always called himself "Cookee," and gave his own name to the captain.
Anchor was cast in a convenient harbour, and the officers of this
vessel on landing found the manners, the language, and the productions
of this island identical with those of Tahiti.
Seven or eight leagues south-west lay Ulietea. Cook landed there also,
and solemnly took possession of this and the three neighbouring isles.
He also profited by his stay to make hydrographical surveys of the
shores, whilst a leak which had been found in the gun-room of the
_Endeavour_, was attended to. After reconnoitring various other small
islands, Cook gave the entire group the name of Society Isles.
Cook sailed on the 7th of August; six days later he reconnoitred the
island of Oteroah. The hostile demonstrations of the natives prevented
the _Endeavour_ from remaining. She set sail for the south.
On the 25th of August, the anniversary of their departure from England
was celebrated by the crew. On the 1st of September, in 40 degrees 22
minutes S. Lat., 174 degrees 29 minutes E. Long., the sea, agitated by
a west wind, became very rough. The _Endeavour_ was obliged to put her
head to the north, and to run before the storm. Up to the 3rd the
weather continued the same, then it abated and it was possible to
resume the westward route.
In a few days, sundry indications of an island or a continent appeared,
such as floating weeds, land-birds, &c.
On the 5th of October the colour of the sea changed, and on the
morning of the 6th, a coast running west by north-west was perceived.
Nearer approach showed it to be of great extent. Unanimous opinion
decided that the famous continent, so long looked for, so necessary
for the equipoise of the world, known to cosmographers, as the
"Unknown land of the South," was at last discovered!
This land was the eastern shore of the most northerly of the two
islands which have received the name of New Zealand.
Smoke was perceived at different points, and the details of the shore
were soon mastered. The hills were covered with verdure, and large
trees were distinguishable in the valleys. Then houses were perceived,
then pirogues, then the natives assembled on the strand. And lastly, a
pallisade, high and regularly built, surrounded the summit of the hill.
Opinions varied as to the nature of this object; some declaring it to
be a deer park, others a cattle enclosure, not to speak of many
equally ingenious surmises, which were all proved false, when later it
turned out to be a "pah."
Towards four o'clock on the afternoon of the 8th of October, anchor
was cast in a bay at the mouth of a little river. On either side were
white rocks; in the middle a brownish plain, rising by degrees, and
joining by successive levels a chain of mountains, which appeared far
in the interior. Such was the aspect of this portion of the shore.
Cook, Banks, and Solander entered two small boats, accompanied by a
part of the crew. As they approached the spot where the natives were
assembled, the latter fled; this, however, did not prevent the English
from landing, leaving four lads to guard one of the boats, whilst the
other remained at sea.
They had proceeded only a short distance from the boat, when four men,
armed with long spears, emerged from the wood, and threw themselves
upon it to take possession of it. They would have succeeded with ease,
had not the crew of the boat out at sea perceived them, and cried out
to the lads to let it drift with the current. They were pursued so
closely by the enemy, that the master of the pinnace discharged his
gun over the heads of the natives.
[Illustration: "They were pursued so closely."]
After a moment's hesitation, the natives continued their pursuit, when
a second discharge stretched one of them dead on the spot. His
companions made an effort to carry him away with them, but were
obliged to abandon the attempt, as it retarded their flight. Hearing
the firing, the officers who had landed went back to the vessel,
whence they soon heard the natives returning to the shore, eagerly
discussing the event.
Still Cook desired to have friendly intercourse with them. He ordered
three boats to be manned, and landed with Banks, Solander, and Tupia.
Fifty or more natives seated on the shore awaited them. They were
armed with long lances, and an instrument made of green talc, and
highly polished, a foot long, which perhaps weighed four or five
pounds. This was the "patou-patou," or toki, a kind of battle-axe, in
talc or bone, with a very sharp edge. All rose at once and signed to
the English to keep their distance.
As soon as the marines landed, Cook and his companions advanced to the
natives, whom Tupia told that the English had come with peaceful
intentions, that they only wished for water and provisions, that they
would pay for all that was brought them with iron, of which he
explained the use. They saw, with pleasure, that the people, whose
language was only a dialect of that spoken by the Tahitans, perfectly
understood them. After some parleying, about thirty of the natives
crossed the river. The strangers gave them iron and glass wares, on
which they set no store; but one of them, having succeeded in
possessing himself secretly of Mr. Green's cutlass, the others
recommenced their hostile demonstrations, and it was necessary to fire
at the robber, who was hit, when they all threw themselves into the
river to gain the opposite shore.
[Illustration: Tahitian flute-player. (Fac-simile of early
engraving.)]
The various attempts at commercial intercourse with the people ended
too unfortunately for Cook to persevere in them any longer. He
therefore decided to find a watering-place elsewhere. Meanwhile, two
pirogues, which were trying to regain the shore, were perceived. Cook
took measures to intercept them; one escaped by rapid paddling, the
other was caught, and although Tupia assured the natives that the
English came as friends, they seized their weapons, and commenced
attacking them. A discharge killed four, and three others, who threw
themselves into the sea, were seized after a fierce resistance.
The reflections which this sad incident suggested to Captain Cook, are
much to his honour. They are in strong contradistinction to the
ordinary method of proceeding then in vogue, and deserve to be
repeated verbatim.
"I cannot disguise from myself," he says, "that all humane and
sensible people will blame me for having fired upon these unfortunate
Indians, and I should be forced to blame myself for such an act of
violence if I thought of it in cold blood. They certainly did not
deserve death for refusing to trust to my promises, and to come on
board, even if they suspected no danger; but my commission by its
nature obliged me to take observations of their country, and I could
only do so by penetrating into the interior, either by open force or
by gaining the confidence and good will of the natives. I had tried
unsuccessfully by means of presents and my anxiety to avoid new
hostilities led me to attempt having some of them on board, as the
sole method of persuading them that far from wishing to hurt them, we
were disposed to be of use to them. So far, my intentions were
certainly not criminal. It is true that during the struggle, which was
unexpected by me, our victory might have been equally complete without
taking the lives of four of these Indians, but it must also be
remembered that in such a situation, the command to fire having once
been given, one is no longer in a position to proscribe it, or to
lighten its effect."
