🧚 Captain Cook · page 2

On the other hand, when Captain Cook saw the islands in 1778, he was impressed with the friendly spirit of the people, and with their hearty willingness to give aid in any direction.95 There was also an appearance of manliness and dignity about the high chiefs.96 There was such respect and ready service on the part of the people—there were such prostrations before the kings of the various islands that Captain Cook accepted the “worship” offered him as the proper respect due to the representative of Great Britain.97 He was glad to receive a welcome that freed him from much anxiety.98 He was thankful that the chiefs accepted his superiority.99 He could easily procure the supplies needed for his ships.100 He could prosecute his investigations concerning harbours and resources without danger to himself or to his men.101

After securing such supplies as he needed, in February, 1778, he sailed for North America.102 Here he spent the summer and fall, exploring the coast from San Francisco to Alaska.103 He consulted the Russians who were fur-hunting in this region.104 He became satisfied that there was no northwest channel across North America, to either Hudson’s or Baffin’s Bay.105 He made a chart of the coast.106 The winter came on suddenly and severely.107 He fled to the “Sandwich Islands,” and in November, 1778, sighted the island of Maui, or, as Captain Cook phonetically spelled it, “Mowee.”108 Soon he discovered the large island Hawaii, or “Owhyhee.”109 He was surprised to see the summits of the mountains covered with snow.110 As he drew near the channel between Maui and Hawaii, Ka-meha-meha with several of his friends went on board one of the ships and passed the night.111 He was at that time forty-three years of age.112

Then for eleven days Captain Cook sailed in the channel between Maui and Hawaii.113 On the second day of December he anchored near Kohala, the northern point of the island Hawaii.114

Captain Cook purchased pigs for a piece of iron or barrel hoop, to make axes or knives or fish-hooks.115 A pig one fathom long would get a piece of iron.116 A longer pig would get a knife for a chief.117 If a common man received anything, the chief would take it.118 If it was concealed and discovered the man was killed.119

They brought offerings—pigs, taro, sweet potatoes, bananas, chickens, and all such things as pleased Captain Cook.120

Lono went to the western bay Ke-ala-ke-kua and the priest took him into the temple, thinking he was their god.121 There they gave him a place upon the platform with the images of the gods—the place where sacrifices were laid.122 The priest stepped back after putting on Captain Cook the oloa (the small white tapa thrown over the god while prayer was being recited) and the red cloak haena, as was the custom with the gods.123 Then he offered prayer thus:124

“O Lono! your different bodies in the heavens, long cloud, short cloud, bending cloud, spread-out cloud in the sky, from Uliuli, from Melemele, from Kahiki, from Ulunui, from Haehae, from Anaokuululu, from Hakalanai, from the land opened up by Lono in the lower sky, in the upper sky, in the shaking bottom of the ocean, the lower land, the land without hills.125

“O Ku!126 O Lono!127 O Kane!128 O Kanaloa! the gods from above and from beneath, gods from most distant places!129 Here are the sacrifices, the offerings, the living things from the chief, from the family, hanging on the shining cloud and the floating land!130 Amama (amen); ma noa” (the tabu is lifted).131

Several weeks passed by.132 Trivial troubles arose.133 The natives learned to steal some things from the supposed “heavenly” visitors.134 The harmony between the sailors and the Hawaiians was disturbed.135

In February, 1779, Lono went on his ship and sailed as far as Kawaihae.136 He saw that one of his masts was rotten, so he went back to make repairs, and anchored again at Ke-ala-ke-kua.137 When the natives saw the ships returning they went out again, but not as before.138 They had changed their view, saying: “These are not gods; they are only men.”139 Some, however, persisted in believing that these were gods.140 Some of the men said, “They cry out if they are hurt, like any man.”141 Some of them thought they would test Lono, so went up on the ship and took iron.142 The sailors saw them and shot at them.143 Then the natives began to fight.144 The sailors grabbed the canoe of the chief Polea, an aikane (close friend) of the king.145

