HOW COOK DIED.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13533, 2 March 1908, Page 3

HOW COOK DIED.

l-;VK WITXKSS'S SIt)UV

Quite recently there lias been i>l;icet on the shelw.s i>f that- splendid nationa storehouse .tlio Manuscript Department- o the British Museum, a little morocco Ijomn.l quarto volume 'it !:as not- yet. Iveu indexed) that is of romantic anil thrilling interest, to every Briton. It i.s labelled "Journal of Captain Couk Last Vnva"e. 1778 1779." and consist.i of a collection ef closely written letters in a crabbed eightleiith-ceiitury handwriting. I lie writer was one John Law, who w.-rved apparently as petty officer on hoard the Discovery. Captain Clerk:', which, as all the world knows, accompanied the KesoluI tion 011 Captain Cooks ill-fated expedition to the Sandwich li-Jand.s. Tin- donor i« Mr C. t!. Lawrence Law. one of John Law's descendants. Tiie first letter is dated January 16th, 1779, that. i:> to say. at the interesting lnonieiit- when Captain Cook determined to anchor in Karakakoa Bay ill search cf provisions, and henceforth a minute account i.s given of the expedition both before and after the Captain's tragic death.

'Die excitement among the natives wa.s great, no fewer than 800 or ICOO canue.s or other small craft surrounding the British vessels; but at fiist nothing in the nature of hostility was encountered. On the contrary, the sailors readily acquired by trading such conimodot-ies as hogt>- for salting, salt. and vegetables, and an "Katnoa," or priest, even gave the com-

mander a sucking-pig as a peace offering. With the s-ticking-pig he bought a piece

of cloth, and after muttering some incantation lie solemnly tied it round Captain Cook'.s neck.

THEFTS BY SAVAGES. It was not Ihowever. before (rouble began. and it was brought about in the first place by the irresistible projK'nsity the savages had for stealing, or, as Law quaintly puts- it, making use of their lingers too freely. They actually " conveyed" a. wooden rail from the aft-;r hatchway of one t>f the ship:-, together with Captain Cook's keytj, a email boat rudder, and other portable property. Some set to work industriously to rub off the sheathing of the Discovery, and, being discovered, .wenieu aggrieved on being told that their conduct was not permissible. Tile immediate cause of the final catastrophe was the trumpery theft of a pair of tongs and a chisel from the armourer's forge. The thief made off in a canoe, and a party of men in a cutter started in pursuit, while many muskoti* were lired at the canoe by the men on board ship. After this Captain Cook determined to secure the King as a hostage, and the narrative henceforth to the Captain's death had best be given in Law's own words, simply inodilyinng the spelling somewhat.

"Aj hoon as he (Captain Conk) landed (from the pinnance) with a body of nine marines, he went to the King's house .-lid asked him to go on board, which the latter very readily agreed to. The peopleon shoiv were alarmed at Captain Cook coming with such a body to invite Mini Oboo aboard, and though the old King had got down to the beach thev prevailed upon him to go back, telling him we wanted to hurt him. One of his children stared in the pinnance waiting for his father i long time till lie nab afraid While Kini Oboo was hesitating whether iie should go ■on buard or ttay, a man, more oflieiouii than the re.sl iu getting him back to the house was exceedingly saucy, and behaved in a very insolent manner to Captain Cook, who gave hiui 9 load of small shot.

CAI'TAIX COOK SHOOTS A NATIVE. "At this the native took no kind of notice, but laughed, which uu enraged the Captain that he shot him dead with a 'jail (having a double-barrelled gun). Thin accident- made the natives prepare with their daggers and spears to revenge the death of the man. who, I believe, was the Areen. Had Captain Cook come down t<i the boats directly, as he was advised, it would most probably have hindered soint» bloodslr-d, but he wrongly thought, as he naid, that the flash ot a musket would disperse the whole island. Led on by these ideas, lie barkened to no advice till it was too late. When he got down to the beach a man came behind him with a club and knocked him down on his knees. "He immediately got up and rashly went alone into the middle of the crowd, following the man, who he beat with the butt end of his piece. He returned, and was standing on the rocks when another came behind him. and stabbed him in the small of the back, which threw him into the water, not being able to swim. The rabble, seeing this, rushed on with great eagerness to the marines, and killed lour, the other five, firing away their shot, wire forced to swim off to the boatis. Out of the five marines that swam off two were unhurt. The lieutenant received a slight- wound, either with a. stone or dagger, on the left shoulder, the sergeant two, one on the thigh and another on the bead.

"The left ('the remaining man?) was a private who could not swim, besides baring a fractured skull, and would have sunk had not the lieutenant jumped out of the boat and saved him. It seems tile natives were not ignorant of our intentions, as while the old King was hesitating whether he would go 011 board or star a man made an offer to stab the lieutenant of marines with an iron spike, at which the latter, by C'apt. Cook's orders, pushed him back. HIDING THIi SLAIN.

"After the death of Captain Cook it was with great difficulty the pinnance got off shore .as the natives there were so thick •about, them as to snatch their arms from them. The corporal of marines, who was one of those killed, was: beat into the water up to his iieck (not being able to swim) and then dischagred his piece the Indians then rushing on him, standing him upon the rocks neck and. heels, and dashing his head agosnst the stones. The l>eople seemed to take great pains in hiding their slain, as there was not. a dead man to be seen lying on the shore, though th» muskets from the boats must have done great execution. " At the same time the great- guns were tiring from the ships, which one would suppose might intimidate them, as the echoing under the high landmarks made a terrible noise, but. it. did not stop them, as they fought with surprising resolution and Mere quite desperate, snatching each other's iron spikes on purpose to luive the satisfaction of mangling our poor unhappy shipmates, who they pulled, neck and heels, up on the rocks, ami they were more particularly enraged against Caplain Cook, who they crowded round in such a manner that before one man stabbed him another would snatch the pike out of the dead body and give it a fresh wound. After'this shucking scene of slaughter was ended, the boats retuiniil to the ships with the loss nf niii<- Maud <>f anus ;md a double-barrelled piece of the Captain's." It will be seen that Law. whde showing no animus against Captain Cook, icr tainly conwvs the impression that his sad fa to might have been averted had lie (lis played more tact- tuid patience. When the «riler comes ti> speak of the 'measures of it'aliation fur which our men were responsible hi- does not hesitate to stigmatize them as "most brutal."' ami some of the stories he tells are certainly of a iiios* harrowing character. Curious enough lie does not even mention the name of Lieutenant. John Williamson. wln»e conduct in not going to his chief's ;!-.istaiice has been the subject

T sever comment. The officer in ijues

lion was afterwards cashiered for cowardice at 'the buttle of Camperdown, and this, of course, lends to confirm the general impression with regard to what happened in the case of Captain Cook, but it i.s odd that a witness who deposes to the minutest details should appear to have known, nothing at; all about, the lieutenant's alleged inaction.—London "Tribune."'