# The Life and Voyages of Captain James Cook/Chapter 18

Departure from Plymouth. Arrival at Teneriffe—Port Praya—Cape of Good Hope. The Discovery joins the Resolution there. Voyage to the isles discovered by Marion. Kerguelen's Land examined. Arrival at Van Diemen's Land. Peaceable behaviour of the natives: their manners, and habitations. Arrival at New Zealand. Intercourse with the natives. Health of the crew. Kahoora, the murderer of Mr. Rowe. Capt. Cook declines to avenge the massacre of the Adventure's people. Kahoora's boldness. Animals left. Two New Zealand youths taken on board, to accompany Omai. Mutual hostilities of the New Zealanders. Enormous lizards in the country. A ship said to have touched at it a few years before the Endeavour.
On friday, July 12th, Captain Cook stood out of Plymouth Sound, and sailed down the Channel, quitting the British shores for the last time. The Discovery did not sail till the 1st of August, Capt. Clerke having been unavoidably detained in London. Scarcely had the Resolution put to sea, when our navigator began to smoke the ship between decks with gunpowder, and employ other means for preventing disease, and securing the health of his crew. The process of fumigating, airing, and drying, was frequently repeated during the voyage; and the happy result was, that when the vessel got into the tropical regions, where frequent rains and sultry weather often produce the worst effects, the Captain had fewer sick than in either of his former voyages.
​Not having sufficient provender for the cattle on board, for their whole voyage to the Cape, the Captain, on thursday, August 1st, anchored in Santa Cruz road at Teneriffe, to procure supplies; conceiving this to be a better place for refreshments than Madeira. Several ships of different nations were found riding at the same place of anchorage. The Governor received Capt. Cook and his people with great politeness, and they not only procured food for their cattle, but ample supplies of fruit, live stock, and other refreshments for themselves. In making his astronomical observations here, our navigator had some friendly communications with the Chevalier de Borda, Commander of the French frigate La Boussole, and Mr. Varila, a Spanish gentleman, who were also making observations, for ascertaining the rate of their chronometers. Our voyagers examined the city of Laguna, as well as Santa Cruz; and some of them, particularly Mr. Anderson, made short excursions into the country, to get acquainted with its scenery and productions. Their attention was especially directed to the celebrated Peak of Teneriffe; to the Canary birds, abounding in the island; to the tea shrub, said to correspond with that of China; and to the impregnated lemon, which consists of a perfect and ​distinct lemon, inclosed within another. The climate of Teneriffe was found to be peculiarly temperate and healthful. Omai in his remarks on the Spanish inhabitants, observed, that they seemed less friendly than the English; and that, in their persons, they were more like his countrymen.
From this island, Capt. Cook set sail, on the 4th of August; and in passing Bonavista on the 10th, the ship was so close to some sunken rocks, that she but just weathered the breakers. In the alarm occasioned by this danger, the Captain, with his usual coolness, forbore to sound; justly considering, that this might have heightened the danger, but could not possibly lessen it. In passing the Cape de Verde Islands, he took occasion to correct an assertion of Mr. Nichelson, respecting the variation of the compass here; which, if trusted to, might prove fatal to the mariner. He looked into Port Praya, in St. Jago, on the 13th; but finding that the Discovery was not there, and having no occasion for further refreshments, he proceeded on his voyage. The heavy and frequent rains that fell soon after, enabled him to fill most of his empty casks with water. On the 1st of September, he crossed the line; and on the 8th, when he was not far from Cape St. Augustine, on the coast of Brazil, he made some observations for ascertaining its longitude, which he found to be 35°, or at the most 36° W.
On friday, October 18th, the Resolution cast anchor in Table Bay. Baron Plettenberg, who was still Governor at the Cape, received our voyagers with the same politeness as before. Tents were erected on shore, the observatory set up, and refreshments procured in abundance. On the 31st, ​a dreadful storm came on, which lasted three days, and did considerable damage to the tents and observatory: the Resolution was the only ship in the bay that rode out the gale without dragging her anchors. It was not till the 10th of November, that the Discovery arrived, the severe gale having blown her off the coast. A marine had been lost overboard; but the rest of the crew were well. Capt. Cook sent home by the Hampshire Indiaman, an invalid belonging to the Resolution; and he afterwards regretted that he did not send two or three more, who were unhealthy. Immediate attention was paid to the refitting of the Discovery.
