Trafford Publishing: Sharks That Walk On Land

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Sharks That Walk On Land

by Ron Palmer

199 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-1058; ISBN 1-4120-0688-0; US$20.00, C$24.00, EUR16.50, £11.50

An account of the last days of Captain James Cook.

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about the book about the author sample excerpts or Table of Contents catalogue info

About the Book

This book is in two parts. The first part deals with the events that led to the return to Kealakakua Bay for repairs. The deteriorating relations between the Hawaiians and Cook and his men. Ending with the death of Cook. The second part relates to how Cook's successor negotiates for the return of Cook's remains and return of good relations with the Hawaiians.

About the Author

The author was born in 1933 in Bridlington. A fishing and resort town on the east coast of Yorkshire. At an early age he became interested in a career at sea. In 1948 he was enrolled at the Boulevard High School for for nautical training at Hull. On completing his schooling in 1950 he went to sea as an apprentice deck officer. Retiring in 1985 as a captain of super tankers. He now resides on Pender Island, BC Canada.

Sample Excerpts

PREFACE

There have been many books written about Captain James Cook. Some have been casual in their approach to writing about this great man, which in the eyes of this author shows a disrespect unworthy of Cook. Other works have been thoroughly researched and do justice to his achievements. In this book, Sharks that Walk on Land, I quote from J.C.Beaglehole's magnificently researched The Life of Captain James Cook and his edited journals of Cook's three voyages to the Pacific. It is on these journals which I leaned heavily for the writing of this book. In attempting to understand the Hawaiians' position in these events portrayed, I have used as a reference Abraham Fornander's Ancient History of the Hawaiian People.

Although my book, written in the novel format, deals only with the events immediately prior to Cook's death and the circumstances surrounding the eventual return of his remains for burial, the reader can rest assured that the sequence of events and the circumstances are truthful to eyewitness accounts.

It is remarkable that, being of humble beginnings and facing the society constraints of the 18th century, Cook came to be such a qualified and gifted seaman. One could almost suspect the intervention of a higher being leading him through his life and the circumstances that guided him from a rude, uneducated son of a farm labourer to a well respected and honoured man of his time and his place in history.

The intervention of Mistress Walker, in giving young James the basics of reading and writing at a time in England's history when education was not generally available to the common people, was his springboard into his future life. He received the lessons in return for watering the horses and doing part time work around the farm. His years in the farming community taught the young boy animal husbandry which was to stand him in good stead in later years when his ships became miniature farmyards, bearing gifts from George III, ŒFarmer George', to the people of distant lands. The kindness of his father's employer, Thomas Scottowe, in paying for his schooling at the Postgate school in Great Ayton, projected him further along his pre-ordained path.

Mr. William Sanderson, the haberdasher of Staithes to whom James was employed as shop boy at seventeen, must have realised, too, that the young man's talents were wasted in the restraints of his shop and so moved him on another step on the ladder to fame, to that kind, Quaker ship-owner, John Walker. Then, when James had reached a time in his career with Walker where he was offered a promotion to captain of Walker's colliers, he left and joined the Royal Navy as an able seaman. It was a move that only Cook could explain. With dedication, he moved upwards through the ranks to Master and, at the time of the taking of Fortress Louisburg from the French by the British in 1758, acquired from the military surveyor, Samuel Holland, the science of surveying. Cook's rising star was further helped by the intervention of Captain Hugh Palliser through whose influence he was appointed to survey the coast of Newfoundland. Cook's expertise in chart making and surveying had come to the attention of his masters.

As Palliser's star rose, so did Cook's. No doubt Palliser's influence was instrumental in Cook being appointed to command the Endeavour for the expedition to Tahiti to witness the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun. The first of his Pacific voyages proved Cook's invaluable worth as a scientific navigator. The accurate charting of New Zealand and the east coast of New Holland was the linchpin of his professional life. These surveys secured his value in the eyes of the Admiralty and he was appointed to the Resolution in command of the expedition to the Antarctic to prove or disprove the existence of a temperate land in that part of the world. His third and last voyage was also on the Resolution on an expedition to prove or disprove that a passage across the top of North America existed.

