Captain Cook: His Life, Voyages, and Discoveries

by William Henry Giles Kingston

The chief at length set out for Bolabola, it being arranged that the ships should follow; but a strong wind kept them in harbour, and the next day he returned with the two deserters, who had gone from Bolabola to the small island of Toobaee, where they were taken by the father of Pootoe. The three captives were then released. Before leaving the island, Captain Cook presented Oreo with an English boar and sow and two goats. Oreo and several chiefs took a passage on board the English ships to Bolabola, which was reached the day after they left Ulietea. A large concourse of people, with the great chief Opoony in their midst, were ready to receive the English.

One object Captain Cook had in putting in here was to obtain one of the anchors which Monsieur Bougainville had lost at Otaheite, and which, having been taken up by the people there, had been sent as a present to Opoony. That chief, with remarkable honesty, positively refused to accept any present till the anchor had been seen, not believing it worth what was offered. Cook’s object was to manufacture it into tools and nails, of which he had run short. He insisted on his presents being taken, and was glad to get the old iron for the object he had in view. Very many years afterwards the missionary Williams was, in the same manner, thankful to find an old anchor, out of which he manufactured the ironwork required for the missionary vessel he was building, the Messenger of Peace.

As a ram had before been conveyed to the island, the captain made a present of a ewe to Opoony, hoping thus that the island might be stocked in time with a breed of sheep.

He now prepared to take his departure for the north; and as this was the last visit paid by Cook to these islands his opinion may be quoted,—that it would have been better for the people of the Pacific Islands had they never been discovered by Europeans, than once having become acquainted with them and their goods to be afterwards left to their own resources. “When their iron tools are worn out, and the use of their stone ones is forgotten, how are they to get others?” he asks; and adds, “it is incumbent, therefore, on Europeans, to visit them once in three or four years, in order to supply them with those conveniences which we have introduced to them.”

The minds of those enlightened and civilised visitors were occupied with the glory of their achievements as discoverers of hitherto unknown lands; their remaining thoughts, which they would have called patriotic, were principally occupied with the question how these discoveries might be turned to account for the profit and honour of England; and if a nook remained for a benevolent wish for “the savages,” the wish was limited to the improvement of their material condition. Otherwise, as the English discoverer found them, so he was willing that they should remain, satisfied with the idea that he had increased the productive powers of the different lands he visited.

Thus, also, in the case of the wretched Omai, whose end we have seen. It seems scarcely to have entered the minds of those who, in England, petted and spoiled him, that he had a soul as valuable, or rather as invaluable, as theirs; and that he needed, as all need, the transforming influences of Divine grace to make him a future blessing, instead of a curse, to his poor countrymen. We are told, indeed, of his being slow to receive Christian instruction; and we read also that, among his goods and chattels collected in England, he had a large quarto Bible, with coloured engravings—a book, however, which was a sealed book to him and his countrymen.

The ships now stood north, and, on December 24, discovered an uninhabited island, with a lagoon. It was hoped that turtle would abound here; they therefore came to an anchor. The voyagers were not disappointed, and a considerable number were taken. Two men, while thus employed, lost themselves in different parts of the island, and as there was not a drop of water to be found, they suffered greatly from thirst, especially one who would not drink turtle’s blood. They were both happily recovered. The telescopes were landed, and on December 30 an eclipse of the sun was observed. Not a trace of any inhabitants having ever been on the island could be discovered. There were about thirty cocoanut trees, but the fruit was of an inferior quality. Three hundred turtle were taken, and as many fish as could be consumed; but not a drop of fresh water could be found. As Christmas was spent here, the name of Christmas Island was given to the new discovery. It lies in latitude 1 degrees 41 minutes North and longitude 157 degrees 15 minutes East. Some cocoanuts and yams were planted on the island, and some melon-seeds; while a bottle was deposited, with the names of the ships and the date of the visit. The ships sailed thence on January 2, 1778, and proceeded northward. The wind blew faintly at first, and then freshened, and albatrosses, with other birds, were seen increasing in number—all indications of land being near, though none was seen till the 18th, when first one high island and then another hove in sight. On the 19th the first seen bore east, several leagues distant, and being to windward could not be approached. On standing towards the other, a third island was discovered in the direction of west-north-west. At first it was doubtful whether the islands were inhabited, but that question was soon solved by the appearance of several canoes, which came alongside; but the people in them would not at first venture on board, though they willingly exchanged a few fish and some sweet potatoes for nails and other articles offered them. They spoke the language of Otaheite and of the other islands lately visited. They were of a brown colour, of an ordinary size, and the cast of their features was not unlike that of Europeans. Some wore their hair long, others short, but all had stained it of a brown colour. Some were slightly tattooed, and all wore the usual girdle, stained red, white, and black. As the ships sailed along the coast, looking for a harbour, numerous villages were observed, with plantations of sugar-canes and plantains, while vast numbers of people crowded the shore, or collected in elevated places, to watch the ships.

The next day, the ships again standing in, several natives ventured on board, and showed by the wild looks and gestures with which they regarded everything on board that they had never before been visited by Europeans. They knew the value of iron, however, when they saw it, and it was supposed that they had gained their knowledge of it from the fact that the masts and spars of a ship with iron attached, and casks with iron hoops, had been cast on their shore. They soon proved themselves to be daring thieves, and unhappily, a boat being sent on shore, on their attempting to seize the oars they were fired at, and one man was killed. Of this circumstance Captain Cook was not informed at the time.

As soon as Captain Cook landed, the people assembled fell flat on their faces; nor would they rise till by expressive gestures he urged them to do so. He understood that this was the way they paid respect to their own great chiefs. Having arranged about getting a supply of water, he walked with Messrs Anderson and Wilder into the country, to visit an obelisk of wickerwork, fifty feet high, standing in a morai. A native had been selected as a guide, and wherever they went the people fell prostrate before the captain. The morai was similar to those seen at Otaheite. In and about it were a number of idols, one having on its head what resembled an ancient helmet. They ascertained, without doubt, that human sacrifices were offered up at these morais. On the wickerwork were pieces of grey cloth, such as was generally offered to idols, and a piece of which had been pressed on the captain on landing. The next day, among other articles brought off, were some beautiful cloaks of red and other feathers, and helmets and caps of the same.

Captain Cook, in his journal, expresses his belief that the people were cannibals. This arose from seeing a man on board who had a piece of salted meat done up in a cloth, and which he said that he ate to do him good. It seems to have been highly dried and seasoned, and to have been taken as a stimulant.