The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1895-12-06

waiian kingdom, extending over a
rich, beautiful and interesting chain
of thirteen islands.
Mr.. Walter Besant, in his interest.
ing biography of Cook, is of opinion
that the death of the navigator was
the most remarkable in the whole his
tory of ocean disaster. King, Samuel,
Gilbert and others of Cooks COM
panions gave their narratives of the
event, but the true history OF it was
not known till William Ellis, agent
of the London Missionary Society,
visited the island in 1923 and con
versed with natives who had seen the
murder committed. There was, it
seemed, a legend among them that
Lono, the swine god, had murdered
his wife through jealousy, ana then,
having instituted athletic games in
her memory, sailed for foreign land,
prophesying: ~ will return in after
times on an island bearing cocoanut
trees, swine and dogs"
When Cook arrived, not only on a
ship with masts, but also with men in
cooked hats, who were smoking to =
bacco, eating the red watermelon and
taking things from their pockets, and
therefore thought to be floating on
islands with high trees, to have heads
horned like the moon, to carry fires
burning in their mouths, to eat the
raw flesh of men, and TO take out of
their bodies what they required, these
simple savages imagined them i'm
II l,s. a
prediction was at length accomplished.
Though Cook knew nothing of the
legend, it seems incredible that when
on the island, in the midst of the ma
tives, he did not perceive that they
were paying him divine honOrs in
their prostrations, litanies, sacrifices
and kisses, but, at any rate, the priests
caused the people to bring him offer
ings OF pigs, fruit and cloth, which
supplied his crews in the Revolution
and Discovery, and he allowed this
homage
This collection became very speedily
a grievous tax to the inhabitants
Moreover, Cook carried off for fuel
the fence OF the sacred place where he
had received divine honors, aud also
some idols. On February 4, 1779, he
sailed away; but in week gale,
which caused the Revolution to spring
her foremast, led him to return, and
then occurred quarrels about women,
water and one of the Discovery's cut
ters, which was stolen. Cook resolved
to carry the King to his vessel till the
boat was restored. His design was
suspected. and the final result of it
was that one of the chiefs stabbed him
in the back between the shoulders
with one of the iron dsggers which
Cook had given to them another with
a blow on the head from a club caused
him to fall into the sea, and Others
kept him under the water few min
utes and then hauled him out upon
the rocks and beat his head against
them several times; so that doubtless
he quickly expired. Several lives were
lost on both sides.
Though the natives were not canni-
balls, they had done all in their power
to make it impossible for Cook to
avenge himself, and, therefore, only
his head and hands could be recover
ed, and these were buried in the ocean
alongside his vessel. "Thus ended in
gloriously," writes Besant, "ahd as
the result of an ill-advised attempt at
high-banded justice, the life Of the
greatest navigator of any age" who
had been born at Marion, in York
shire, on October 27, l72S, and after
serving in merchant vessels and the
royal navy till 176S made those three
remarkable voyages which terminated
by his death on February IA, 1779.-
Spare Moments.