204 CAPTAIN COOK 



would be just." Cook smiled at the eloquence 

 and logic of Omai, whom he ordered to act as 

 interpreter for Kahoora and ask him his reasons 

 for massacring the ten Europeans. The New 

 Zealand chief began to tremble, and refused to 

 tell the tragic story until the Captain had sev- 

 eral times assured him that he would not be 

 punished. The story differed little from what 

 Cook had already learnt. Kahoora said that he 

 had been in great danger himself during the 

 fight, and that the officer, whom he had attacked, 

 had defended himself with his sword. 



After this confession, Kahoora displayed no 

 further fear, and he even asked Webber the 

 Resolution's artist, to paint his portrait. *'I must 

 confess," wrote Cook in his Journal, "I admired 

 his courage, and was not a little pleased to ob- 

 serve the extent of the confidence he put in me. 

 For he placed his whole safety in the declara- 

 tions I had uniformly made to those who solic- 

 ited his death. That I had always been a friend 

 to them all, and would continue so, unless they 

 gave me cause to act otherwise; that as to their 

 inhuman treatment of our people, I should think 

 no more of it, the transaction having happened 

 long ago, and when I was not present; but that, 

 if ever they made a second attempt of that kind, 

 they might rest assured of feeling the weight of 

 my resentment." 



