Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
conscientious captain who never questioned Cook's orders) he was
to a large extent independent when aboard his own ship and thus
unresponsive to the finer points of direction by his superior.
At the beginning of August they came upon the Tuamotus and
threaded their way through them to westward. Cook had his officers
check carefully the positions of every island and atoll against those
recorded on the charts. Because of the plight of the
Adventure
he
found himself trapped into that very dilemma which had affected
so many other Pacific voyagers: his suffering men urgently needed
the rest and fresh food that a friendly landfall could offer; yet he
dared not hurry through this dangerous region of reefs and shal-
lows. Just how dangerous it was became clear at dawn on 16 August.
During the night the ships had drifted to within two miles of a reef
and the tide was carrying them steadily closer. Cook ordered the
boats out and all morning
Resolution
and
Adventure
were towed to-
wards deeper water. They came parallel with a break in the reef
which caused a strong inward current. Within minutes the two ships
were almost upon the coral and so close to each other that collision
seemed inevitable. Hastily they dropped anchor and swung head on
to the surf with
Resolution's
stern actually scraping the bottom as
each wave ebbed. Cook shouted for more anchors to be taken off by
the boats and dropped at some distance. Then everyone - sailors, of-
ficers and civilians - strained at the capstans, easing the ship away
from the jagged reef. But all their efforts gained them only a few
yards. Not until dusk, when an evening breeze sprang up from the
land, were
Resolution
and
Adventure
able to break free. It had been
a strenuous day and one not made easier by the islanders. For in
the midst of all the frenzy of shrieked orders, running feet, muttered
curses and straining muscles the decks were littered with smiling
Polynesians proffering goods for barter.
The voyagers spent a month in Tahiti, staying briefly in a variety
of anchorages in order to establish friendly relations with several of
