FIRST VOYAGE 59 



refused either to return it, or to give anything in exchange ; 

 he paid dearly, however, for his temerity, being shot dead 

 on the spot.* 



The death of this young Indian alarmed all the rest : they 

 fled with great precipitancy, and for the present, could not 

 be induced to renew their traffic with the English. But 

 when the Indians on shore heard the particulars related by 

 Tojava, who greatly condemned the conduct of the deceased, 

 they seemed to think that he merited his fate. This 

 transaction happened, as has been mentioned, whilst the 

 observation was making of the transit of Mercury, when the 

 weather was so favourable, that the whole transit was 

 viewed without a cloud intervening. Mr. Green made the 

 observation of the ingress, whilst Captain Cook was 

 engaged in ascertaining the time, by taking the sun's 

 altitude. In consequence of this observation having been 

 made here, this bay was called Mercury Bay. 



The Indians sup before sunset, when they eat fish and 

 birds baked or roasted. A female mourner was present at 

 one of their suppers ; she was seated upon the ground, and 

 wept incessantly, at the same time repeating some sentences 

 in a doleful manner, but which Tupia could not explain ; 

 at the termination of each period she cut herself with a 

 shell upon her breast, her hands or her face ; notwithstand- 

 ing this shocking spectacle greatly affected the gentlemen 

 present, the Indians viewed it with indifference. 



November llth, oysters were procured in great abund- 

 ance from a bed which had been discovered and they 

 proved exceedingly good. Next day the ship was visited 

 by two canoes, with unknown Indians ; after some invita- 

 tion they came on board, and trafficked without fraud. 

 Captain Cook sailed from this bay, after taking possession 

 of it in the name of the King of Great Britain, on the 15th. 

 A number of islands, of different sizes, appeared toward 

 the north-west, which were named Mercury Islands. The 

 inhabitants, though numerous, have no plantations ; their 

 canoes are very indifferently constructed, and are no 



* Every one will admit that this was a merciless and most unjusti- 

 fiable act committed in a rash moment, and doubtless often repented. 

 The editor cannot think that it could possibly have met with the 

 approval of Captain Cook, who was upon all occasions a most 

 humane man, and a true Christian. 



Since penning this note he has referred to Captain Cook's Journal, 

 and finds the following entry : "I must own that it did not meet 

 with my approbation, because I thought the punishment a little 

 too severe for the crime, and we had now been long enough acquainted 

 with these people to know how to chastise trifling faults like this, 

 without taking away their lives." Extract, Captain Cook's Journal, 

 Records, Admiralty, Whitehall. P. 154. 



