THIRD VOYAGE 399 



so we got our fore-mast into the ship, placed it fore and aft upon 

 the forecastle and quarter deck, and set the carpenters of both 

 ships to work upon it. In the evening I sent the boats of the two 

 ships, well manned and armed, under the command of Lieutenants 

 King and Burney, with a flag of truce, with orders by no means 

 whatever to land, but advance near enough to hold conversation 

 and demand the bodies of our people, particularly Captain Cook's. 

 Upon Mr. King's arrival near the shore, and making known his 

 demands, they appeared quite elate with joy at the prospect of a 

 reconciliation, threw away their slings and mats which were their 

 weapons and armour, extended their arms, and in short seemed 

 happy in suggesting every mode of demonstrating their satisfaction. 

 An old fellow, whose name is Co'ah'ah, with whom we had all along 

 been acquainted, with a white flag in his hand, swam off to the small 

 cutter where our flag was, and promised we should have the body 

 of Captain Cook to-morrow, but that it was carried too far up the 

 country to be brought down to-night. These assurances Mr. King 

 likewise received from many other people with whom he conversed 

 by the water side. 



" Mr. Burney was some little distance from Mr. King and talked 

 with different people. He says he clearly understood from some of 

 them that the body was cut up ; however, from their fair promises, 

 I hoped the morrow would produce it in some state or the other. 

 That we might be as safe as possible from the machinations of these 

 people, I ordered guard boats to row round the ships during the 

 darkness of the night, being under some apprehensions of attempts 

 upon our cables." 



" In the morning old Co'ah'ah made several trips to us in a 

 small canoe with his white flag flying, assisted by only one man, 

 and made many fair promises of the bodies being returned ; he 

 brought off two or three little pigs at different times, which, as 

 he professed so much friendship, and seemed to confide so much 

 in us I accepted. 



" This evening, just after dark, a priest, whose name was Car'na'- 

 care, a friend of Mr. King's, came on board and brought with him 

 a large piece of flesh, which we soon saw to be human, and which 

 he gave us to understand was part of the corpse of our late un- 

 fortunate Captain ; it was clearly a part of the thigh, about six or 

 eight pounds, without any bone at all. The poor fellow told us 

 that all the rest of the flesh had been burnt at different places with 

 some peculiar kind of ceremony, that this had been delivered to him 

 for that purpose, but as we appeared anxious to recover the body, 

 he had brought us all that he could get of it ; he likewise added, 

 that the bones, which was all that now remained, were in possession 

 of King Terre'aboo. The extraordinary friendship and attention 

 of these priests, since our first arrival amongst them, has been such 

 as we never before met with nor could expect from any Indians, or 

 indeed I believe I may say from any nation of people in the world. 

 They abound in the riches of the country, which they deal out 

 with a most liberal hand. Our astronomers and people on shore 

 were fairly kept by them, and they were continually sending presents 

 of hogs, fish, fruit, etc., to both Captain Cook and myself, at the 

 same time were so perfectly disinterested, that it was with difficulty 



