serious,
considered how he might best prevent bloodshed, and endeavoured to draw
off his party.

Meantime the boats stationed in the bay had fired at some canoes, and a
chief of high rank had been killed. The hostile natives soon heard of
this. Mr Phillips, on seeing the state of affairs, had withdrawn his
men to some rocks close to the water. The anger of the natives being
excited, they now began to throw stones, and one of them threatened
Captain Cook with his dagger. In defence he fired one of his barrels,
loaded with small shot. He then discharged the other, and a man was
killed. The marines had now begun to fire, and Captain Cook had turned
round either to order them to cease or to summon the boat, when a savage
struck him on the back with a large club, and he fell forward on his
hands and knees, letting his fowling-piece drop. A chief next plunged
his dagger into his back, and he fell into the water, the natives who
crowded round preventing him from rising.

From that moment nothing more was seen of him. The natives rushing on,
four of the marines were killed before they could reach the boats;
another was saved by the gallantry of Lieutenant Phillips, who, though
wounded himself, leapt overboard, and dragged the man who was struggling
in the water into the pinnace.

Lieutenant King had remained near the observatory with a party of his
men. Though the natives attacked him, he drove them off, and they at
last willingly agreed to a truce. He afterwards tried to obtain the
body of his captain, and in a few days some human flesh was brought off
by a man, who said that this was all that remained, the head, bones, and
hands being in possession of the King. With the exception of the head
the greater portion of the remainder was subsequently brought on board,
and they being placed in a coffin, were committed to the deep with the
usual naval honours.

So angered were the crews of the two ships at the loss of the captain,
that it was with the greatest difficulty the officers could restrain
them from hurrying on shore and wreaking their vengeance on the heads of
the natives.

Thus died Captain Cook in the fifty-first year of his age, surpassed by
none as a seaman, and was probably equalled by few as a marine surveyor
and draughtsman; while, if he was at times hasty, he was kind-hearted
and humane, and possessed the important power of attaching both officers
and men to his person. Captain Clerke, who succeede