THROUGH HAWAII. 
117 
All the chiefs did the same. The king sat down. The 
captain seemed agitated, and was walking towards his 
boat, when one of our men attacked him with a spear: 
he turned, and with his double-barrelled gun shot the 
man who struck him. Some of our people then threw 
stones at him, which being seen by his men they fired 
on us. Captain Cook then endeavoured to stop his 
men from firing, but could not, on account of the noise. 
He was turning again to speak to us, when he was 
stabbed in the back with a pahoa; a spear was at the 
same time driven through his body; he fell into the 
water, and spoke no more.* 
“ After he was dead, we all wailed. His bones were 
separated—the flesh was scraped off and 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.” 
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 
* We have several times inquired, particularly of the natives 
acquainted with the circumstances, whether Captain Cook was 
facing them, or had his back towards them, when he received the 
fatal thrust; and their answer, in general, has been as here stated, 
which accords very nearly with Captain King’s account, who says, 
“ Our unfortunate commander, the last time he was seen dis¬ 
tinctly, was standing at the water’s edge, and calling out to the 
boats to cease firing, and pull in. If it be true, as some of those 
present have imagined, that the marines and boatmen fired with¬ 
out his orders, and that he was desirous of preventing any further 
bloodshed, it is not improbable, that his humanity, on this occa¬ 
sion, proved fatal to him: for it was remarked, that whilst he 
faced the natives, none of them had offered him any violence, 
but that having turned about, to give his orders to the boats, he 
was stabbed in the back, and fell with his face into the water.” 
See Captain King’s Continuation of Cook’s Voyages, 4to. vol. iii. 
pages 45 and 46. 
