East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-10-06
ADVENTURES OF VANCOUVER
ON THE PACIFIC.

The following entertaining story
concerning the voyages of Cook and
vancouver and of the cause of Cap
tain Cooks death in the Sandwich is
lands, from the American Magazine,
will be read with interest:
Vancouver sailed to winter in the
Sandwich islands. Here two duties
awaited the explorer. which he carried
out in a way that left both a streak of
glory and of shame across his escut-
cheon. The Sandwich ilsands had be-
come the halfway house of the Pacific
for the fur traders.
How fur traders-riff-raff adven-
turers from earth's ends, beyond the
reach of law-may have acted among
these simple people may be guessed
from the conduct of Cooks crews, and
Cook was a strict disciplinarian. Those
who SOW to the whirlwind need not be
surprised If they reap the hurricane
White men, welcomed to these islands
as gods, repaid the native hospitality
by impressing natives as crews to a
northern climate where the transition
from semi-tropics meant almost cer-
tain death.
For fur trader to slip into Hawaii,
entice women aboard then scud off to
America where the victims might rot
unburied for all the traders cared, was
considered a joke. How the joke
caused Captain Cooks death the
world knows, and the joke was becom-
ing little frequent, a little bold,
little too grim for the white traders
sense of security.
The Sandwich islanders had actually
formed the plot of capturing every
vessel that came into their harbors
and holding them for extortionate ran
som. How many white men were vic
Tins of this plot-to die by the assas-
sins knife or waiting for the ransom
that never came-is not a part of this
record.
1t was becoming a common thing to
find white men living in state of
quasi-slavery among the islanders each
white held as hostage for the security
of the others not escaping. Within
three years three ships had been at
tackled. one Spanish, one American,
one English-the storeship Daedalus,
on the way out of Nootka with sup
plies for Vancouver Two officers
Hergest and Gooch-of the Daedalus
had been seized, stripped naked, fore
ed at the point of spears up a hill to
the native village and cut to pieces.
Vancouver determined to put a stop
to such attacks. Arriving at the is
lands he trained his cannon ashore,
demanded that the murderers of the
Daedalus' officers be surrendered,
tried the culprits with all the solemn
ity and speed of English court martial.
sentenced them to death, had them
tied up to the mastpoles and executed.
That is the blot against Vancouver,
for the islanders had put up a trick.
The real murderers had been leading
chiefs. Not wishing to surrender
these, the islanders had given Van
couver poor slaves quite guiltless of
the crime. so that the wrong men were
executed.
In contrast to this wrong-headed
demonstration of justice was Vancou-
ver's other act. At Nootka he had
found among the traders two young
Hawaiian girls, not more than 15 and
19 years of age, whom some black
guard trader had forcibly carried off.
The most great voyagers would not
have soiled their gloves interfering
with such case, Cook had winked
at such crimes. Drake, 200 years be-
fore, had laughed. The Russians out
did either Drake or Cook. They
dumped the victims overheard where
the sea told no tales,
Vancouver might have been strict
enough disciplinarian to execute the
wrong man by way of lesson, but he
was consistent in his strictness. Round
these two friendless savages he wrap
ped all the chivalry and might of the
English flag
He received them on board the Dis
covery, treated them as he might have
his own sisters, prevented the posi-
bility of insult from the common sail
ors by having them at his own table
on the ship, taught them the customs
of Europeans toward women and the
reasons for those customs, so that the
young girls presently had the respect
and friendship of every sailor on board
the Discovery.
In New Spain he had obtained
clothing and delicacies for them that
white women have, and in the Sand
wich islands took precautions against
their death at the hands of Hawaiians