While the vessels were preparing for sea, a disaster happened to the sheep, which, with the other cattle, had been brought on shore to graze: some dogs broke into the sheep pen by night, close to the tents, killed four sheep out of sixteen, and dispersed the rest. To recover the lost sheep, Capt. Cook found it necessary to employ some worthless fellows, "who would, for a ducatoon, cut their master's throat, and burn the house over his head." Two fine ewes were never recovered, and one ram was found seriously injured; for which, Mr. Hemmy, the Lieut. Governor, offered to give a Spanish ram. The Captain regretted that he did not take it, as the Cape rams which he bought were of an inferior description. He added here many other articles to his live stock for the S. Sea Islands, including two horses and two mares.
Some time was spent in caulking and refitting the Discovery: the Resolution was partly caulked during the voyage, as far as could be done with safety to the carpenters. During this delay, our navigator was busy in making nautical observa​tions, and recording his notices of the tides, currents, and variation of the compass; correcting, as he carefully did, the errors of former navigators. Mr. Anderson also improved this leisure time, in making short excursions into the country, to examine its rocks, soils, and natural productions. His valuable remarks on these subjects, were superseded by a more ample account of this colony published by Dr. Sparrman.
Before leaving the Cape, our navigators, not knowing where they could again meet with supplies, took on board such a stock of provisions as was sufficient, with what they had already, to serve them for more than two years. And now, having got their live stock and every thing else on board, both vessels weighed anchor, on saturday, Nov. 30th; but did not get clear of the land till tuesday, Dec. 3rd. When they were setting sail, Captain Cook gave Capt. Clerke a copy of his instructions, and directed him how to proceed in case of separation.
After experiencing some rough weather, which carried away the mizen top-mast of the Resolution, and proved fatal to some of the goats and sheep, our navigators, on thursday, Dec. 12th, fell in with two islands, discovered by Marion and Crozet, in 1772. The largest, about 15 leagues in circuit, was found to be in 46° 53' S. lat., 37° 46' E. long.; the smallest, which is the most northerly, is about 9 leagues in circuit, and is in 46° 40' S. lat., 38° 8' E. long. The ships passed between them; and it was observed, that both islands are rocky, barren, and uninviting, the summits and sides of the mountains being covered with snow, while neither tree nor shrub could be seen on the plains. ​These Capt. Cook named Prince Edward's Islands; and other four, lying farther east, he called Marion's and Crozet's Islands, after the names of their discoverers.
From thence he proceeded in search of Kerguelen's Land, and on the 24th, when a thick fog cleared away, he fell in with the small isles at its N.W. extremity, and soon after saw the main land. One of the isles, a high round rock, he named Bligh's Cap; and from a very imperfect notice of it obtained at Teneriffe, he rightly judged it to be Kerguelen's Isle of Rendezvous. In exploring this country, he laboured under the disadvantage of not knowing that Kerguelen had paid a second visit to this land, in 1773, and having only the chart of his discoveries in 1772. Hence he was led into some mistakes, in applying the names of places in Kerguelen's first chart, to spots which were not discovered till the voyage of 1773. Thus he supposed Cape Francois, the most northerly point of the main land, to be Kerguelen's Cape Louis. From Cape Francois, our navigator traced the coast toward the south-east; and being directed by his instructions to look out for a good harbour on this coast, he found one immediately beyond the Cape, which being entered on the 25th, was named Christmas Harbour. It abounded with streams of fresh water, and with penguins and other birds; but not a tree nor shrub was seen. Some seals were met with, which were so tame, that our mariners killed as many as they chose: a proof that these creatures were strangers to the visits of man. Yet our people were not the first visitors here for, on friday, the 27th, which was allowed the men as a day of rest, to keep Christ​mas, after the labours of watering, and cutting grass, one of them found a quart bottle, fastened with some wire to a projecting rock on the north side of the harbour; and in this bottle was a piece of parchment, with the following inscription:—
Ludovico XV Galliarum rege, et d. [domino] de Boynes regi a Secretis ad res maritimas annis 1772 et 1773.
For this inscription, Captain Cook was at a loss to account, not knowing that Kerguelen had been here in 1773, and that his people had left the bottle and inscription in this harbour, which they named Baie de l'Oiseau. Our navigator wrote on the other side of the parchment;
Naves Resolution et Discovery de Rege Magne Britanniæ, Decembris 1776.
He then put it again into the bottle, with a silver. twopence of 1772, and giving the bottle a leaden cap, placed it in a pile of stones, which he erected near where it was found. The south point of the barbour terminated in a high perforated rock. Few fish were found here, so that birds were almost the only fresh provisions to be had.
