248 cook's SECOND VOYAGE NOV. 



The sight of the head, and the relation of the 

 above circumstances, struck me with horror, and 

 filled my mind with indignation against these can- 

 nibals. Curiosity, however, got the better of my 

 indignation, especially when I considered that it 

 would avail but little, and being desirous of be- 

 coming an eye-witness of a fact which many doubted, 

 I ordered a piece of the flesh to be broiled and 

 brought to the quarter-deck, where one of these can- 

 nibals ate it with surprising avidity. This had such 

 an effect on some of our people as to make them 

 sick. Oedidee (who came on board with me), was 

 so affected with the sight as to become perfectly 

 motionless, and seemed as if metamorphosed into 

 the statue of horror. It is utterly impossible for 

 art to describe that passion with half the force that 

 it appeared in his countenance. When roused from 

 this state by some of us, he burst into tears ; con- 

 tinued to weep and scold by turns ; told them they 

 were vile men ; and that he neither was nor would 

 be any longer their friend. He even would not 

 suffer them to touch him ; he used the same language 

 to one of the gentlemen who cut off the flesh, and 

 refused to accept or even touch the knife with which 

 it was done. Such was Oedidee's indignation against 

 the vile custom, and worthy of imitation by every 

 rational being. 



I was not able to find out the reason for their un- 

 dertaking this expedition. All I could understand for 

 certain was, that they went from hence into Admiralty 

 Bay (the next inlet to the west) and there fought 

 with their enemies, many of whom they killed. They 

 counted to me fifty, a number which exceeded pro- 

 bability, as they were not more if so many them- 

 selves. I think I understood them clearly, that this 

 youth was killed there ; and not brought away 

 prisoner and afterwards killed. Nor could I learn 

 that they had brought away any more than this one ; 

 which increased the improbability of their having 



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