“On the 2d of January [1778], at day-break, we weighed anchor [ at Christmas Island}, and resumed our course to the north; having fine weather, and a gentle breeze at east, and east-south-east, till we got into the latitude of 7° 45′ N. and the longitude of 205″ E., where we had one calm day.”
“This was succeeded by a north-east by east, and east-north-east wind. At first it blew faint, but freshened as we advanced to the north.”
“We continued to see birds every day, of the sorts last mentioned; sometimes in greater numbers than others; and between the latitude of 10° and 11° we saw several turtle. All these are looked upon as signs of the vicinity of land.”
“However, we discovered none till day-break, in the morning of the 18th, when an island made its appearance, bearing northeast by east; and, soon after, we saw more land bearing north, and entirely detached from the former.”
“Both had the appearance of being high land. At noon, the first bore north-east by east, half east, by estimation about eight or nine leagues distant; and an elevated hill, near the east end of the other, bore north, half west. Our latitude, at this time, was 21° 12’ N.; and longitude 200° 41′ E.”
“We had now light airs and calms, by turns; so that at sunset, we were not less than nine or ten leagues from the nearest land.”
“On the 19th, at sunrise, the island first seen, bore east several leagues distant. This being directly to windward, which prevented our getting near it, I stood for the other, which we could reach; and not long after discovered a third island in the direction of west north-west, as far distant as land could be seen.”
“We had now a fine breeze at east by north ; and I steered for the east end of the second island ; which at noon extended from north, half east, to west northwest, a quarter west, the nearest part being about two leagues distant.”
“At this time, we were in some doubt whether or no the land before us was inhabited; but this doubt was soon cleared up, by seeing some canoes coming off from the shore, toward the ships, I immediately brought-to, to give them time to join us.”
“They had from three to six men each ; and, on their approach, we were agreeably surprised to find, that they spoke the language of Otaheite, and of the other islands we had lately visited.”
“It required but very little address, to get them to come alongside; but no intreaties could prevail upon any of them to come on board.”
“I tied some brass medals to a rope, and gave them to those in one of the canoes, who, in return, tied some small mackerel to the rope as an equivalent. This was repeated’ and some small nails, or bits of iron, which they valued more than any other article, were given them.”
“For these they exchanged more fish, and a sweet potatoe ; a sure sign that they had some notion of bartering; or, at least, of returning one present for another. They had nothing else in their canoes, except some large gourd shells, and a kind of fishing-net; but one of them offered for sale the piece of stuff that he wore round his waist, after the manner of the other islands.”
“These people were of a brown colour ; and, though of the common size, were stoutly made. There was little difference in the cast of their colour, but a considerable variation in their features ; some of their visages not being very unlike those of Europeans.”
“The hair of most of them was cropt pretty short ; others had it flowing loose; and, with a few, it was tied in a bunch on the crown of the head. In all, it seemed to be naturally black; but most of them had stained it, as is the practice of the Friendly Islanders, with some stuff which gave it a brown or burnt colour.”
“In general they wore their beards. They had no ornaments about their persons, nor did we observe that their ears were perforated ; but some were punctured on the hands, or near the groin, though in a small degree ; and the bits of cloth which they wore, were curiously stained with red, black, and white colours.”
“They seemed very mild ; and had no arms of any kind, if we except some small stones, which they had evidently brought for their own defence ; and these they threw overboard, when they found that they were not wanted.”
“Seeing no signs of an anchoring place at this eastern extreme of the island, I bore away to leeward, and ranged along the south east side, at the distance of half a league from the shore. As soon as we made sail, the canoes left us; …”
“… but others came off, as we proceeded along the coast, bringing with them roasting pigs, and some very fine potatoes, which they exchanged, as the others had done, for whatever was offered to them. Several small pigs were purchased for a sixpenny nail ; so that we again found ourselves in a land of plenty ; and just at the time when the turtle, which we had 90 fortunately procured at Christmas Island, were nearly expended.”
“We passed several villages ; some seated near the sea, and others farther up the country. The inhabitants of all of them crowded to the shore, and collected themselves on the elevated places to view the ships.”
“The land upon this side of the island rises in a gentle slope, from the sea to the foot of the mountains, which occupy the centre of the country, except at one place near the east end, where they rise directly from the sea, and seemed to be formed of nothing but stone, or rocks lying in horizontal strata.”
“We saw no wood, but what was up in the interior part of the island, except a few trees about the villages; near which, also, we could observe several plantations of plantains and sugar-canes, and spots that seemed cultivated for roots.”
“We continued to sound, without striking ground with a line of fifty fathoms, till we came abreast of a low point, which is about the middle of this side of the island, or rather nearer the north-west end. Here we met with twelve and fourteen fathoms, over a rocky bottom.”
“Being past this point, from which the coast trended more northerly, we had twenty, then sixteen, twelve, and, at last, five fathoms over a sandy bottom. The last soundings were about a mile from the shore. Night now put a stop to any farther researches ; and we spent it standing off and on.”
“The next morning we stood in for the land, and were met with several canoes filled with people; some of whom took courage, and ventured on board.”
“In the course of my several voyages, I never before met with the natives of any place so much astonished, as these people were, upon entering a ship.”
“Their eyes were continually flying from object to object; the wildness of their looks and gestures fully expressing their entire ignorance about every thing they saw, and strongly marking to us, that, till now, they had never been visited by Europeans, nor been acquainted with any of our commodities except iron; …”
“… which, however, it was plain, they had only heard of, or had known it in some small quantity brought to them at some distant period. They seemed, only to understand, that it was a substance much better adapted to the purposes of cutting, or of boring of holes, than any thing their own country produced.”
“They asked for it by the name of hamaite, probably referring to some instrument, in the making of which iron could be usefully employed; for they applied that name to the blade of a knife, though we could be certain that they had no idea of that particular instrument ; nor could they at all handle it properly.”
“For the same reason, they frequently called iron by the name of toe, which in their language signifies a hatchet, or rather a kind of adze. On asking them what iron was, they immediately answered, ‘We do not know ; you know what it is, and we only understand it as toe, or hamaite.’”
“When we shewed them some beads, they asked first, ‘What they were; and then, whether they should eat them?’ But on their being told, that they were to be hung in their ears, they returned them as useless.”
“They were equally indifferent as to a looking-glass, which was offered them, and returned it, for the same reason but sufficiently expressed their desire for hamaite and toe, which they wished might be very large.”
“Plates of earthen-ware, china cups, and other such things, were so new to them, that they asked if they were made of wood ; but wished to have some, that they might carry them to be looked at on shore.”
“They were in some respects naturally well bred ; or, at least, fearful of giving offence, asking, where they should sit down, whether they might spit upon the deck, and the like.”
“Some of them repeated a long prayer before they came on board ; and others, afterward, sung and made motions with their hands, such as we bad been accustomed to see in the dances of the islands we had lately visited.”
“There was another circumstance in which they also perfectly resembled those other islanders. At first, on their entering the ship, they endeavoured to steal every thing they came near ; or rather to take it openly, as what we either should not resent, or not hinder.”
“We soon convinced them of their mistake; and if they, after some time, became less active in appropriating to themselves whatever they took a fancy to, it was because they found that we kept a watchful eye over them.” (Cook’s Journal; 2nd of 3rd Voyage, pgs 176-181)