The natives were welcomed on board, with every possible demonstration,
if not to make them forget, at least to make them less sensible of the
pain of remembering their capture, they were loaded with presents,
adorned with bracelets and necklaces, but when they were told to land,
they all declared, as the boats were directed to the mouth of the
river, that it was an enemy's country, and that they would be killed
and eaten. However, they were put on shore, and there is no reason to
suppose that anything painful came of their adventure.
Next day, the 11th of October, Cook left this miserable settlement. He
named it Poverty Bay, because of all that he needed he had been able
to procure but one thing--wood. Poverty Bay, in 38 degrees 42 minutes
S. Lat., and 181 degrees 36 minutes W. Long., is of horse-shoe shape,
and affords good anchorage, although it is open to the winds between
south and east.
Cook continued along the coast in a southerly direction, naming the
most remarkable points, and bestowing the name of Portland upon an
island which resembled that of the same name in the English Channel.
His relations with the natives were everywhere inimical; if they did
not break out into open outrage, it was owing to the English patience
under every provocation.
One day several pirogues surrounded the ship, and nails and glassware
were exchanged for fish; when the natives seized Tayeto, Tupia's
servant, and quickly paddled off.
As it was necessary to fire at the robbers, the little Tahitan
profited by the confusion, and jumping into the sea was soon picked up
by the pinnace of the _Endeavour_.
On the 17th of October, Cook, not having been able to find a suitable
harbour, and considering himself, as the sea became more and more
rough, to be losing time which might be better employed in
reconnoitring the northern coast, tacked round and returned the way he
had come.
On the 23rd of October, the _Endeavour_ reached a bay called Tedago,
where no swell was perceptible. The water was excellent, and it was
easy to procure provisions, the more so as the natives appeared
friendly.
After having arranged everything for the safety of the workers, Messrs.
Banks and Solander landed and collected plants, and in their walk they
found many things worthy of note. Below the valley, surrounded by
steep mountains, arose a rock so perforated, that from one side the
sea could be seen through it, and from the other the long range of
hills.
Returning on board, the excursionists were stopped by an old man, who
insisted upon their taking part in the military exercises of the
country with the lance and the patou-patou.
In the course of another walk, Dr. Solander bought a top exactly
resembling European tops, and the natives made signs to show him that
he must whip it to make it go.
Upon an island to the left of the bay, the English saw the largest
pirogue they had yet met with. It was no less than sixty-eight feet
long, five wide, and three feet six inches high. It had in front a
sculpture in relief, of grotesque taste, in which the lines were
spiral and the figures strangely contorted.
On the 30th of October, as soon as he was supplied with wood and water,
Cook set sail and continued along the coast towards the north.
Near an island, to which Cook had given the name of Mayor, the natives
behaved most insolently, and were greater thieves than any previously
encountered. It was, however, necessary to make a stay of five or six
days in this district, to observe the transit of Mercury. With a view
to impressing upon the natives that the English were not to be illused
with impunity, a robber who had taken a piece of cloth was fired upon
with grape shot, but although he received the discharge in the back,
it had no more effect upon him than a violent blow with a rattan. But
a bullet which struck the water and returning to the surface passed
several times over the pirogues, struck such terror into the hearts of
the natives, that they hastily paddled to the shore.
On the 9th of November, Cook and Green landed to observe the transit
of Mercury. Green only observed the passing, while Cook took the
altitude of the sun.
It is not our intention to follow the navigators in their thorough
exploration of New Zealand.
The same incidents were endlessly repeated, and the recital of the
similar struggles with the natives, with descriptions of natural
beauty, however attractive in themselves, could not but pall upon the
reader. It is better, therefore, to pass rapidly over the hydrographic
portion of the voyage, in order to devote ourselves to our picture of
the manners of the natives, now so widely modified.
Mercury Bay is situated at the foot of the long divided peninsula
which, running from the east to the north-east, forms the northern
extremity of New Zealand. On the 15th of November, as the _Endeavour_
left the bay, several boats advanced towards her.
"Two of their number," says the narrative, "which carried about sixty
armed men, approached within hearing, and the natives began their
war-song, but seeing that this attracted little attention, they began
throwing stones at the English, and paddled along the shore. Soon they
returned to the charge, evidently determined to fight the navigators,
and encouraging themselves with their war cry."
Without being incited to it, Tupia addressed them reproachfully, and
told them that the English had arms, and were in a position to
overpower them instantly. But they valiantly replied,--
"Come to land, and we will kill you all!"
"Directly," replied Tupia, "but why insult us as long as we are at
sea? We have no wish to fight, and we will not accept your challenge,
because there is no quarrel between us. The sea does not belong to you
any more than to our ship."
Tupia had not been credited with so much simple and true eloquence,
and it surprised Cook and the other English.
Whilst he was in the bay of the islands, the captain reconnoitred a
considerable river, which he named after the Thames. It was shaded
with trees, of the same species as those on Poverty Island. One of
them measured nineteen feet in circumference at the height of six feet
above the ground, another was not less than ninety feet long from the
root to the lowest branches.
Although quarrels with the natives were frequent, the latter were not
invariably in the wrong.
Kippis relates as follows:--
"Some of the men on board, who, after the Indians had once been found
in fault, did not fail to exhibit a severity worthy of Lycurgus,
thought fit to enter a New Zealand plantation, and to carry off a
quantity of potatoes. Captain Cook condemned them to a dozen stripes
each. Two of them received them peaceably, but the third persisted
that it was no crime for an Englishman to pillage Indian plantations.
Cook's method of dealing with this casuist was to send him to the
bottom of the hold until he agreed to receive six additional stripes."
