The local wound was healed for the moment, but there remained the deeper smart of mutual suspicion. Cook ordered every islander to be turned out of the ships, and doubled the guard at the heiau. At midnight a native who was seen skulking about its walls was fired at; and during the darkness, Palea, either to avenge himself of his blow, or for the sake of the iron fastenings, stole one of the Discovery's' cutters, which was moored to a buoy.

The morning which dawned calmly on that fair bay was Sunday. It was doomed to be neither a day of rest nor of peace. Cook resolved to recover the stolen boat, and for that purpose he determined to secure the King or some of the royal family, and retain them on board until it was restored. He also gave orders that if the cutter should not be recovered, every canoe was to be seized which endeavoured to leave the bay. The expedition on shore would probably have been led by Clarke, the second in command, but being ill, he requested that Cook would undertake the duty; and so it happened that the adventurous discoverer set his foot on the shore which in a few hours was to. witness his death and to refuse him a grave.

When in the year 1823, Mr. Ellis made his visit to Hawaii, he found many persons at Kealakeakua and other parts of the island who were present themselves at Cook's death, or were well acquainted with its circumstances. By the accounts these people gave Mr. Ellis, and from the collection made at Lahaina-luna, the Ka Moolelo Hawaii previously mentioned, the native version of this transaction is distinctly preserved. Their plain, unvarnished tale, is told in sorrow, not in anger, and without justification of themselves. They state that Cook, having come on shore and had an interview with

NATIVE ACCOUNT OF COOK'S DEATH.

109

Kalaniopuu, the two walked together towards the shore, Cook designing to take the King on board his ship and detain him there till the missing boat should be restored. The people seeing this, and having their suspicions already roused, thronged round, and objected to the King's going farther. His wife, too, entreated that he would not go on board the ships. Kalaniopuu hesitated ; and whilst he was standing in doubt, a man came running from the other side of the bay, crying, 'It is war! The foreigners have fired at a canoe from one of their boats, and killed a chief.' On hearing this the people became enraged, and the chiefs were alarmed, fearing that Cook would put the King to death. Again his wife, Kanona, used her entreaties he would not go on board, and the chiefs joined with her, the people in the meantime arming themselves with stones, clubs, and spears. The King sat down; and Capt. Cook, who seemed agitated, began walking towards his boat. Whilst doing so, a native attacked him with a spear. Cook turned, and with his double-barrelled gun shot the man who struck him. Some of the people then threw stones at the Englishman, which being seen by his men in the boats, they fired on the natives. Cook endeavoured to stop the firing, but on account of the noise he was unable to do so. He then turned to speak to the people on shore, when some one stabbed him in the back with a pahoa, or dagger, and at the same time a spear was driven through his body. He fell into the water, and spoke no more.

This account agrees very nearly with Captain King's. King believed, however, that he received the thrust of the dagger whilst speaking to the boats to stop firing, and that whilst his face was turned towards shore none of the natives offered him any violence; so that his

humanity in wishing to prevent more bloodshed cost.

him his life.

Thus fell Cook in mid career. It causes regret to think that his life was unnecessarily thrown away through some failure in judgment and some faults of temper, which his attached friend, King, admits might have been justly blamed.' Had he lived longer he might have added more discoveries to his already brilliant list, but his fame would not have increased. The memory of great men usually gains when its light is contracted within a short compass, and when life terminates suddenly in its zenith. It is like the lustrous fracture of a mineral ore. About half-a-million of persons die in Great Britain every year. They go to the grave and are forgotten; but our maritime nation looks back with a fond tenacity of memory to some who have won themselves a name in different paths of honour and adventure. Hundreds of lives have been hazarded to gain tidings of an Arctic explorer; and English youth still throws aside more modern books to read of Cook or the lost La Perouse.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE SEQUEL OF COOK'S DEATH—SUBSEQUENT VISITS.

HE native account says that when the crowd which

was about Cook and the King, Kalaniopuu, heard of the death of Kalimu, the chief who was shot in the canoe, it became clamorous for revenge; and one of the people with a short dagger in his hand approached the captain, who, fearing danger, fired at him with his gun. A general contest began, and Cook struck a chief named Kalaimano-Kahoowaha with his sword. This powerful warrior seized him with one hand to hold him, not with any idea of taking his life, for supposing him to be the god Lono he believed him incapable of death. Cook, being about to fall, cried out, which dispelled the chief's belief in his divinity, and he therefore killed him. The seamen in the boat fired on the natives, many of whom were cut down, and guns were discharged from the ship, by which more of the people were killed. The King then fled inland, to the precipice, with his chiefs and people, taking with them the bodies of Cook and four of his companions who had been slain. The King presented Cook's body in sacrifice: the flesh was afterwards removed from the bones in order to preserve them, and the flesh was consumed with fire. Three children, whose names are known, found the heart, and mistaking it for that of a dog, ate

it. Some of Cook's bones were returned to the ship; the rest were retained by the priests and worshipped.

The account of the whole transaction given by Ledyard, who was near his commander when he fell, though fuller and more explanatory, does not differ in any material points from the native narrative-indeed, not more than do any two independent histories of one transaction. The English version gives some names and circumstances which did not come within the islanders' knowledge. Lieutenant Phillips, who had landed his marines to support Cook, was close to the latter, who when he was stabbed, fell with his face. downwards into the water, the margin of which he had reached, and immediately expired. Phillips, who was a fine swordsman, threw down his fusee, and engaging the chief who had stabbed Cook, dispatched him with his sword. His guard by this time were all killed, except two, who swam to the boats, leaving the Lieutenant alone opposed to the natives. His brave defence astonished the people who were attacking him; but being at last wounded and faint, he plunged into the sea sword in hand, and was taken on board the boats. As soon, however, as he was safe, one of the marines, who had swum from shore, was seen lying at the bottom of the water. The wounded officer hearing this, ran aft, plunged again into the sea, and brought the man to the surface, and both were taken into the boat.

Captain King was on the other side of the bay, where the observatory was situated, and where the mast and sails of the Resolution' had been landed. 6

As soon as the news arrived there of the affray, the natives commenced an attack upon the small force in charge, but were repulsed, and a truce was agreed to, during which