On the 29th, the ships sailed out of Christmas Harbour, and proceeded along the coast in a S.E direction. Several capes and bays were discovered and named; the land was found to be much indented, and towards evening, the ships, after making their way among dangerous shoals and ​rocks, anchored in a large harbour, which was called Port Palliser, in lat. 49° 3' S., long. 69° 37' E. The country here was, if possible, more barren and desolate than at Christmas Harbour.
From hence our navigators proceeded, on monday the 30th, to the most easterly point of Kerguelen's Land, which was named Cape Digby. In an intervening bay of great extent, an immense quantity of the large sea-weed called fucus-giganteus was observed: some of the plants were judged to be above 60 fathoms long. Beyond Cape Digby, several other points of land were seen towards the south-west; the most distant of which was named Cape George. Towards this cape Captain Cook steered, to examine the direction of the coast beyond it; but contrary winds obliged him to desist. He was sure, however, that the land could not extend much further to the south, as the track of Capt. Furneaux, in 1773, was within 17 leagues of that cape, and yet he saw no land, although the atmosphere was clear. Kerguelen's Land was thus found to be an island of no great extent; occupying about a degree and a quarter of latitude, and less than two degrees and a half of longitude. Captain Cook would have named it the Island of Desolation, had he not been averse to rob Kerguelen of the honour of its bearing his name.
Mr. Anderson paid due attention to the natural productions of the country Its plants are few in number, not exceeding 16 or 18 species. A small plant, like a saxifrage, abounded on the sides of the hills, and gave them the appearance of a rich verdure. Two or three kinds of plants were eaten as sallad. No quadruped was seen but the ursine seal. The birds, however, were numerous; con​sisting chiefly of penguins, petrels, albatrosses, ducks, shags, and gulls. Besides several small petrels, there were numbers of the largest petrel, the size of an albatross, called by the seamen Mother Carey's Goose. These and the penguins were so tame as to be taken with the hand.
From Kerguelen's Land, our navigators steered to the eastward for New Zealand. In the begining of January, 1777, the weather became very hazy, yet by the frequent firing of signal guns, the vessels kept together. On the 19th, in a sudden squall of wind, the fore-top-mast of the Resolution went by the board, and carried the main-top-gallant-mast with it. This occasioned some delay, as a whole day was spent in repairing the damage.
On friday, the 24th, Van Diemen's Land was discovered, near South West Cape; and passing South Cape and Tasman's Head, the ships anchored in Adventure Bay, on the 26th. Here our navigators landed, to procure wood and water, and obtain some grass for the cattle. The number of these had diminished, several of them having died at Kerguelen's Land. The grass here was coarse, as well as scarce; but wood and water were plentiful, and many excellent fish were caught by the seine. On tuesday, the 28th, when a party were cutting some spars, eight native men and a boy came to the spot, in a most friendly way; shewing no signs of fear, and having no weapons, except that one man carried a short pointed stick. They wore neither clothes nor ornaments; but their bodies were marked with tattooed lines, and their hair and faces generally smeared with red ointment. Their skin was black, and their hair woolly; but their features were not disagreeable. They seemed ​to set no value on the presents given them, and would eat neither bread nor fish, but gladly accepted some birds: it was afterwards found, that shell-fish is a principal part of their food. Capt. Cook brought two pigs ashore, to leave them in the woods to breed: the instant these came near the natives, they seized them, as a dog would have done, by the ears, and wanted to carry them off immediately, apparently with a view to kill them; which of course was prevented.
The Captain making signs to the man with the stick, to know what use he made of it, the latter set up a piece of wood as a mark, and threw the stick at it repeatedly; but proved only a poor marksman. Omai, to shew the superiority of British weapons, fired his musket at it; which so alarmed them, that they ran instantly into the woods, though invited to stay, and one of them dropped an axe and two knives, that had been given him. They next visited the Discovery's watering party; and the officer, not knowing that they came peaceably, fired a musket in the air, which made them run off in terror. While they were wholly out of sight, the Captain took the young boar and sow about a mile into the woods, and left them beside a fresh water brook. He had intended to leave a young bull and cow, with some sheep and goats; but finding that the natives could understand nothing about breeding cattle, he laid aside this design; being sure that, as they must have been left in some open plain, they would soon be discovered and killed. The pigs had a better chance of escaping, being animals that are fond of the thickest cover of the woods.