On the 30th of December the English doubled a cape which they took to
be that of Maria Van Diemen, discovered by Tasman, but they were so
assailed by threatening winds, that Cook only accomplished ten leagues
in three weeks. Fortunately they kept at a uniform distance from shore
all the time, otherwise we should probably have been spared the
recital of their further adventures.
On the 16th of January, 1770, after naming various portions of the
eastern shore, Cook arrived in sight of an imposing peak, which was
covered with snow, and which he named Mount Egmont in honour of the
earl of that name.
Scarcely had he doubled the peak, when he found that the coast
described the arc of a circle. It was split up into numberless
roadsteads, which Cook determined to enter, in order to allow of his
ship being repaired and keeled.
He landed at the bottom of a creek where he found a fine river and
plenty of trees, for the forest only ceased at the sea for want of
soil.
The amicable relations with the natives at this point enabled him to
inquire if they had ever seen a vessel like the _Endeavour_. But he
found that even the traditions of Tasman's visit were forgotten,
although he was only fifteen miles south of Assassin Bay.
In one of the provision baskets of the Zealanders ten half gnawed
bones were found. They did not look like a dog's bones, and on nearer
inspection they turned out to be human remains. The natives in reply
to the questions put to them, asserted that they were in the habit of
eating their enemies. A few days later, they brought on board the
_Endeavour_ seven human heads, to which hair and flesh still adhered,
but the brains as being delicate morsels, were already picked. The
flesh was soft, and no doubt was preserved from decay by some
ingredient, for it had no unpleasant odour. Banks bought one of these
heads after some difficulty, but he could not induce the old man who
brought it to part with a second, probably because the New Zealanders
considered them as trophies, and testimonies to their bravery.
The succeeding days were devoted to a visit to the environs, and to
some walks in the neighbourhood. During one of these excursions Cook,
having climbed a high hill, distinctly perceived the whole of the
strait to which he had given the name of Queen Charlotte, and the
opposite shore, which appeared to him about four leagues distant.
A fog made it impossible for him to see further to the south-east, but
he had discerned enough to assure him that it was the final extent of
the large island of which he had followed all the windings. He had now
only to finish his discoveries in the south, which he proposed to do
as soon as he had satisfied himself that Queen Charlotte's Sound was
really a strait.
Cook visited a pah in the neighbourhood. Built upon a little island or
inaccessible rock, the pah was merely a fortified village. The natives
most frequently add to the natural defences by fortifications, which
render the approach still more perilous. Many were defended by a
double ditch, the inner one having a parapet and double palisade. The
second ditch was at least eighty feet in depth. On the inside of the
palisade, at the height of twenty feet, was a raised platform forty
feet long by six wide. Supported on two large poles, it was intended
to hold the defenders of the place, who from thence could easily
overwhelm the attacking party with darts and stones, of which an
enormous supply was always ready in case of need.
These strongholds cannot be forced, unless by means of a long blockade
the inmates should be compelled to surrender.
"It is surprising," as Cook remarks, "that the industry and care
employed by them in building places so well adapted for defence,
almost without the use of instruments, should not by the same means,
have led them to invent a single weapon of any importance, with the
sole exception of the spear they throw with the hand. They do not
understand the use of a bow to throw a dart, or of a sling to fling a
stone, which is the more astonishing, as the invention of slings, and
bows and arrows is far more simple than the construction of these
works by the people, and moreover these two weapons are met with in
almost all parts of the world, in the most savage countries."
On the 6th of February, Cook left the bay, and set sail for the east,
in the hope of discovering the entrance to the strait before the ebb
of the tide. At seven in the evening, the vessel was driven by the
violence of the current to the close neighbourhood of a small island,
outside Cape Koamaroo. Sharply pointed rocks rose from the sea. The
danger increased momentarily, one only hope of saving the ship
remained. It was attempted and succeeded. A cable's length was the
distance between the _Endeavour_ and the rock when anchor was cast, in
seventy-five fathoms of water. Fortunately the anchor found a hold,
and the current changing its direction after touching the island,
carried the vessel past the rock. But she was not yet in safety, for
she was still in the midst of rocks, and the current made five miles
an hour.
However, the current decreased, the vessel righted herself, and the
wind becoming favourable, she was speedily carried to the narrowest
part of the strait, which she crossed without difficulty.
The most northerly island of New Zealand, which is named Eaheinomauwe,
was, however, as yet only partially known, there still remained some
fifteen leagues unexplored.
A few officers affirmed from this that it was a continent, and not an
island, which was contrary to Cook's view. But although his own mind
was made up, the captain directed his navigation with a view to clear
up any doubt which might remain in the minds of his officers. After
two days' voyage, in which Cape Palliser was passed, he called them up
on the quarter deck and asked if they were satisfied. As they replied
in the affirmative, Cook gave up his idea of returning to the most
southerly point he had reached on the eastern coast of Eaheinomauwe,
and determined to prolong his cruise the entire length of the land
which he had found, and which was named Tawai-Pounamow.
The coast was more sterile, and appeared uninhabited. It was necessary
to keep four or five leagues from the shore.
On the night of the 9th of March the _Endeavour_ passed over several
rocks, and in the morning the crew discovered what dangers they had
escaped. They named these reefs the Snares, as they appeared placed
there to surprise unsuspecting navigators.
[Illustration: A Fa-toka, New Zealand.]
Next day, Cook reconnoitred what appeared to him to be the extreme
south of New Zealand, and called it South Cape. It was the point of
Steward Island. Great waves from the south-west burst over the vessel
as it doubled this cape, which convinced Captain Cook that there was
no land in that quarter. He therefore returned to the northern route,
to complete the circumnavigation of New Zealand by the eastern coast.
