Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sinuate themselves silently through the smallest spaces and make off
with their spoils. The scientist in Cook was fascinated by this very
strange culture but when it came to practical matters, such as steal-
ing, the Christian in him could not make allowance for a different
set of moral values. His reprisals and threats sometimes puzzled and
angered his hosts. An even more serious incident occurred as
En-
deavour
was being made ready to depart. Two of his men decided
not to leave this tropical heaven. They disappeared into the hills ac-
companied by their Tahitian lovers and with the connivance of the
girls' families and friends. If Cook had tolerated this minor desertion
he could well have found himself with a serious mutiny on his hands.
He had to take drastic action, even at the risk of alienating the is-
landers. So, he arrested some of their leading men and held them un-
til the fugitives were delivered up. The captain only resorted to force
reluctantly but his determination, when necessary, to impose his will
on a people whose friendship and cooperation were important in-
dicates the root cause of those misunderstandings which bedevilled
many South Sea expeditions and eventually cost Cook his life.
Finally leaving the Society Islands behind on 9 August, the
En-
deavour
set course due south into the unvisited latitudes of the Pa-
cific. After three weeks there was still no evidence of land and Cook
decided that he could not carry out a complete examination of this
stretch of ocean:
I did intend to have stood to the southward if the winds had
been moderate, so long as they continued westerly, notwithstanding
we had no prospect of meeting with land, rather than stand back to
the northward on the same track as we came; but as the weather was
so very tempestuous I laid aside this design, thought it more advisable
to stand to the northward into better weather, least we should receive
such damages in our sails and rigging as might hinder the further pro-
secutions of the voyage.
16