On the 29th, a party went to cut grass at the ​east point of the bay, where it was found of a good quality; while another party, which the Captain accompanied, were cutting some wood. The latter were soon visited by about twenty men and boys, who approached them without fear. One of them, who was hump-backed, amused our people by the drollery of his gestures, and the seeming humour of his speeches; though his language was quite unintelligible. Some of this party had slips of kangaroo skin tied round their ankles, and similar cords hanging loose round their necks. Several women afterwards made their appearance; and these were as naked as the men, except that they wore a kangaroo skin tied over their shoulders, and round the waist; not for a covering, but to support their children when carried on their backs. Some of them had the head completely shorn, some had it shorn on one side; while others had the upper part shorn close, a circle of hair being left all round, as in certain orders of monks. Many of the children who accompanied them were thought pretty. Capt. Cook was informed, that some gentlemen belonging to the Discovery made improper advances to the women, offering them liberal presents; but their offers were rejected with great disdain, and an elderly man, observing what passed, ordered all the women and children to retire. In the Captain's journal, the conduct of Europeans in making such attempts on the virtue of female savages, is justly reprobated, as awakening the jealousy of the men, and exposing the party to danger, perhaps without gaining the gratification desired. He might have added, that it is grossly immoral and indecent, utterly unbecoming those who bear the christian name.
​The country at Adventure Bay is generally flat, and abounds with tall straight forest trees, fit for making spars, oars, and perhaps masts. A kind of opossum was the only quadruped seen; but the kangaroo also lives in the woods. Birds are scarce and shy. The inhabitants are mild and cheerful, but possess little activity or genius. They live in very rude bark huts; and many of them, like the fauns and satyrs of ancient fable, reside in hollow trees. The trunks are hollowed out by fire to the height of six or seven feet; in the middle were hearths made of clay, for the fire; and in some of these dwellings there was room for four or five persons to sit around it. The people were obviously of the same race as those of the northern parts of New Holland.
Capt. Cook, as usual, carefully surveyed the coast, and made nautical observations to ascertain its position. The only material error which he discovered in Capt. Furneaux's sketch, was in the situation of Maria's Islands. Had the weather been fine on his quitting Van Diemen's Land, he might also have corrected another mistake of Capt. Furneaux and of former navigators, by discovering that this country is separated from New Holland by a considerable strait. But a fierce storm coming on, just as the vessels left Adventure Bay, they made the best of their way to New Zealand. It was not till 1797, that the existence of Bass's Strait, was observed by a Surgeon of that name, in an open boat: and Capt. Flinders, with that gentleman, first sailed through it in 1798. Capt. Flinders had also the honour of being the first to circumnavigate New Holland, in 1802, and 1803.
The storm that arose when our navigators left ​Adventure Bay, commenced with a singular change of temperature, the thermometer rising almost instantaneously, from 70° to near 90°; but this heat was of so short duration, that it seemed to be wafted away before the breeze that brought it. On the voyage to New Zealand, another marine belonging to the Discovery fell overboard, and was lost.
It was on wednesday, Feb. 12th, that the two vessels anchored in Ship Cove, and immediately began to land their empty casks, and to set up their observatories and tents. Many of the natives came alongside in canoes, some of whom were well known to Capt. Cook; but none would venture on board; for seeing Omai, who was in the Adventure, when Mr. Rowe and his messmates were massacred and eaten, the natives were aware that Capt. Cook knew all that had happened, and were afraid that he was come to revenge the death of his countrymen. The Captain, however, repeatedly assured them of the continuance of his friendship; and in a short time they laid aside their fear and distrust. Yet the recollection of that horrible event, and of the tragical end of Capt. Marion du Fresne and some of his men, made our people act with unusual caution, whenever a party went for wood, or water, or grass.
The natives were so far encouraged by the kindness shewn them, that instead of keeping at a distance, several families, from different parts of the coast, came to take up their residence near the ships. Capt. Cook witnessed the facility with which they construct a village. Part of the materials were brought in their canoes, and the rest found on the spot. The men upon reaching the ​place fixed on, began to tear up the plants and shrubs, and stick up the frame work of their huts; taking care to set up their weapons against a tree, where they could seize them at a moment's notice. While the men were raising the huts, the women had charge of the canoes, provisions, and utensils; and some of them gathered sticks, to make a fire for dressing their victuals. Above twenty huts. were erected in less than an hour. In the mean time, the children, and some aged people, were kept employed by the Captain, in scrambling for beads, so long as he had any left in his pocket. When more than one tribe or family occupied a village, their districts were kept separate by low pallisades, or other modes of division.
Our people derived considerable advantage from having the natives near them, particularly in securing a constant supply of fish, on easy terms; and having also abundance of celery, scurvy-grass, portable soup, and spruce-beer brewed on the spot, there was no want of refreshments. There was not, however, any sickness to remove; for there were but two invalids in the Resolution, and none in the Discovery.