Almost at the southern extremity of this coast, a bay was discovered,
which received the name of Dusky. This region was sterile, steep,
covered with snow. Dusky Bay was three or four miles in width at its
entrance, and appeared as deep as it was wide. Several islands were
contained in it, behind which a vessel would have excellent shelter;
but Cook thought it prudent not to remain there, as he knew that the
wind, which would enable him to leave the bay, blew only once a month
in these latitudes. He differed upon this point with several of his
officers, who thinking only of the present advantage, did not reflect
upon the inconveniences of a stay in port, the duration of which would
be uncertain.
No incident occurred during the navigation of the eastern coast of
Tawai-Pounamow.
From Dusky Bay, according to Cook, to 44 degrees 20 minutes latitude,
there is a straight chain of hills which rise directly from the sea,
and are covered with forests. Behind and close to these hills, are
mountains which form another chain of prodigious height, composed of
barren and jagged rocks, excepting in the parts where they are covered
with snow, mostly in large masses. It is impossible to conceive a
wilder prospect, or a more savage and frightful one than this country
from the sea, because from every point of view nothing is visible but
the summits of rocks; so close to each other that in lieu of valleys
there are only fissures between them. From 44 degrees 20 minutes to 42
degrees 8 minutes the aspect varies, the mountains are in the interior,
hills and fruitful valleys border the coast.
From 42 degrees 8 minutes to the 41 degrees 30 minutes the coast
inclines vertically to the sea, and is covered with dark forests. The
_Endeavour_, moreover, was too far from the shore, and the weather was
too dark for it to be possible to distinguish minor details. After
achieving the circumnavigation of the country, the vessel regained the
entrance to Queen Charlotte Sound.
Cook took in water and wood; then he decided on returning to England,
following the route which permitted him best to fulfil the object of
his voyage. To his keen regret, for he had greatly wished to decide
whether or no the southern continent existed, it was as impossible for
him to return to Europe by Cape Horn as by the Cape of Good Hope.
In the middle of winter, in an extreme southerly latitude his vessel
was in no condition to bring the enterprise to a successful issue. He
had no choice, therefore, but to take the route for the East Indies,
and to this end to steer westward to the eastern shores of New Holland.
[Illustration: Interior of a morai in Hawai.]
But before proceeding to the narration of the incidents of the second
part of the campaign, it will be better to glance backward and to
summarize the information upon the situation, productions, and
inhabitants of New Zealand which the navigators had accumulated.
We have already seen that this land had been discovered by Abel Tasman,
and we have noted those incidents which were marked with traces of
bloodshed when it was reconnoitred by the Dutch captain. With the
exception of Tasman, in 1642, no European captain had ever visited its
shores. It was so far unknown, that it was not even decided whether it
formed a part of the southern continent, as Tasman supposed, when he
named it Staten Island. To Cook belongs the credit of determining its
position and of tracing the coasts of these two large islands,
situated between 34 degrees and 48 degrees S. Lat. 180 degrees and 194
degrees W. Long.
Tawai-Pounamow was mountainous, sterile, and apparently very sparsely
populated. Eaheinomauwe presented an attractive appearance, in its
hills, mountains, and valleys covered with wood, and watered by bright
flowing streams. Cook formed an opinion of the climate upon the
remarks made by Banks and Solander, that,--
"If the English settled in this country, it would cost them but little
care and work to cultivate all that they needed in great abundance."
[Illustration: Tatooed head of a New Zealander. (Fac-simile of early
engraving.)]
As for quadrupeds, New Zealand afforded an asylum for dogs and rats
only, the former reserved for food. But if the fauna was poor, the
flora was rich. Among the vegetable products which attracted the
English most, was one of which the narrative says,--
"The natives used as hemp and flax, a plant which surpasses all those
used for the same purposes in other countries. The ordinary dress of
the New Zealanders is composed of leaves of this plant, with very
little preparation. They fabricate their cords, lines, and ropes from
it, and they are much stronger than those made with hemp, and to which
they can be compared. From the same plant, prepared in another way,
they draw long thin fibres, lustrous as silk and white as snow. Their
best stuffs are manufactured from these fibres, and are of
extraordinary strength. Their nets, of an enormous size, are composed
of these leaves, the work simply consists in cutting them into
suitable lengths and fastening them together." This wonderful plant,
which was so enthusiastically described, in the lyrical account just
quoted, and in the hardly less exuberant one which La Billadiere
afterwards gave of it, is known in our day as _phornium tenax_.
[Illustration: An i-pah. (Fac-simile of early engraving.)]
It was really necessary to subdue the expectations that these
narratives excited! According to the eminent chemist Ducharte, the
prolonged action of the damp heat, and above all bleaching,
disintegrates the cellular particles of this plant, and after one or
two washings, the tissues which are fabricated from it, are reduced to
tow. Still it forms a considerable article of commerce. Mr. Alfred
Kennedy, in his very curious work on New Zealand, tells us that in
1865, only fifteen bales of _phornium_ were exported, that four years
later the export amounted to the almost incredible number of 12,162
bales, and in 1870 to 32,820 bales, valued at 132,578_l_.
The inhabitants were tall and well proportioned, alert, vigorous, and
intelligent. The women had not the delicate organization, and grace of
form, which distinguish them in other countries; dressed like the men,
they were recognizable only by their sweetness of voice and liveliness
of expression. Although the natives of the same tribe were
affectionate in their relations to each other, they were implacable to
their enemies, and they gave no quarter; the dead bodies of their
enemies afforded horrible festivities, which the want of other animal
food explains, but can hardly excuse.
[Illustration: A New Zealand family.]
"Perhaps," says Cook, "it appears strange that there were frequent
wars in a country where so few advantages follow victory." But besides
the need of procuring meat, which led to the frequency of these wars,
another cause for them, unknown to Cook, existed in the fact that the
population consisted of two distinct races, naturally enemies of each
other.
Ancient tradition has it that the Maories came in the first instance,
some thirteen hundred years ago, from the Sandwich Islands. There is
reason for believing this to be correct, when one reflects that the
beautiful Polynesian race peopled all the archipelago sprinkled
throughout the Pacific Ocean.
