And then in early February, he left. But the ship had trouble and was forced to return to the bay for repairs. During the second visit, he had difficulty with the Hawaiians, who'd previously been pretty hospitable. And there was a fracas in which Captain Cook was killed by at least one Hawaiian. We know this from journals kept by various crewmen, but the historical controversy arises from the details and interpretation of his death. Why, in short, was Cook killed? The traditional view is that Cook was killed for some religious reason, although what isn't always clear.