his death. It is a painful task, to be
obliged to notice circumstances, which seem to reflect upon the
character of any man. A strict regard to truth, however, compelled me
to the insertion of these facts, which I have offered merely as
facts, without presuming to connect with them any comment of my own;
esteeming it the part of a faithful historian, 'to extenuate nothing,
nor set down aught in malice.' The fatal accident happened at eight
o'clock in the morning, about an hour after Captain Cook landed. It
did not seem, that the king, or his sons, were witnesses to it; but
it is supposed that they withdrew in the midst of the tumult. The
principal actors were the other chiefs, many of them the king's
relations and attendants; the man who stabbed him with the dagger was
called Nooah. I happened to be the only one who recollected his person
from having on a former occasion mentioned his name in the journal I
kept. I was induced to take particular notice of him, more from his
personal appearance than any other consideration, though he was of
high rank, and a near relation of the king; he was stout and tall,
with a fierce look and demeanour, and one who united in his figure the
two qualities of strength and agility, in a greater degree, than ever
I remembered to have seen before in any other man. His age might be
about thirty, and by the white scurf on his skin, and his sore eyes,
he appeared to be a hard drinker of kava. He was a constant companion
of the king, with whom I first saw him, when he paid a visit to
Captain Clerke. The chief who first struck Captain Cook with the club,
was called Karimano, craha, but I did not know him by his name. These
circumstances I learnt of honest Kaireekea, the priest, who added,
that they were both held in great esteem on account of that action;
neither of them came near us afterwards. When the boats left the
shore, the Indians carried away the dead body of Captain Cook and
those of the marines, to the rising ground, at the back of the town,
where we could plainly see them with our glasses from the ships. This
most melancholy accident appears to have been altogether unexpected
and unforeseen, as well on the part of the natives as ourselves. I
never saw sufficient reason to induce me to believe, that there was
any thing of design, or a pre-concerted plan, on their side, or that
they purposely sought to quarrel with us; thieving, which gave rise
to the whole, they were equally guilty of,