by no means fatisfied with the transactions of the day. 1769. April. Upon questioning our people more particu. Saturd. 15. larly, whofe conduct they foon perceived we could not approve, they alleged that the centinel whose mufquet was taken away, was violently affaulted and thrown down, and that a push was afterwards made at him by the man who took the mufquet, before any command was given to fire. It was also fuggested, that Owhaw had fufpicions, at leaft, if not certain knowledge, that fomething would be attempted against our people at the tent, which made him so very earnest in his endeavours to prevent our leaving it; others imputed his importunity to his defire that we should confine ourselves to the beach and it was remarked that neither Owhaw, nor the Chiefs who remained with us after he had fent the reft of the people away, would have inferred the breach of peace from the firing at the tent, if they had had no reason to suspect that some injury had been offered by their countrymen; especially as Mr. Banks had just fired at the ducks: and yet that they did infer a breach of peace from that incident, was manifest from their waving their hands for the people to difperfe, and instantly pulling green branches from the trees. But what were the real circumftances of this unhappy affair, and Z 2 1769. April. Sunday 16. Monday 17. and whether either and which of these conjec. tures were true, can never certainly be known. The next morning but few of the natives were feen upon the beach, and not one of them came off to the ship. This convinced us that our en deavours to quiet their apprehenfions had not been effectual; and we remarked with particular regret, that we were deferted even by Owhaw, who had hitherto been fo conftant in his attachment, and so active in renewing the peace that had been broken. Appearances being thus unfavourable, I warped the ship nearer to the fhore, and moored her in fuch a manner as to command all the N. E. part of the bay, particularly the place which I had marked out for the building a fort. In the evening, however, I went on fhore with only a boat's crew, and some of the gentlemen: the natives gathered about us, but not in the fame number as before; there were I believe between thirty and forty, and they trafficked with us for cocoa-nuts and other fruit, to all appearance as friendly as ever. On the 17th, early in the morning, we had the misfortune to lofe, Mr. Buchan, the perfon whom Mr. Banks had brought out as a painter of landscapes and figures. He was a fober, diligent, and ingenious young man, and greatly regretted by Mr. Banks; who hoped, by his means, to have gratified his friends in England 1769. April. with representations of this country and its inhabitants, which no other perfon on board could delineate with the fame accuracy and elegance. Monday 17. He had always been fubject to epileptic fits, one of which feized him on the mountains of Terra del Fuego, and this diforder being aggravated by a bilious complaint which he contracted on board the fhip, at length put an end to his life. It was at first propofed to bury him on fore, but Mr. Banks thinking that it might perhaps give offence to the natives, with whose customs we were then wholly unacquainted, we committed his body to the fea, with as much decency and folemnity as our circumftances and fituation. would admit. In the forenoon of this day we received a vifit from Tubourai Tamaide and Tootahah, our chiefs, from the Weft: they brought with them, as emblems of peace, not branches of plantain, but two young trees, and would not venture on board till these had been received, having probably been alarmed by the mischief which had been done at the tent. Each of them alfo brought, as propitiatory gifts, some bread-fruit, and a hog ready dreffed: this was a most acceptable prefent, as we perceived that hogs were not always to be got; and in return we gave to each of our noble benefactors a hatchet and a nail. In the evening we went on fhore and fet up a tent, in which Mr. Green and myself spent the night, Z 3 1769. April. Tuesday 18, night, in order to observe an eclipse of the first fatellite of Jupiter; but the weather becoming cloudy, we were disappointed. On the 18th, at day-break, I went on fhore, with as many people as could poffibly be spared from the ship, and began to erect our fort. While fome were employed in throwing up in-trenchments, others were busy in cutting pickets and fafcines, which the natives, who foon gathered round us as they had been used to do, were fo far from hindering, that many of them voluntarily affifted us, bringing the pickets and fascines from the wood where they had been cut, with great alacrity: we had indeed been fo fcrupulous of invading their property, that we purchafed every stake which was used upon this occafion, and cut down no tree till we had first obtained their confent. The foil where we conftructed our fort was fandy, and this made it neceffary to ftrengthen the intrenchments with wood; three fides were to be fortified in this manner; the fourth was bounded by a river, upon the banks of which I proposed to place a proper number of water-cafks. This day we ferved pork to the fhip's company for the first time, and the Indians brought down fo much bread-fruit and cocoa-nuts, that we found it ne, ceffary to fend away part of them unbought, and to acquaint them, by figns, that we should want no more for two days to come. Every thing was 1769. April. was purchased this day with beads: a fingle bead, as big as a pea, being the purchase of five or fix cocoa-nuts, and as many of the bread- Tuesday 18. fruit. Mr. Banks's tent was got up before night within the works, and he flept on shore for the first time. Proper centries were placed round it, but no Indian attempted to approach. it the whole night. The next morning, our friend Tubourai Ta- Wednef. 19. maide made Mr. Banks a vifit, at the tent, and brought with him not only his wife and family, but the roof of a house, and several materials for setting it up, with furniture and implements of various kinds, intending, as we understood him, to take up his refidence in our neighbourhood: this inftance of his confidence and goodwill gave us great pleasure, and we determined to ftrengthen his attachment to us by every means in our power. Soon after his arrival, he took Mr. Banks by the hand, and leading him out of the line, fignified that he should accompany him into the woods. Mr. Banks readily confented, and having walked with him about a quarter of a mile, they arrived at a kind of awning which he had already set up, and which seemed to be his occafional habitation. Here he unfolded a bundle of his country cloth, and taking out two garments, one of red cloth, and the other of very neat matting, he clothed Mr. Banks in them, and without any other ceremony, imme Z 4 |