On January 18, 1778, Captain Cook and his crew stumbled upon the island of Kauai. Because of the immensity their ships and their strange appearances, the natives thought he was the reincarnation of their god Lono and treated Cook accordingly with respect and deference. On his second trip back to the islands, conflict arose between the natives and his crew and when a chief was accidentally killed by his crew members, Cook was immediately seized. When a groan escaped from his lips, the natives knew Cook was not a god and immediately killed him. 
     However, Cook's death came too late. His crew had already infested the natives with diseases such as tuberculosis, small pox, measles, gonorrhea, etc... which killed off a significant number of native Hawaiians. Cook's "discovery" of the islands should be considered the beginning of the end for the Hawaiian Nation.