The natives who visited the British from a distance, as well as those who took up their abode beside them, not only brought fish and curiosities for sale, but sought to expose their females for gain. This disgraceful trade, however, did not now succeed: the Captain was glad to find, that the men had taken a dislike to New Zealand females. This illicit commerce, he remarks, was never encouraged by him, though he sometimes could not restrain it. Some have considered such intercourse as promoting their security among ​savages; but he always dreaded its consequences, being sure that it betrays more men than it saves.
Among their occasional vsitors was the chief Kahoora, who headed the party that killed the Adventure's people, and had himself slain Mr. Rowe. Some of his own people requested that he might be killed, stating that he was a very bad man: but the people of one tribe had often desired the Captain to destroy those of another. On the 16th of February, the two Captains, and several of the officers, with Omai, visited the spot in Grass Cove, where the massacre occurred. The place and circumstances were pointed out by some of the natives, particularly their old friend Pedero, or Pedro, who met them here, and whose real name was found to be Matahouah. Kahoora repeatedly visited the ship, and although Omai often desired that he might be killed, stating that by the laws of England a murderer must be hanged, he still persisted in visiting the Captain; confiding in the declaration of the latter, that if the New Zealanders conducted themselves well in future, he would not revenge, at so great a distance of time, their inbuman treatment of his countrymen. Kahoora was one day greatly frightened, when he was questioned why he had killed Capt. Furneaux's people but when he was assured of safety, he informed the Captain, that one of them had taken a stone hatchet, and would neither return it, nor give any thing for it; upon which, the owner snatched up some bread as an equivalent; and then the quarrel began. He also stated, that he himself narrowly escaped being shot, by skulking behind the boat, while a man who stood close by him was shot dead. He then attacked Mr. Rowe, ​who defended himself with his hanger, and wounded Kahoora, but was presently overpowered by numbers. All parties concurred in asserting, that the shots fired by Lieut. Burney and his party did not take effect on a single individual. Kahoora put such confidence in the word of Capt. Cook, that on seeing a portrait of ore of his countrymen hanging in the cabin, he desired to have his own portrait taken also, and sat without the least uneasiness till Mr. Webber had drawn it.
It was observed that, although no pains had been taken by the natives to cultivate the gardens planted in the former voyages, so that they were over-run with weeds; yet there were potatoes, cabbages, onions, leeks, purslain, &c. found growing. Most of the animals left in the former voyage appeared to have been killed; but the poultry had been preserved, and had multiplied. The Captain had almost resolved to leave no more cattle, finding no powerful chief to take care of them. Tiratou was absent; and Tringoboohee had been killed, with 70 of his people, about five months before this. But Mataliouah, and a chief named Tomatongeauooranuc, having begged some goats and hogs, the Captain gave the former two goats, a male, and a female with kid; and the latter two pigs, a boar and a sow; under a promise that they should not be killed.
Above two thirds of the inhabitants of the Sound had by this time settled near the ships. When our men were melting seal blubber, they were so fond of the train oil, as to relish the very skimmings of the kettle, and dregs of the casks.
Omai had expressed a wish to take a New Zealander with him to his own country; and a youth ​of 17 or 18 years of age, named Taweiharooa, offered to accompany him, and took up his residence on board. He was the only son of a deceased chief, and it was supposed that his mother would not part with him; but when the ships were about to sail, she took an affectionate leave of him, and then parted from him, seemingly unconcerned. A lad who was to have attended him as a servant, was taken ashore by his friends; but another boy, named Kokoa, about nine or ten years old, was brought next day to supply his place. The father of the boy gave him up with much indifference.
It was found that the New Zealanders live under perpetual apprehensions of being destroyed by each other; every tribe or family being on the watch to revenge the wrongs sustained from any other tribe, maintaining a kind of hereditary enmity, the father bequeathing to his son the task of taking vengeance on his behalf. As they roast and eat their enemies, the prospect of a good meal is often a stimulus to deeds of blood.
In Mr. Anderson's journal are many interesting notices, concerning the soil, and productions of New Zealand, and the customs, characters, employments, manufactures, and language of the inhabitants. The two youths taken on board, informed Capt. Cook, that their country contains snakes and lizards of an enormous size; the latter being 8 feet long, and as thick as a man's body. They also stated, that a foreign vessel had put into a port on the N.W. coast of Teerawitte, a few years before the Endeavour, which they called Tupia's vessel, arrived in the Sound.