Major Events Timeline

1768:
August 26 - Endeavour departs from Plymouth, England, for around-the-world voyage
November 13 - December 7 - Ran into problems with Portuguese officials in Rio de Janeiro

1769:
April 13 - Endeavour reaches Tahiti; Nick befriends with Tupia and Tarheto
June 3 - Observation of Venus's transit across the Sun at Tahiti
October 6 - Spotted New Zealand

1770:
April 19 - Spotted Australia
June 11 - Endeavour almost sank after running into the Great Barrier Reef 
October 9 - December 26 - Endeavour carried the Bloody Flux disease on board                                                   .                               while docking in Batavia

1771:
January - March - 3/4 of the crew is lost to the Bloody Flux, including Tupia, Tarheto,                       .                                       Mr. Bootie, and other notable characters
March 14 - April 14 - Stopped at Cape Town, Africa, for aid and supplies
July 16 - Endeavour finally reaches England after 3 years of sailing

Stowaway: Major Events in Pictures

British ships docking at the port in Plymouth, England, during the 17th Century

The H.M.S. Endeavour in a lightning storm at seas

The crew of the Endeavour claiming land for His Majesty

Funerals at sea for the victims of the Bloody Flux

Summary Part IV

Part XVI: Great Barrier Reef [August - 1770]

With no wind for sailing, the Endeavour is in a bit of a trouble. With the tides dragging them closer to the shore, and no wind for trying to break away from the tides, the crew struggles to save their ship. But luckily, someone on the ship found an opening in the land. Even though the opening is narrow, the crew quickly turned the ship around. And before you know it, they made it through. After the narrow escape from collision, the crew went on exploring Australia, along with claiming land as they went. Later when the Captain found out that there's no land connecting Australia to New Guinea, the Endeavour sets course for home.

Part XVII:  The East Indies [August - October 1770]

 After sailing for a while, the Endeavour finally comes upon a Dutch island named Savu. During their stay, the Captain requested fresh supplies from the natives. But the natives also came with their own requests: an English sheep and dog (Lord Grey). After their trade, with overwhelming fresh supplies, the crew heads on towards Batavia. 

Part XVIII: Tent of Death [October - December  1770]

 While in Batavia, the crew caught a deadly disease called bloody flux a.k.a. Dysentery. While at port, the crew's member are dying one by one, including notable people such as Surgeon Monkhouse. After they have finally stocked in more supplies, the crew then heads for England, but with the disease on board.

Part XIX: Skeleton Crew [December 1770 - March 1771]

 This part is quite sad. As the Endeavour heads toward Africa, the crew's members are still dying one-by-one. A lot of people die in this chapter, including the cook, a few gentlemen, Mr. Bootie, all of the artists, the doctors, and even Tupia and Tarheto. Mr. Banks is deadly sick but is still alive. Nick also got the disease.

Part XX: Second Wind [March - April 1771]

 The Endeavour finally reaches the Cape of Africa, with only a few on board. At the Cape, the sick are sent ashore to be attended by Dutch doctors who seem to have a cure for the bloody flux. After restocking on fresh supplies and crew members, the Endeavour then sets sail for England. Miraculously, Nick, the Captain, and Mr. Banks recovered from the bloody flux. Tarheto and Tupia is buried here. It's a pity because Nick wanted to show them England.

Part XXI: Home [April - July 1771]

The Endeavour is heading towards England with a company of English ships. Finally, they reached England. Nick, who started as a boy, has now turned become a grown up and experienced boy. He also receives his pay for the voyage. Before leaving and saying his goodbyes, Mr. Banks tells him to come and meet him for another voyage to Iceland. Nick promises to return, and then heads to the Butcher to repay his debt.

Summary Part III

Part XI: Lost Continent [January - March 1770]

The Endeavour is now circumnavigating New Zealand in order to chart the continent and claim the land for His Majesty. Whilst in the progress, the Endeavour trades quite regularly with the natives. They also run into problems, cannibals, killers, crooks, and so on. After finally circumnavigating all of New Zealand, the Endeavour heads West towards the Cape of Good Hope for it's journey home. Mr. Banks and a few others hope that they'll also find a huge lost continent to the West (which is rumored to be the home of cannibals). The continent is marked in an old map as New Holland. Though the crew tried so hard, most of them later assumed that it's just a mystery.

Part XII: Over a Looking - Glass Sea [March - April 1770]

The Endeavour is sailing West with two objectives. The first one is to find New Holland (which is basically Australia). The second one is two get back home. Nothing happens much as they're sailing West, except for Nick getting into a fight with Mr. Bootie (a really harsh fight).

Part XIII: Charting the Coast [April - May 1770] 

After sailing for a few weeks, the Endeavour finally reaches New Holland / Australia. Yep, same old thing happens here: trading with the natives, running into problems with the natives, charting and claiming new territory for England, and so on. 

Part XIV: Pierced Through [May - June 1770]

While exploring the continent, the Endeavour runs into problems at Great Barrier Reef. At first, the crew tried so hard avoiding shoal waters filled with sharp pointy corals waiting to pierce the Endeavour's hull. But by the time they know it, they were surrounded by coral reefs. Obviously, the corals pierced the hull of the Endeavour, causing it to slowly sink. With only three pumps available, saving the ship seems futile. But in the end, and with the help of Tarheto and Tupia, the crew used a technique called fothering to save the ship. It turns out that it did help, plugging the hole and stuff. 