Cook and his expedition arrived at Kealakakua Bay during the season of Makahiki. This was a time, following the harvest, that commenced when the constellation of Pleiades rose above the horizon in October and lasted for a period of four months. During Makahiki all warlike activity ceased, sporting competitions took place between villages, taxes were collected and festive events commenced. In the Hawaiian religion, the god, Lono, presided over the season of the winter solstice. At this time of year, the winter brought clouds, thunder, lightening, and heavy rains, which regenerated the earth, preceding the coming growing season.

One of the images of Lono was a long stick about twelve feet in length with a cross-piece, from which lengths of tapa cloth were hung, much like the sails of Cook's ships. With Cook's coincidental arrival at Lono's sacred harbour of Kealakakua Bay during the Makahiki season, it is small wonder that the Hawaiians thought that Lono had returned to the island as had been foretold in the early religious traditions.

This author speculates as to whether "Lono's" return coinciding with a time when no warlike acts could take place could have been instrumental in Cook's murder, as the overwhelming welcome he received could have only placed him in position of false security. The Hawaiians were a warlike people and it could be argued that had the ships arrived outside of the season of Makahiki, a situation similar to Wallace's arrival at Tahiti, might have arisen. When Tahiti was discovered by Wallace, he and his crew were resisted fiercely. Good relations were only established by the devastating force of the ship's guns subduing the unwelcoming Tahitians.

On leaving Kealakakua Bay, Cook was still regarded as the god, Lono, and had promised to return the following year. But his return, only a week later, for much needed repairs to the foremast, caused great resentment in the Hawaiians. The season of Makahiki had passed and they were no longer restrained by the restrictions of that special time.

During the ten years of exploration in the Pacific, Cook's charting of that vast unknown ocean dispelled the theories that temperate lands existed in the southern part of the world and opened up the primitive people of the Pacific region to European colonisation. Given only the rudimentary principals of navigation that existed at that time, complicated and involved as they were, of fixing a position on the earth's surface, one can only marvel at Cook's professionalism. The fixing of longitude by chronometer was only available for his second voyage. Previous to the invention of the chronometer, longitude could only be determined on land by measuring angles and distances between known stars and the moon. Today, using satellite fixing, it can be established that Cook's calculations were remarkably accurate.

Given the conditions he was to labour under, sailing a virtually unknown ocean knowing only the places he himself had established on the Pacific map, it is small wonder that during his third and last voyage Cook was so bad tempered. Ten years of poor food, cramped living conditions and the stress of uncertainty in his travels would surely have been responsible for his mood swings. Counselling is a modern day invention and was not available in the eighteenth century navy.

I have used as a premise that Cook's temperament towards the end of his life, coupled with his inherent pride, were responsible for his murder at the hands of the Hawaiians. However, this premise does not detract from Cook's greatness and should not be assumed by the reader. The second part of this book relates to the circumstances which occurred after Cook's death and the negotiations by his successor Captain Charles Clerke for the return of his remains for burial.

Ron Palmer
Pender Island, B.C.
May 2003

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CHAPTER ONE
Monday, 8th February 1779

The summer had been unusually hot. The old people were claiming that they had known nothing like it in living memory. For weeks now, the temperatures had been extremely high during the day with precious little relief at night. There hadn't been a cloud in the sky for more than two weeks and the air was so clear and still as to allow the sounds of the farm workers harvesting the corn to be carried for great distances across the fields. Hot it might be but as country folk often do, they could see the advantages as well as the downside in these matters. In this particular case, the harvest could be brought in and stacked. The weather was ideal for that at least. After the harvest, the rain and the cooler weather would be welcome.

