Forced return of Cook to Hawaii

Not far from the Hawaiian Islands, his ship “Resolution” was caught in a storm and damaged the mast. To repair the ship, the British were forced to return to the island, they did not even suspect that they were violating a taboo.

“This time they were greeted coolly. The hostility from the local tribes grew and ended with the boats and tools – tongs missing from Cook’s ship. Cook decided to return the loss at all costs, so he went to the island with an armed detachment of 10 people in order to return the stolen by force,” Praslov said.

Captain’s death
At this time, several thousand soldiers gathered on the shore. Then Cook decided to outwit the natives and take the leader of the tribe hostage. He persuaded him to go with him to the ship, but at that time a panic began in the crowd of natives.

“There is a shot. Versions differ – whether it was Cook who shot, or whether it was a shot from the ship. And this provokes the islanders to start a skirmish, in which Cook is hit on the head and a knife is stabbed into him, and he, unfortunately, dies,” – said the culturologist.

Together with Cook, four more sailors were killed, others fled. The bodies of the dead were left to be torn apart by the tribe. But the British decided not to leave the island.

“The captain of the second ship, which circumnavigated the world with James Cook, Charles Clerk wanted to obtain the issuance of Cook’s body, but the islanders opposed this. When the peace negotiations reached an impasse, Clerk decided to act by force: with the help of ship’s cannons, he burned the coastal village and drove the natives into mountains,” the expert shared.

Only after a powerful fire attack did the natives agree to hand over the body of Captain Cook. But when the British saw the remains, they were shocked.

“They were delivered a wicker basket, in which lay human remains – the head and soft flesh, separated from the bone. They, of course, were amazed by what was happening,” said Stella Khalikova-Brundukova.