Leaving Haouaikai, which must be identical with Hawai, of the Sandwich
Islands, or Sanai of the Navigator Archipelago, the Maories had
repelled or possibly driven back the aboriginal population. In truth,
the earliest colonists noticed two distinctly separate types in the
New Zealanders. The one, and most important, unmistakably recalled the
natives of Hawaii, the Marquisas, and Tonga Islands, whilst the other
offered many resemblances to the Melanesian races.
These particulars, collected by Freycinet, and recently confirmed by
Hochsetten, are in perfect accord with the singular fact, recorded by
Cook, that Tupia, a native of Tahiti, made himself readily understood
by the New Zealanders.
The migrations of the Polynesian tribes are thoroughly understood in
these days, thanks to the wider knowledge of languages and
anthropology, but they were scarcely suspected in the time of Cook,
who, indeed, was one of the first to collect legends on the subject.
"Every one of these tribes," he says, "traditionally believes that his
forefathers came years ago from another country, and they all assert
from the same tradition, that the country was called Heawise." The
country at this time produced only one quadruped, the dog, and that
was an alien. Thus the New Zealanders had no means of subsistence, but
vegetables and a few fowls unknown to the English. Fortunately the
inhabitants were saved from death by starvation by the abundance of
fish. Accustomed to war, and looking upon all strangers as enemies,
possibly seeing in them merely an edible commodity, the natives
naturally attacked the English.
Once convinced, however, of the utter inadequacy of their weapons, and
of the powers of their adversaries, once convinced that the new comers
avoided using those instruments which produced such terrific effects,
they treated the navigators as friends, and conducted themselves
towards them with surprising loyalty.
If the natives usually met with by the navigators had little idea of
decency or modesty, the same was not true of the New Zealanders, and
Cook gives a curious example of this fact. Although not so clean as
the natives of Tahiti, whose climate is much warmer, and although they
bathed less often, they took a pride in their persons, and showed a
certain coquetry. For instance, they greased their hair with an oil or
fat obtained from fishes or birds, which becoming rank after awhile,
made them as disagreeable to a refined sense of smell as the
Hottentots.
They were in the habit of tatooing themselves, and some of their tatoo
designs demonstrated wonderful skill, and taste certainly not to be
expected among this primitive race.
The English were greatly surprised to find that the women devoted less
attention to their attire than the men. Their hair was cut short and
without ornament, and they wore clothes similar to those of their
husbands. Their sole attempt at coquetry consisted in fastening the
most extraordinary things to their ears, stuffs, feathers, fish-bones,
bits of wood, not to mention green talc needles, the nails and teeth
of their deceased parents, and generally everything they could lay
hands on, which they suspended by means of thread.
This recalls an adventure related by Cook, which happened to a Tahitan
woman. This woman, envious of all she saw, wanted to have a padlock
attached to her ear. She was allowed to take it, and then the key was
thrown into the sea before her. After a certain time, either because
the weight of this singular ornament worried her, or because she
wished to replace it by another, she begged to have it removed. The
request was refused, upon the ground that her demand was foolish, and
that as she had wished for this singular ear-ring, it was fair that
she should put up with its inconveniences.
The clothing of the New Zealanders consisted of one piece of stuff,
something between reed or cloth, attached to the shoulders and falling
to the knees, and of a second rolled round the waist, which reached to
the ground. But the latter was not an invariable part of their dress.
Thus, when they had on only the upper part of their costume, and they
squatted, they presented the appearance of thatched roofs.
Their coverings were sometimes trimmed in a most elegant manner, by
means of various coloured fringes, and more rarely with dogskin cut
into strips. But the industry of these people was especially shown in
the construction of their pirogues.
Their war-vessels contained from forty to fifty armed men, and one of
them, measured at Ulaga, was no less than sixty-eight feet long. It
was beautifully ornamented with open work and decorated with fringes
of black feathers. The smaller ones generally had poles. Occasionally
two pirogues were joined together. The fishing-boats were ornamented
at the prow and the poop by the face of a grinning man with hideous
features, lolling tongue and eyes made of white shells. Two pirogues
were often coupled, and the very smallest carried only the poles
needed to preserve their equilibrium.
"The usual cause of illnesses," remarks Cook, "being intemperance and
want of exercise, it is not surprising that these people rejoice in
perfect health. Each time that we went to their settlements, men,
women, and children surrounded us, excited by the same curiosity which
caused us to look at them. We never saw one who appeared affected by
illness, and amongst all that we saw naked we never remarked the
smallest eruption on the skin, nor any trace of spots or sores."
II.
Reconnoitring the Eastern Coast of Australia--Remarks on the natives
and productions of the country--The _Endeavour_ stranded--Perpetual
dangers of navigation--Crossing Torres Straits--The natives of New
Guinea--Return to England.
On the 31st of March, Cook left Cape Farewell and New Zealand,
steering westward. On the 19th of April, he perceived land which
extended from north-east to west, in 37 degrees 58 minutes S. Lat. and
210 degrees 39 minutes W. Long.
In his opinion, judging by Tasman's chart, this was the country called
Van Diemen's Land. In any case, he was unable to ascertain whether the
portion of the coast before him belonged to Tasmania. He named all the
points on his northern voyage, Hick's Point, Ram Head, Cape Howe,
Dromedary Mount, Upright Point, Pigeon House, &c.
This part of Australia is mountainous, and covered with various kinds
of trees.
[Illustration: Map of Australia, after Perron's atlas.]
Smoke announced it to be inhabited, but the sparse population ran away
as soon as the English prepared to land.
The first natives seen were armed with long lances and a piece of wood
shaped like a scimitar. This was the famous "boomerang," so effective
a weapon in the hands of the natives, so useless in that of Europeans.
