Mokris. — On the Tracks of Captain Cook. 513 



he had the ground dug first, and then he made a speech to the 

 natives explaining the purport of what had been done either 

 in the few words of the Tahitian language that he knew or 

 through some interpreter. In the first voyage Tupaia acted 

 as interpreter of Cook's meaning, as it was found that the 

 Maori understood his language. Several of the officers also 

 picked up much of this lingua franca of the South Seas. If 

 Cook had this peculiar gesture, it is strange that no English- 

 man has described it. It may be mentioned that by a gun 

 accident in Newfoundland Cook had lost the greater part of 

 the thumb on his right hand. Lastly, why " poor Cook"? 

 Surely not because of his death coming in an inglorious scuffle 

 with the natives of Hawaii. By the whole life is a man 

 judged, not by its chance end. Cook is dear to the hearts of 

 his countrymen that know, and enjoys a magnificent heritage 

 of fame. 



Nor have we yet done with Taniwha. In a footnote to 

 Brett's "Early History of New Zealand," a book that fur- 

 nishes an excellent account of Cook's voyages as far as New 

 Zealand is concerned, as well as of the early history generally, 

 it is written : " Mr. C. O. Davis writes, ' Taniwha said, " I 

 was as tall as this person " (pointing to a European between 

 fourteen and sixteen years of age) " when I visited the ship of 

 your ancestor Cook. There were several natives in company 

 with myself, and while we were feasting our eyes on the 

 wonderful things we saw for the first time Captain Cook 

 came forward and patted me on the head. We were very 

 friendly with the people of the ship while they remained 

 among us." ' " No clue is given where Mr. Davis wrote this ; 

 but, if Mr. Davis be correct, Taniwha must have been about 

 a hundred when Colonel Mundy saw him and thought him 

 senile, though on seeing some English officers engaged in 

 singlestick he challenged one, and, contrary to all the rules of 

 the game, dealt his opponent a doughty lunge instead of a 

 blow. It would be interesting to ascertain the truth about 

 Taniwha, but it is probably now impossible. The carelessness 

 of the recorder is the main difficulty standing in the way. 



In Brett, at page 19, are two footnotes following each other 

 marking the careless annalist. From the " New Zealand 

 Pilot " (no other reference) : " Several initials are cut on the 

 rock where the artificial well exists, made by his crew." 

 Never a doubt expressed ! In the second note, from Colenso : 

 " Here [at Tolaga] , near the south-east headland of the bay, 

 Cook dug a well for the supplying of his ship with water, 

 which well is shown to this day by the natives." That is not 

 written on knowledge, but is a shot based on the name 

 " well." " Dug" here is hopeless. 



This carelessness and the omission of references is most 



