Duncan. — Folloiving the Tracks of Captain Cook 43 



ridge, and this was where Cook found a strongly fortified pa 

 on his visit in the "Endeavour." On the second voyage it 

 was found that the natives had abandoned it. Captain 

 Furneaux, of the "Adventure," who arrived here on that 

 voyage six weeks before Cook in the " Resolution," used it 

 upon which to set up his astronomical observatory. We read 

 that the people from the "Adventure" stationed here were 

 much troubled by fleas from the deserted habitations of the 

 natives. Rats were also here in immense numbers, and the 

 sailors sought to minimise the nuisance by putting large jars 

 in the ground, into which the rats fell during the night. I 

 found the top of this ridge entirely overgrown with thick scrub 

 and very uneven, and during a short exploration was unable 

 to notice any signs of ancient fortifications. Night coming 

 on, we boarded the launch and made the best of our way 

 to camp. 



I had planned that my third day in the Sound should be 

 spent searching for Grass Cove, the scene of the massacre 

 of a boat's crew belonging to the "Adventure," as from 

 what I had read in the Transactions there seemed a doubt 

 as to where it was. 



At a period in Cook's second voyage the "Adventure," 

 Captain Furneaux, had become separated from the "Reso- 

 lution," and was at anchor in Ship Cove alone. On the 

 17th December, 1773, Captain Furneaux sent two officers — 

 Mr. Rowe and Mr. Woodhouse — and eight of the crew in 

 a boat across the Sound to gather wild greens for the ship's 

 company. As they failed to return to the ship at night 

 the captain became very anxious, and in the morning des- 

 patched Mr. Burney, the second lieutenant, in search. 

 Mr. Burney was a very precise officer, and has left a fairly 

 detailed account of his day's search, which resulted in the 

 finding of some mangled remains of his shipmates at Grass 

 Cove. Mr. Burney's report is in the form of a letter to 

 his commander, and is copied in the ship's log-book. I had 

 with me a copy of this report. 



I had made inquiries at Picton as to the whereabouts 

 of Grass Cove, but nobody knew the name. One old gentle- 

 man told me it was understood that the massacre happened 

 at Cabbage Bay. Last Christmas Mr. A. H. Turnbull, of 

 Wellington, an enthusiastic searcher into early New Zea- 

 land history, had made a cruise to the Sounds in his yacht. 

 He was possessed of Hawkesworth's edition of " Cook's 

 Voyages," in which was the chart of the Sound, and on 

 which Grass Cove is marked. I had with me photographs 

 which he had taken in the Sounds, and which he had kindly 

 sent me, and Grass Cove was one of them ; but I had not 

 asked him where it was, thinking that I would have no diffi- 



