184 CAUSE OF cook's death : 



on board his ship. The King immediately con- 

 sented ; but some of the Yeris endeavoured to 

 dissuade him ; and the more earnestly Cook 

 pressed his going, the more strenuously they 

 endeavoured to prevent it. Cook, at length, 

 seized the King by the arm, and would have 

 carried him off by force ; which in the highest 

 degree irritated the assembled multitudes. At 

 this moment a Yeri, who in crossing the bay 

 from the opposite side had been fired upon by 

 the English boats, rushed with blood streaming 

 from his wound into the presence of the King, 

 and cried aloud to him to remain where he 

 was, or he would certainly receive similar treat- 

 ment ; this incident wound up the rage of the 

 people to its utmost pitch, and the conflict 

 commenced, in which Cook lost his life. 



Karemaku, who, when a young man, had 

 witnessed these circumstances, related them to 

 me ; and the accounts of Cook's companions 

 upon the whole agree with his. Some isolated 

 facts are differently stated by them ; but I 

 was assured by all the natives of Wahu, that 

 Karemaku had strictly adhered to the truth. 

 Even if we give entire credit to the English 



