DEATH OF CAPTAIN COOK. 



507 



mats and armed themselves with spears and stones. One of the 

 natives went up to Cook, flourishing a long iron spike by way 

 of defiance, and threatening him with a large stone. Cook 

 ordered him to desist, but, as the man persisted in his insolence, 

 was at length provoked to fire a load of small shot. As the 

 shot did not penetrate the matting, the natives were encouraged, 

 by seeing the discharge to be harmless, to further aggression. 

 Several stones were thrown at the marines: their lieutenant, 

 Mr. Phillips, narrowly escaped being stabbed by knocking down 

 the assailant with the butt end of his musket. Cook now fired 

 his second barrel, loaded with ball, and killed one of the fore- 

 most of the natives. A general attack with stones and a 

 discharge of musketry immediately followed. The islanders, 

 contrary to the expectations of the English, stood the fire with 

 great firmness, and, before the marines had time to reload, 

 broke in upon them with demoniacal shouts. Four marines 

 were instantly killed ; three others were dangerously wounded; 

 Phillips received a stab between the shoulders, but, having for- 

 tunately reserved his fire, shot the man who had wounded him 

 just as he was going to repeat the blow. 



The last time that Cook was seen distinctly, he was standing 

 at the water's edge, calling out to the people in the boats to 

 cease firing. It is supposed that he was desirous of stopping 

 further bloodshed, and wished the example of desisting to proceed 

 from his side. His humanity proved fatal to him ; and he lost 

 his life in attempting to save the lives of others. It was 

 noticed that while he faced the natives none of them offered 

 him any violence, deterred, perhaps, by the sacred character 

 he bore as an Orono ; but the moment he turned round to give 

 his orders to the men in the boats, he was stabbed in the back 

 and fell, face foremost, into the water. The islanders set up a 

 deafening yell and dragged his body on shore, where the dagger 

 with which he had been killed was eagerly snatched by the 