The faces of the natives were covered with white powder, their bodies
were striped with lines of the same colour, which, passing obliquely
across the chest, resembled the shoulder-belts of soldiers. On their
thighs and legs they had circles of the same kind, which would have
appeared like gaiters had not the natives been entirely naked.
A little further on the English once more attempted to land. But two
natives whom they had previously endeavoured to propitiate by throwing
them nails, glassware, and other trifles, made such menacing
demonstrations, that they were obliged to fire over their heads. At
first they seemed stunned by the detonation, but as they found that
they were not wounded, they commenced hostilities by throwing stones
and javelins. A volley of bullets struck the oldest in his legs. The
unfortunate native rushed at once to one of the cabins, but returned
with a shield to continue the fight, which was shortly ended, when he
was convinced of his powerlessness.
The English seized the opportunity to land, and reach the houses,
where they found several spears. In the same bay, they landed some
casks for water, but communication with the natives was hopeless; they
fled immediately on the advance of the English.
During an excursion on land, Cook, Banks, and Solander found traces of
various animals. The birds were plentiful, and remarkably beautiful.
The great number of plants discovered by the naturalists in this part,
induced Cook to give it the name of Botany Bay. "This bay is," he says,
"large, safe, and convenient; it is situated in 34 degrees S. Lat.,
and 208 degrees 37 minutes W. Long." Wood and water were easily
procurable there.
"The trees," according to Cook, "were at least as large as the oaks of
England, and I saw one which somewhat resembled them. It is that one
which distils a red gum like 'Dragon's blood.'"
No doubt this was a species of Eucalyptus. Among the various kinds of
fishes which abound in these latitudes is the thorn-back skate, one of
which, even after cleaning, weighed three hundred and thirty-six
pounds.
On the 6th of May, Cook left Botany Bay, and continued to coast to the
north at two or three miles distance from the shore. The navigation
along this coast was sufficiently monotonous. The only incidents which
imparted a slight animation, were the sudden and unexpected
differences in the depth of the sea, caused by the line of breakers
which it was necessary to avoid.
[Illustration: Map of the east coast of New Holland, after Cook. Grave
par E. Morieu.]
Landing a little further on, the navigators ascertained that the
country was inferior to that surrounding Botany Bay.
The soil was dry and sandy, the sides of the hills were sparsely
covered with isolated trees and free from brush-wood. The sailors
killed a bustard, which was pronounced to be the best game eaten since
leaving England. Hence, this point was named Bustard Bay. Numbers of
bivalves were found there, especially small pearl oysters.
On the 25th of May, the _Endeavour_ being a mile from land, was
opposite a point which exactly crossed the Tropic of Capricorn. The
following day, it was ascertained that the sea rose and fell seven
feet. The flow was westward, and the ebb eastward, just the reverse of
the case in Botany Bay. In this spot islands were numerous, the
channel narrow and very shallow.
On the 29th, Cook landed with Banks and Solander in a large bay, in
search of a spot where he could have the keel and bottom of his vessel
repaired, but they were scarcely on terra firma, when they found their
progress impeded by a thick shrub, prickly and studded with sharp
seeds, no doubt a species of "_spinifex_," which clung to the clothes,
pierced them, and penetrated the flesh. At the same time, myriads of
gnats and mosquitoes attacked them, and covered them with painful
bites.
A suitable spot for repairs was found, but a watering-place was sought
in vain. Gum-trees growing here and there were covered with enormous
ants' nests, and soon deprived of gum by those insects. Numerous
brilliantly-coloured butterflies hovered over the explorers.
These were curious facts, interesting from more than one point of view,
but they failed to satisfy the captain, who was eager to replenish his
water supply.
From the first, the great defect of this country was apparent. It
consists in the absence of streams, springs, and rivers!
A second excursion made during the evening of the same day was equally
barren of good results. Cook ascertained that the bay was very deep,
and decided on making the circuit of it in the morning.
He soon discovered that the width of the channel by which he entered
increased rapidly, and that it ultimately formed a vast lake
communicating with the sea to the north-west. Another arm stretched
eastwards, and it was conceivable that the lake had a second outlet
into the sea at the bottom of the bay.
Cook named this part of Australia New South Wales. Sterile, sandy, dry,
it lacked all that was most necessary for the establishment of a
colony. And the English could not ascertain from their cursory
inspection or hydrographical examination that, mineralogically
speaking, it was one of the richest countries of the New World.
The navigation was monotonously continued from the 31st of May to the
10th of June. On this latter date the _Endeavour_, after passing
safely along an unknown coast, in the midst of shallows and breakers,
for a space of 22 degrees or 1300 miles, was all at once exposed to a
greater danger than any which had been apprehended.
They were in 16 degrees S. Lat. and 214 degrees 39 minutes W. Long.
when Cook, seeing two islets lying low and covered with trees, gave
orders to keep well out to sea during the night, so as to look for the
islands discovered by Quiros in these latitudes, an archipelago which
some geographers had maintained was united to the mainland.
Shortly after nine in the evening the soundings taken every quarter of
an hour showed constantly decreasing depth. All crowded to the deck.
The water became deeper. It was concluded that the vessel had passed
over the extremity of the sand-banks seen at sunset, and all rejoiced
at escape from danger. When the depth increased, Cook and all but the
officers of the watch retired to their berths, but at eleven o'clock
the sounding-line, after indicating twenty fathoms, suddenly recorded
seventeen, and before it was possible to cast anchor, the _Endeavour_
had touched, and beaten by the waves, struck upon a rock.
The situation was a serious one. The _Endeavour_, raised by a wave
over the ridge of a reef, had fallen again into a hollow in the rock,
and by the moonlight, portions of the false keel and the sheathing
could be seen floating.
Unfortunately the accident happened at high water. It was useless
therefore to count upon the assistance of the tide to release the ship.
