510 



HISTORY OF THE SEA. 



their presents upon the ground. Eappo, in a long feathered 

 cloak, and with a bearing of deep solemnity, mounted upon a 

 rock and made signs for a boat. Captain Clarke went ashore 

 in the pinnace, ordering Lieutenant King to attend him in 

 the cutter. Eappo went into the pinnace and delivered to the 

 captain a quantity of bones wrapped up in a large quantity of 

 fine new cloth and covered with a spotted cloak of black and 

 white feathers. The bundle contained the hands of the unfor- 

 tunate commander entire; the skull, deprived of the scalp and 

 the bones that form the face ; the scalp, detached, with the hair 

 cut short, and the ears adhering to it ; the bones of both arms, 

 the thigh and leg bones, but without the feet. The whole bore 

 evident marks of having been in the fire, with the exception of 

 the hands, the flesh of which was left upon them, — with several 

 large gashes crammed with salt, apparently for the purpose of 

 preventing decomposition. The lower jaw and feet,* which were 

 wanting, had been seized by different chiefs, Eappo said, and 

 Tereoboo was using every means to recover them. 



The next morning Eappo came on board, bringing with him 

 the missing bones, together with the barrels of Cook's gun, his 

 shoes, and several other trifles that had belonged to him. Eappo 

 was dismissed with orders to "taboo" the bay — that is, to place 

 it under interdict — during the performance of the funeral cere- 

 monies* This was done : not a canoe ventured out upon the 

 water during the remainder of the day, and, in the midst of 

 the silence and solemnity of the scene, the bones were placed 

 in a coffin and the service of the Church of* England read over 

 them. They were then committed to the deep, beneath the 

 booming thunders of the artillery of both vessels. "What our 

 feelings were on this occasion," says King, "I leave the world 

 to conceive : those who were present know that it is not in 

 my power to express them/' 



No one man ever contributed more to any science than did 

 Captain Cook to that of geography. We have seen that on his 



