On this day ...
24 October 1769
Endeavour Voyage Maps
James Cook's Journal Ms 1, National Library of Australia
Transcript of Cook's Journal
Joseph Banks's Journal
Sydney Parkinson's Journal
Description of Poverty Bay
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As they were returning to the watering-place in the evening, they met an old man, who detained them some time by showing them the military exercises of the country with the lance and Patoo-Patoo, which are all the weapons in use. The lance is from ten to fourteen feet long, made of a very hard wood, and sharp at both ends: the Patoo-Patoo has been described already, it is about a foot long, made of Talc or bone, with sharp edges, and used as a battle-axe. A post or stake was set up as his enemy, to which he advanced with a most furious aspect, brandishing his lance, which he grasped with great firmness; when it was supposed to have been pierced by his lance, he ran at it with his Patoo-Patoo, and falling upon the upper end of it, which was to represent his adversary’s head, he laid on with great vehemence, striking many blows, any one of which would probably have split the scull of an ox. From our champion’s falling upon his mock enemy with the Patoo-Patoo, after he was supposed to have been pierced with the lance, our Gentlemen inferred, that in the battles of this country there is no quarter.
This afternoon, we set up the armourer’s forge, to repair the braces of the tiller which had been broken, and went on getting our wood and water, without suffering the least molestation from the natives; who came down with different sorts of fish, which we purchased with cloth, beads, and glass bottles, as usual.
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Voyaging Accounts |  |
© Derived from Vols. II-III of the London 1773 edition: National Library of Australia call no. FERG 7243, page 318, 2004
Published by kind permission of the Library
To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/hv23/317.html