and cloth being depofited upon the floor, the
woman went out, and in about half an hour re-
turned with the opera glafs, exprefling the fame
joy upon the occafion that had before been ex-
preffed by the Chief. The beads were now re-
turned, with an inflexible refolution not to ac-
cept them; and the cloth was, with the fame
pertinacity, forced upon Dr. Solander, as a
recompence for the injury that had been done
him. He could not avoid accepting the cloth,
but infifted in his turn upon giving a new pre-
fent of beads to the woman.
It will not per-
haps be easy to account for all the steps that
were taken in the recovery of this glafs and
fnuff-box; but this cannot be thought ftrange,
confidering that the scene of action was among
a people whose language, policy, and connec-
tions are even now but imperfectly known;
upon the whole, however, they show an intelli-
gence and influence which would do honour to
any fyftem of government, however regular and
improved. In the evening, about fix o'clock,
we returned to the ship.

CHAP.

CHAP. IX.

A Place fixed upon for an Obfervatory and Fort: an Excurfion into the Woods, and its Confequences. The Fort erected: a Vifit from feveral Chiefs on board and at the Fort, with fome Account of the Mufic of the Natives, and the Manner in which they difpofe of their Dead.

Ο

1769.

April.

N the next morning, Saturday the 15th, feveral of the Chiefs whom we had feen the day before came on board, and brought Saturd. 15. with them, hogs, bread-fruit, and other refreshments, for which we gave them hatchets and linen, and fuch things as feemed to be most acceptable.

As in my excursion to the weftward, I had not found any more convenient harbour than that in which we lay, I determined to go on fhore and fix upon fome spot, commanded by the ship's guns, where I might throw up a small fort for our defence, and prepare for making our aftronomical obfervation.

I therefore took a party of men, and landed without delay, accompanied by Mr. Banks, Dr. Solander,

1769. April.

Solander, and the aftronomer, Mr. Green. We foon fixed upon a part of the fandy beach, on Saturd. 15. the N. E. point of the bay, which was in every respect convenient for our purpose, and not near any habitation of the natives. Having marked out the ground that we intended to occupy, a fmall tent belonging to Mr. Banks was fet up, which had been brought on fhore for that purpose by this time a great number of the people had gathered about us; but, as it appeared, only to look on, there not being a single weapon of any kind among them. I intimated, however, that none of them were to come within the line I had drawn, except one who appeared to be a Chief, and Owhaw. To these two perfons I addreffed myself by signs, and endeavoured to make them understand, that we wanted the ground which we had marked out to fleep upon for a certain number of nights, and that then we should go away. Whether I was understood I cannot certainly determine; but the people behaved with a deference and respect that at once pleased and surprised us: they fat down peaceably without the circle, and looked on, without giving us any interruption, till we had done, which was upwards of two hours. As we had seen no poultry, and but two hogs, in our walk when we were laft on fhore at this place, we fufpected that, upon our arrival, they had been driven farther up the country; and

the

the rather, as Owhaw was very importunate
with us, by signs, not to go into the woods,
which, however, and partly for these reasons,
we were determined to do. Having therefore
appointed the thirteen marines and a petty offi
cer to guard the tent, we fet out, and a great
number of the natives joined our party. As we
were croffing a little river that lay in our way
we faw fome ducks, and Mr. Banks, as foon as
he had got over, fired at them, and happened
to kill three at one shot: this ftruck them with
the utmost terror, fo that most of them fell fud-
denly to the ground, as if they also had been
fhot at the fame discharge: it was not long, how-
ever, before they recovered from their fright,
and we continued our route; but we had not
gone far before we were alarmed by the report
of two pieces, which were fired by the guard at
the tent.
We had then straggled a little dif
tance from each other, but Owhaw immediately
called us together, and by waving his hand, fent
away every Indian who followed us except three,
each of whom, as a pledge of peace on their
part, and an entreaty that there might be peace
on ours, hastily broke a branch from the trees,
and came to us with it in their hands. As we
had too much reason to fear that some mischief
had happened, we hafted back to the tent,
which was not diftant above half a mile, and
when

VOL. II.

Z

1769.

April.

Saturd, 15.

1769.

April.

Saturd. 15.

when we came up, we found it entirely deferted, except by our own people.

It appeared, that one of the Indians who remained about the tent after we left it, had watched his opportunity, and, taking the centry unawares, had snatched away his mufquet. Upon this, the petty officer, a midshipman, who commanded the party, perhaps from a fudden fear of farther violence, perhaps from the natural petulance of power newly acquired, and perhaps from a brutality in his nature, ordered the marines to fire: the men, with as little confideration or humanity as the officer, immediately discharged their pieces among the thickeft of the flying crowd, confifting of more than a hundred; and obferving that the thief did not fall, pursued him, and shot him dead. We afterwards learnt, that none of the others were either killed or wounded.

Owhaw, who had never left us, obferving that we were now totally deferted, got together a few of those who had fled, though not without fome difficulty, and ranged them about us : we endeavoured to justify our people as well as we could, and to convince the Indians that if they did no wrong to us, we should do no wrong to them they went away without any appearance of distruft or refentment; and having ftruck our tent, we returned to the ship, but

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