REGRET AT COOK’S DEATH. 133 
burnt, as was the practice in regard to our own 
chiefs when they died. We thought he was the 
god Rono, worshipped him as such, and, after his 
death, reverenced his bones/ 7 
Not only were his bones so treated, but almost 
every relic left with them. Among other things, 
a sledge, which, from their description of it, must 
have come from the north-west coast of America, 
left at the islands by Captain Cook, or some of his 
companions, was afterwards worshipped by the 
people. They called it, probably from its singular 
shape, Opaitauctrii , a crab or shrimp, for a chief to 
rest on; from opai, a crab or shrimp, tau , to rest 
or sit, and ami, a chief. 
Many of the chiefs frequently express the sor¬ 
row they feel whenever they think of the Captain ; 
and even the common people usually speak of 
these facts with apparent regret. Yet they exo¬ 
nerate the king Taraiopu from all blame, as no¬ 
thing was done by his orders. I was once in a 
house in Oahu with Karaimoku, and several othei 
chiefs, looking over the plates in the folio edition 
of Cook’s Voyages. They were greatly affected 
with the print which represented his death, and 
inquired if I knew the names of those who were 
slain on that occasion. I perceived Karaimoku 
more than once wipe the tears from his eyes, while 
conversing about this melancholy event. He said, 
he recollected Captain Cook’s visit, if not also his 
person, though he was at Maui at the time of his 
death. More than once, when conversing with us 
on the length of time the Missionaries had been in 
the Society Islands, they have said, “ Why did you 
not come here sooner ? Was it because we killed 
Captain Cook?” 
We have sometimes asked them what induce- 