Jamie had heard the squeaking of the two-wheeled farm cart long before it turned the corner and came into view. He was sitting on the grass verge watching the heat waves shimmering above the hawthorn hedge bordering the lane, waiting impatiently at the junction of the two lanes for the cart to come up to him.

In his excitement, he had been running, bursting to tell his news to his mother and father but, becoming short of breath and over-heated, had stopped at the junction hoping for a ride into Marton village. He was a well-built boy, healthy and heavy boned for his seven years. Intelligent determination ruled his character. At times, he was blunt in his manner to the point of rudeness, a character trait not unusual in Yorkshire folk. In later life, Jamie would manage at times to suppress it out of consideration for those on whose patronage he depended. Unlettered though this young boy was, the news he had received this afternoon was about to change his life. He was about to embark on a journey through life that was to be unique. For during this period in history advancement in a career in the King's Navy was based on privilege and patronage not usually afforded to the base born.

As the cart came into view, he could see that Bob Major was leading Betsy, his brown mare. A wide brimmed hat shaded his face from the glare of the sun. His trousers were tied beneath the knee in the time honoured tradition of people that worked in the fields at harvest time, a sure way of stopping the field mice from running all the way up one's trouser leg. The smock too, loose and comfortable, was a familiar garment of the country folk.

Jamie could not remember ever seeing Bob without Betsy. In his young mind, the two of them were never apart. Being of an age where visual images are fixed by suggestion, this was not surprising. After all, he only saw them when they were together going about their business.

Jamie stood up as the cart approached and wiped the sweat from his face with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Good morning, Mr.Major."

"Ah! Young Jim. My, but you look frazzled. Been running have you?" He turned his head and spat a stream of tobacco juice into the hedgerow.

"Yes, sir. Can I ride on't cart?" Jamie wiped his face again, while walking alongside of the cart. "Its hot today, ain't it, Mister Major?"

Bob look keenly at James, "Don't you reckon Betsy has enough of a load without a great lump like you as well?"

Jamie's lips tightened and a scowl fixed his brow, "I'm not a great lump," he answered defiantly.

Bob laughed easily, always ready to tease and get a rise from people. "Just pulling your leg, lad." Grinning at his success, Bob Major pulled gently at Betsy's bridle and commanded her to stop. "Whoa, Betsy. Go on, up you go, lad."

As the cart stopped, Jamie put his foot onto a spoke and swung himself up onto the seat. Bob waited for Jamie to be settled. Then clucking to Betsy they moved off, bumping and swaying unevenly along in the ruts of the lane.

"Phew! Its hot today, ain't it?" exclaimed Jamie, "Thank you, Mister Major. Are you going past our house?"

"That I am." For emphasis, another stream of tobacco juice stained the grass. "What're you doing running about in this heat? You could come down with a fever you know." Bob look at Jamie with a keen appraisal.

"I'll be alright, Mr. Major. But thank you."

Bob Major smiled at Jamie. "You're a very polite boy, young Jimmy. Your ma certainly brought you up right. Not like a lot of the young people around here. Nothing but cheek I get from them. Funny that. Respect for one's elders don't cost now't. So, why be cheeky, eh?"

Jamie nodded politely.

They were silent for a while.

"How's your dad, Jim? Getting plenty of work?"

"Yes, thank you. He's helping with the harvest, over at Mister Mewburn's place. He gets most of his work there."

Bob pursed his lips thoughtfully and watched Jamie from the corner of his eye. "It must be difficult for him to get work being a day labourer." A puckish twinkle came into his eye as he said, "And him being a Scotsman as well."

Jamie's eyebrows came together in a scowl and his lips tightened disapprovingly at the inferred slight to his father. This was the response that Bob expected and he laughed, delighted. Dropping back from the horse's head he patted Jamie's knee. "Just pulling your leg, lad." Chewing contentedly and smiling at his success at getting a rise out of Jamie, he ejected yet another stream of brown juice into the dust of the road. The two were silent for a moment, each with their own thoughts.

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