Without loss of time the guns, barrels, casks, ballast, and all that
could lighten the vessel, were thrown overboard. The vessel still
struck against the rock. The sloop was put to sea, the sails and
topsails were lowered, the tow-lines were thrown to the starboard, and
the captain was about to order the anchor to be cast on the same side,
when it was discovered that the water was deeper at the stern. But
although the capstan was vigorously worked, it was impossible to move
the vessel.
Daybreak disclosed the position in all its horrors. Land was eight
leagues distant, not a single isle was visible between the ship and
land where refuge might be found if, as was to be feared, the vessel
broke up. Although she had been lightened of fifty tons weight, the
sea only gained a foot and a half.
Fortunately the wind fell, otherwise the _Endeavour_ must soon have
been a wreck. However, the leak increased rapidly, although the pumps
were worked incessantly. A third was put into action. The alternative
was dreadful! If the vessel were freed, it must sink when no longer
sustained by the rock, while if it remained fixed, it must be
demolished by the waves which rent its planks asunder. The boats were
too small to carry all the crew to land at one time.
Under such circumstances was there not danger that discipline would be
thrown to the winds? Who could tell whether a fratricidal struggle
might not ensue? And even should some of the sailors reach land, what
fate could be in store for them upon an inhospitable shore, where nets
and fire-arms would scarcely procure them nourishment?
What would become of those who were obliged to remain on board? Every
one shared these fears, but so strong a sense of duty prevailed, so
much was the captain beloved by his crew, that the terrors of the
situation evoked no single cry, no disorder of any kind. The strength
of the men not employed at the pumps was wisely harboured for the
moment when their fate should be decided.
Measures were so skilfully taken, that when the sea rose to its height,
all the officers and crew worked the capstan, and as the vessel was
disengaged from the rock, it was ascertained that she drew no more
water than when on the reef. But the sailors were exhausted after
twenty-four hours of such terrible anxiety. It was necessary to change
the hands at the pumps every five minutes.
A new disaster was now added. The man whose duty it was to measure the
water in the hold, announced that it had increased to eighteen inches
in a few moments. Fortunately the mistake of the measure taken was
immediately ascertained, and the crew were so overjoyed that they
fancied all danger over.
An officer named Monkhouse conceived an excellent idea. He applied a
sort of cap to the stern, which he filled in with wool, rope-yarn, and
the intestines of the animals slaughtered on board, and so effected a
stoppage of the leak. From this time the men, who spoke of driving the
vessel on a coast to reconstruct another from its ruins, which might
take them to the East Indies, thought only of finding a suitable
harbour for the purpose.
The desirable harbour was reached on the 17th of June, at the mouth of
a current which Cook called Endeavour River.
The necessary labours for the careening of the vessel were at once
begun and carried on with the utmost rapidity.
The sick were landed, and the staff visited the land several times, in
the hope of killing some game, and procuring fresh meat for the
sufferers from scurvy. Tupia saw an animal which Banks, from his
description, imagined to have been a wolf. But a few days later
several others were seen, who jumped upon their fore feet, and took
enormous leaps. They were kangaroos, marsupial animals, only met with
in Australia, and which had never before seen a European. The natives
in this spot appeared far less savage than on other parts of the coast.
They not only allowed the English to approach, but treated them
cordially, and remained several days with them.
[Illustration: "They were kangaroos."]
The narrative says,--
"They were usually of medium height, but their limbs were remarkably
small. Their skin was the colour of soot, or rather, it might be
described as of deep chocolate colour. Their hair was black and not
woolly, and was cut short; some wore it plaited, some curled. Various
portions of their bodies were painted red, and one of them had white
stripes on his lips and breast which he called 'carbanda.' Their
features were far from disagreeable; they had very bright eyes, white
and even teeth, and their voices were sweet and musical. Some among
them wore a nose-ornament which Cook had not met with in New Zealand.
It was a bone, as large as a finger, passed through the cartilage.
"A little later a quarrel arose. The crew had taken possession of some
tortoises which the natives claimed, without having in the least
assisted in capturing them. When they found that their demand was not
acceded to, they retired in fury, and set fire to the shrubs in the
midst of which the English encampment was situated. The latter lost
all their combustible commodities in the conflagration, and the fire,
leaping from hill to hill, afforded a magnificent spectacle during the
night."
Meantime Messrs. Banks, Solander, and others, enjoyed many successful
hunts. They killed kangaroos, opossums, a species of pole-cat, wolves,
and various kinds of serpents, some of which were venomous. They also
saw numbers of birds, kites, hawks, cockatoos, orioles, paroquets,
pigeons, and other unknown birds.
[Illustration: Tahitian fleet off Oparee. (Fac-simile of early
engraving.)]
After leaving Endeavour River, Cook had good opportunities of testing
the difficulties of navigation in these latitudes. Rocks and shallows
abounded. It was necessary to cast anchor in the evening, for it was
impossible to proceed at night through this labyrinth of rocks without
striking. The sea, as far as the eye could reach, appeared to dash
upon one line of rocks more violently than upon the others; this
appeared to be the last.
Upon arriving there, after five days' struggle with a contrary wind,
Cook discovered three islands stretching four or five leagues to the
north. But his difficulties were not over. The vessel was once more
surrounded by reefs and chains of low islets, amongst which it was
impossible to venture.
Cook was inclined to think it would be more prudent to return and seek
another passage. But such a detour would have consumed too much time,
and have retarded his arrival in the East Indies. Moreover there was
an insurmountable obstacle to this course. Three months' provisions
were all that remained.
The situation appeared desperate, and Cook decided to steer as far as
possible from the coast, and to try and pass the exterior line of
rocks. He soon found a channel, which shortly brought them to the open
sea.
"So happy a change in the situation," says Kippis, "was received with
delight. The English were full of it, and openly expressed their joy.
For nearly three months they had been in perpetual danger. When at
night they rested at anchor, the sound of an angry sea forced them to
remember that they were surrounded by rocks, and that, should the
cable break, shipwreck was inevitable. They had travelled over 360
miles, and were forced to keep a man incessantly throwing the line and
sounding the rocks through which they navigated. Possibly no other
vessel could furnish an example of such continued effort."
