Celebrated Travels and Travellers Vol 2 First part chapter IV - Captain Cook’s second voyage part 2b

Bob Rose (0:01)

CHAPTER XIX of Celebrated Travels and Travellers, Volume 2 This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit librivox.org. Recording by Bob Rose.

Celebrated Travels and Travellers, Volume 2 Great Navigators of the Eighteenth Century by Jules Verne.

Chapter 4, Part 2 Captain Cook's Second Voyage, 2b On the 21st, Cook left Tana, discovered successively Aramon and Anaton Islands, and coasted Sandwich Island. He passed Mali-Colo and Kiros Land of the Holy Spirit, where he easily recognized St. James and St. Philip Bays, and left the Archipelago after having named it New Hebrides, by which appellation it is now known. A new discovery was made on the 5th of September. No European foot had ever trodden the soil he now cited. It was the northern extremity of New Caledonia. The first point recognized was called Cape Colnett, after one of the volunteers who saw it first. The coast was bordered by a chain of breakers, behind which two or three pierogues appeared to be paddling, so as to reconnoiter the newcomers. But at sunrise they brailed their sails and were seen no more. Having cruised for two hours along the outer reefs, Cook perceived an opening which he thought would enable him to draw near. He steered for it and landed at Ballade. The country appeared sterile and uniformly covered with a whitish grass. Some trees with white trunks, like the willow in shape, were seen here and there. They were in the alleys. At the same time several houses like beehives were perceived. No sooner was anchor cast than fifteen or more pierogues surrounded the vessel. The natives had sufficient confidence to approach and begin traffic. Some of them even entered the ship and inspected all the various parts of it with extreme curiosity. They refused to touch the dishes offered them, stewed peas, beef and salt pork, but they voluntarily tasted the yams.

They were most surprised at the goats, pigs, dogs and cats, which were so strange to them that they had no words to designate them. Nails, all iron implements and red stuffs appeared precious to them, tall, strong and well proportioned, with curly hair and beard, and of dark chocolate color. They spoke a language which bore no resemblance to any which the English had hitherto heard. When the captain landed he was received with joyful demonstrations, and with a surprise natural to people who are brought face to face with objects of which they had no previous idea. Some of the chiefs, in joining silence, made short harangues, and Cook began the usual distribution of iron mongery and hardware. His officers mixed with the crowd to make observations. Many of the natives appeared afflicted with a kind of leprosy, and their arms and legs were greatly swollen. They were all but naked, wearing merely a cord tightened to the figure, from which hung scraps of stuff made from the fig tree. A few wore enormous cylindrical hats, open on two sides, like the hats of the Hungarian hussars. They hung tortoiseshell earrings, or rolls of leaves of the sugarcane in their ears, which were pulled out and split. The English soon perceived a little village above the mangroves which bordered the shore. It was surrounded by sugarcane plantations, yams and banana trees, and watered by little canals cleverly diverted from the large river. Cook soon discovered that he need expect nothing of this race but permission to survey the country. These natives, he says, taught us a few words of their language which bore no resemblance to that of any other tribe. They were mild and peaceable in character, but extremely lazy. If we addressed them, they replied, but if we continued our way seldom joined us in our excursions. If we passed their cabins without remark, they took no notice of us. The women were slightly more curious and hid themselves in the bushes to look after us, but they would only approach in the company of the men. They appeared neither vexed nor alarmed when we shot birds. Indeed, if we were near their huts, the young people would point them out to us, for the pleasure of seeing us fire. They appeared to have very little to do at this time of year. Having tilled the ground and sown roots and bananas, they awaited their crops next summer. Perhaps in this fact lay the explanation of their having no provisions to offer in traffic, for in other respects we found them fully alive to the hospitable instinct which more particularly commends the islanders of the South Seas to navigators. Cook's assertion of the indolence of the New Caledonians is perfectly true, but his stay amongst them was too short to enable him to appreciate their character thoroughly, and he certainly never suspected that they indulged in the horrible practice of cannibalism. He noticed no birds living in a wild state there, excepting quails, turtledoves, pigeons, turkeys, ducks, teal and a few smaller ones. He could not ascertain the presence of any quadrupeds, and he entirely failed in his endeavors to procure provision. At Balade, the captain made several excursions into the interior, and climbed the mountains to gain a general view over the country. From the summit of Iraq he clearly saw the two coasts, and ascertained that New Caledonia in this part was only ten leagues in width. In its general features the country resembled various portions of New Holland, which is in the same latitude. The productions of both appear to be the same, and there is an absence of brushwood in the forests of both. Cook also observed the presence of minerals on the hills, and his discovery has been verified in late years by the proved existence of gold, iron, copper, coal and nickel. A few of the crew met with a similar adventure here, to that which had almost been fatal to them in the neighborhood of Mali Kolo.