Part XV: The Only Possible Passage [June - August 1770]

After the leak has been dealt with (but still there's a bit water coming in but not much to make the ship sink), the Endeavour continues on exploring the continent. They did the same old routine: going to land to get species for an energetic Mr. Banks, trading with the natives, and charting and claiming new land for King and Country. But during part of their exploration, the crew somehow turned one of the trading negotiations into a burn-everything-you-see fest. It started out by a few natives asking for two of Endeavour's turtles, which the Captain reclined. Instead, they offered bread, which made the natives angry. The natives, who are still angry, went to shore and pretty much set things on fire, such as Mr. Banks' tents, drying field, and the rest of the island. But they did create an extraordinary view for the crew at night, which Nick finds it amusing.

Summary Part II

Part VI: OTahiti [April - July 1769]

The crew of the Endeavour finally reaches King George's Land, which is Tahiti. While staying there, the crew started trading with the natives on the island. Nick also made friends with a native boy, Tarheto. During the time aboard the ship, Nick wrote in Mr. Bootie's journal. He wrote "evil communications corrupt good" and boldly signed his name. But later on he got whipped as a punishment for doing that. Then after a few days of doking, the crew went to the shore to set up a fort on the island for an observation of Venus. After the observation, the Endeavour departed from Tahiti. Tarheto and another boy, Tupia, came with them.

Part VII: Society Islands [July - August 1769] 

The Endeavour journeys to a chain of islands called the Society Islands. After jumping from one island to another, trading with the natives, and claiming all of the islands for His Majesty, the Endeavour then sets sail for Terra Incognita.

Part VIII: Land Ho! [August - October 1769]

The Endeavour is on a search for a continent. Took them like weeks to find it. Everyday was normal to the sailors. Normal routines and stuff. Nick and Tarheto spend their time together on some days. After a a few weeks, Nick was the first one to spot the continent, which is New Zealand. The Captain named the part where he spotted as Young Nick's Head. 

Part IX: A Brave and Warring People [October - November 1769]

After discovering the new continent, the Endeavour continues to sail along its coast as the Captain is mapping them as a new territory. As days passed by, they traded with the natives from the island. Some of the trade negotiations went bad, which resulted in fights. But those fights weren't major at all, and in the end, they found solutions with the help of Tarheto and Tupia. 

Part X: Foul Weather [November 1769 - January 1770]

While exploring the new continent, the Endeavour learned that there are cannibals on this island, which really frightens Nick, Tarheto, and Tupia. During their exploration, the seas turn rough and Endeavour, along with its crew, is really have a hard time surviving the rough seas. Later on, the Captain found out that this continent has already been discovered by a Dutch explorer named Abel Tasman. Also, he had already gave the new continent a name of New Zealand.

Summary Part I

Part I: Stowaway [August - September 1768]

Nicholas Young, an educated 11-year-old, stows away aboard the H.M.S. Endeavour (whose captain is James Cook) with the help of seamen Francis Haite, John Ramsay, and Samual Evans. Nick's temporary hidey-hole is in the pinnace aboard the ship, and his only companions (asides the three seamen) are the pigs, chickens, and goat penned nearby. As he waits for the ship to set sail, more and more people board the ship, including several Gentlemen led by Joseph Banks. Nick also made friends with the Captain's servant boy, John Charlton, who gives Nick bits of morsel whenever he can. 

After being anchored at the port in Plymouth, England, for 19 days, the Endeavour finally sets sail for her around-the-world voyage on the 26th of August, 1768.  Later on during the voyage, Nick realizes that he had just stowed away aboard a very important one. Nothing much happens as they are nearing Spain. All seems calm until the Quartermaster, Mr. Weir, went overboard and drowned in an accident near the Isle of Madeira.

Part II: Crossing the Line [September - October 1768]

After weeks of hiding inside the pinnace, Nick finally gets introduced to Surgeon Monkhouse and his assistant, Mr. Perry, with the help of John Charlton and John Ramsay. Nick will be working for Surgeon Monkhouse before he can join the crew of the Endeavour by becoming A.B. (able-bodied). A few days later, Nick is introduced to the Captain himself, who did not mind bringing along a stowaway. Days past by as the Endeavour is attempting to cross the Atlantic. It's the same routine everyday: the Gentlemen busy with their studies, Nick doing chores around the ship, and so on. But all is not calm for Nick as he is not in good terms with Mr. Bootie, one of the Midshipman. Mr. Bootie randomly picks on Nick while he's doing chores, which Nick doesn't care. Also, Mr. Banks is also gaining interest in Nick.


Part III: Rio [October - December 1768]

The Endeavour finally reaches Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They tried to get into the port, but runs into some trouble with the Portuguese. After a few days of being held at port by Portuguese soldiers, the Endeavour finally sets sail.

Part  IV: South to Cape Horn [December 1768 - January 1769]

 As the Endeavour is somewhere in the South of the Atlantic, Mr. Bank now takes Nick whenever he goes on a little hunting trip. Nick can imitate bird calls, which Mr. Bank sees it as a use. But as usual, daily ship life continues as they are nearing Tierra del Fuego.

Part V: From the Horn to King George's Land [January - April 1769] 

The Endeavour ran into some natives during their voyage. After peaceful trade negotiations, the Endeavour gets back on course. A few days later, they attempted the Cape, which they succeeded in doing it with no lost of life. After they finally pulled it off, they head towards King George's Land.

Stowaway By Karen Hesse

Stowaway

By Karen Hesse

[note] For the next few weeks this blog will be littered with story reports about this book