Had they not just escaped so terrible a danger, the English would have
had cause for uneasiness in reflecting upon the length of way that
remained to them across a sea but little known, upon a vessel which
let in nine inches of water in an hour. With pumps out of repair and
provisions almost consumed, the navigators only escaped these terrible
dangers to be exposed on the 16th of April to a peril of equal
magnitude.
Carried by the waves to a line of rocks above which the sea spray
washed to a prodigious height, making it impossible to cast anchor;
without a breath of wind, they had but one resource, to lower boats to
tow the vessel off. In spite of the sailors' efforts the _Endeavour_
was still only 100 paces from the reef, when a light breeze, so slight
that under better circumstances no one would have noticed it, arose
and disengaged the vessel. But ten minutes later it fell, the currents
strongly returned, and the _Endeavour_ was once more carried within
200 feet of the breakers.
After many unsuccessful attempts, a narrow opening was perceived.
"The danger it offered was less imminent than that of remaining in so
terrible a situation," says the narrative. "A light breeze which
fortunately sprang up, the efforts of the boats, and the tide,
conveyed the ship to the opening, across which she passed with
frightful rapidity. The strength of the current prevented the
_Endeavour_ from touching either shore of the channel, which, however,
was but a mile in width, and extremely unequal in depth, giving now
thirty fathoms, now only seven of foul bottom."
If we have lingered somewhat over the incidents of this voyage, it is
because it was accomplished in unknown seas, in the midst of breakers
and currents, which, sufficiently dangerous for a sailor when they are
marked on a map, become much more so when, as was the case with Cook,
since leaving the coast of New Holland, the voyage is made in the face
of unknown obstacles, which all the instinct and keen vision of the
sailor cannot always successfully surmount.
One last question remained to be solved,--
Were New Holland and New Guinea portions of one country? Were they
divided by an arm of the sea, or by a strait?
In spite of the dangers of such a course, Cook approached the shore,
and followed the coast of Australia towards the north.
On the 21st he doubled the most northerly cape of New Holland, to
which he gave the name of Cape York, and entered a channel sprinkled
with islands near the mainland, which inspired him with the hope of
finding a passage to the Indian Ocean.
Once more he landed, and planting the English flag, solemnly took
possession in the name of King George, of the entire Eastern Coast
from the eighteenth degree of latitude to this spot, situated in 107
degrees south. He gave the name of New South Wales to this territory,
and to fitly conclude the ceremony, he caused three salutes to be
fired.
Cook next penetrated Torres Strait, which he called Endeavour Strait,
discovered and named the Wallis Islands, situated in the middle of the
south-west entrance to Booby Island, and Prince of Wales Island, and
steered for the southern coast of New Guinea, which he followed until
the 3rd of September without being able to land.
Upon that day Cook landed with about eleven well-armed men, amongst
them Solander, Banks, and his servants. They were scarcely a quarter
of a mile from their ship, when three Indians emerged from the wood,
uttering piercing cries, and rushed at the English.
"The one who came nearest," says the narrative, "threw something which
he carried at his side, with his hand, and it burned like gunpowder,
but we heard no report."
[Illustration: Three Indians emerged from the wood.]
Cook and his companions were obliged to fire upon the natives in order
to regain their ship, from whence they could examine them at their
leisure. They resembled the Australians entirely, and like them, wore
their hair short, and were perfectly naked--only their skin was less
dark; no doubt because they were less dirty.
"Meantime the natives struck their fire at intervals, four or five at
a time. We could not imagine what this fire could be, nor their object
in throwing it.
"They held in the hand a short stick, perhaps a hollow cane, which
they flourished from side to side, and at the same instant we saw the
fire and smoke exactly as it flashes from a gun, and it lasted no
longer. We observed this astonishing phenomenon from the vessel, and
the illusion was so great that those on board believed the Indians had
fire-arms, and we ourselves should have imagined they fired guns, but
that our ship was so close that in such a case we must have heard the
explosion."
This fact remains unexplained, in spite of the many commentaries it
has occasioned, and which bear out the testimony of the great
navigator.
Many of the English officers demanded immediate permission to land in
search of cocoa-nuts arid other fruits, but the captain was unwilling
to risk his sailors' lives in so futile an attempt; he was, besides,
anxious to reach Batavia, to obtain repairs for his vessel. He thought
it useless, moreover, to remain a longer time in these latitudes. They
had been so often visited by the Spanish and Dutch, that there were no
further discoveries to make.
In passing Arrow and Wesel Islands he rectified their positions, and
reaching Timor, put into port in Savu Island, where the Dutch had been
settled for some time. There Cook revictualled, and by accurate
observations settled its position at 10 degrees 35 minutes southern
latitude, and 237 degrees 30 minutes west longitude.
After a short interval the _Endeavour_ arrived at Batavia, where she
was repaired.
But the stay in that unhealthy country was fatal after such severe
fatigue. Endemic fevers raged there; and Banks, Solander, and Cook, as
well as the greater part of the crew, fell ill. Many died, amongst
them Monkhouse, the surgeon, Tupia, and little Tayeto. Ten men only
escaped the fever.
The _Endeavour_ set sail on the 27th of December, and on the 15th of
January, 1771, put into Prince of Wales Island for victuals.
From that moment, sickness increased among the crew. Twenty-three men
died, amongst them Green, the astronomer, who was much regretted.
After a stay at the Cape of Good Hope, where he met with the welcome
he so sorely needed, Cook re-embarked, touched at St. Helena, and
anchored in the Downs on the 11th of June, 1772, after an absence of
nearly four years.
"Thus," says Kippis, "ended Cook's first voyage, a voyage in which he
had experienced such dangers, discovered so many countries, and so
often evinced his superiority of character. He was well worthy of the
dangerous enterprise and of the courageous efforts to which he had
been called."