He opposed their taking his boat and pushed them off.146 One of them ran up with a club and struck Polea and knocked him down.147 The natives saw this and leaped upon the sailors.148 Polea rose up and stopped the fighting.149 Because he was afraid Lono would kill him he stopped the quarrel.150

After this he no longer believed that Lono was a god.151 He was angry, and thought he would secretly take one of the ship’s boats, break it all to pieces for the iron in it, and also because he wanted revenge for the blow which knocked him down.152 This theft of a boat was the cause of the quarrel with, and death of, Captain Cook.153

Captain Cook and his people woke up in the morning and saw that his boat was gone.154 They were troubled, and Captain Cook went to ask the king about the boat.155 The king said, “I do not know anything about it.156 Perhaps some native has stolen it and taken it to some other place.”157 Captain Cook returned to the ship and consulted with his officers.158 They decided they had better get the king, take him on the ship, and hold him until the boat should be returned, and then set him free.159 Officers and men took guns and swords and prepared to go ashore and capture the king.160

Captain Cook tried to persuade the king to go to the ship with him.161 The king was held back by his chiefs.162 They were suspicious, but the king could not readily give up his confidence.163

Meanwhile, a chief living across the bay saw Captain Cook going ashore.164 He and another chief launched a double canoe and sailed quickly across.165

Sailors saw these men in red cloaks, fired upon them from the ships and killed one of them.166 The other hurried his boatmen and escaped to the king’s house.167 Captain Cook had issued an order forbidding canoes to come near the ships.168 When the chief saw the king by the side of Captain Cook he cried out: “O Kalani!169 O the sea is not right—Kalimu has been killed!170 Return to the house!”171 He told how the sailors had fired upon his friend and himself.172

Kalola, wife of Kalaniopuu, heard the death-word, and that the chief had been killed by the gun of the foreigners, so she ran out of the woman’s house, put her hand on the king’s shoulder and said, “O Kalani, let us go back.”173

The king turned, thinking he would go back, but Captain Cook seized his hands.174 A chief thrust his spear between them, and the king and some of his chiefs went back to the house.175

Then the battle commenced.176 When Lono (Captain Cook) saw the spear pushed between the king and himself he caught his sword and struck that chief on the head, but the sword slipped and cut the cheek.177 Then that chief struck Lono with his spear and knocked him down on the lava beach.178

Lono cried out because of the hurt.179 The chief thought, “This is a man, and not a god, and there is no wrong.”180 So he killed Lono (Captain Cook).181 Four other foreigners also were killed.182 Many daggers and spears were used in killing Captain Cook.183

When the officers and men saw that Captain Cook and some others had been killed, they ran down, got on the boat, fired guns and killed many of the natives.184 Some natives skilled in the use of sling-stones threw stones against the boat.185 When the sailors saw that Captain Cook was dead, they fired guns from the ship.186 The natives held up mats as shields, but found they were no protection against the bullets.187

The king offered the body of Captain Cook as a sacrifice.188 This sacrifice meant that the body was placed on an altar with prayers as a gift to the gods because the chief and his kingdom had been saved by the gods.189 When the ceremonies of the sacrifice were over, they cleaned off the flesh from the bones of Lono and preserved them.190 A priest kindly returned a part of the body to the foreigners to be taken on their ship.191 Some of the bones were kept by the priests and worshipped.192

Eight days after the death of Lono at Ka-awa-loa the natives again met those who remained on the ship.193

Monday, February 23, 1779, the ship went to Kauai.194 On the 29th of that month they secured water and purchased food.195 Because they wanted the yams of Niihau, they sailed over to that island and purchased yams, sweet potatoes, and pigs, and on March 15th sailed out into the mist of the ocean and were completely lost to sight.196

This is the end of Captain Cook’s voyage along the coasts of these islands.197

XII198