1767. fatisfaction of both parties; and at fun-fet, all the June. canoes rowed in to the fhore.

Wedn. 24.

At fix o'clock the next morning, we began to warp the ship up the harbour, and foon after, a great number of canoes came under her stern. As I perceived that they had hogs, fowls, and fruit on board, I ordered the gunner, and two midshipmen, to purchafe them for knives, nails, beads, and other trinkets, at the fame time prohibiting the trade to all other perfons on board. By eight o'clock, the number of canoes was greatly increafed, and thofe that came last up were double, of a very large fize, with twelve or fifteen stout men in each. I obferved, with fome concern, that they appeared to be furnished rather for war than trade, having very little on board except round pebble ftones; I therefore fent for Mr. Furneaux, my first Lieutenant being still very still, and ordered him to keep the fourth watch conftantly at their arms, while the rest of the people were warping the fhip. In the mean time more canoes were continually coming off from the fhore, which were freighted very differently from the reft,for they had on board a number of women who were placed in a row, and who, when they came near the fhip, made all the wanton gestures that can be conceived. While these ladies were practising their allurements, the large canoes, which were freighted with ftones, drew together very clofe round the fhip, fome of the men on board finging in a hoarse voice, fome blowing conchs, and fome playing on a flute. After fome time, a man- who fat under a canopy that was fixed on one of the large double canoes, made figns that he wished to come up to the ship's fide; I immediately intimated my confent, and when he came along-fide, he gave one of the men a bunch of red and yellow feathers, making figns that he fhould carry it to me. I received it with expreffions of amity, and immediately got fome trinkets to prefenthim in return, but to my great furprise he had put off to a little distance from the ship, and upon his throwing up the branch of a cocoa-nut tree, there was an univerfal fhout from all the canoes, which at once moved towards the fhip, and a fhower of ftones was poured into her on every fide. As an attack was now begun, in which our arms only could render us fuperior

to

To the multitude that affailed us, especially as great part of the ship's company was in a fick and feeble condition, I ordered the guard to fire; two of the quarter-deck guns, which I had loaded with small shot, were also fired nearly at the fame time, and the Indians appeared to be thrown into fome confufion in a few minutes, however, they renewed the attack, and all our people that were able to come upon deck, having by this time got to their quarters, I ordered them to fire the great guns, and to play fome of them conftantly at a place on fhore, where a great number of canoes were still taking in men, and pushing off towards the fhip with the utmost expedition. When the great guns began to fire, there were not less than three hundred canoes about the ship, having on board at least two thousand men; many thousands were also upon the shore, and more canoes coming from every quarter: the firing, however, foon drove away the canoes that were about the ship, and put a stop to the coming off of others. As foon as I faw fome of them retreating, and the rest quiet, I ordered the firing to ceafe, hoping that they were fufficiently convinced of our fuperiority, not to renew the conteft. In this, however, I was unhappily mistaken a great number of the canoes that had been difperfed, foon drew together again, and lay fome time on their paddles, looking at the ship from the diftance of about a quarter of a mile, and then fuddenly hoifting white streamers, pulled towards the fhip's stern, and began again to throw ftones, with great force and dexterity, by the help of flings, from a confiderable diftance: each of thefe ftones weighed about two pounds, and many of them wounded the people on board, who would have fuffered much more, if an awning had not been spread over the whole deck to keep out the fun, and the hammocks placed in the nettings. At the fame time several canoes, well manned, were making towards the ship's bow, having probably taken notice that no shot had been fired from this part: I therefore ordered fome guns forward to be well pointed and fired at these canoes; at the fame time running out two guns a-baft, and pointing them well at the canoes that were making the attack. Among the canoes that were coming toward the bow, there was one which

appeared

1767.

June.

1767.

June.

Thurf. 25

appeared to have fome Chief on board, as it was by fignals made from her that the others had been called together: it happened that a shot, fired from the guns forward, hit this canoe fo full as to cut it afunder. As foon as this was observed by the reft, they difperfed with fuch hafte, that in half an hour there was not a fingle canoe to be feen; the people alfo who had crowded the shore, immediately fled over the hills with the utmost precipitation.

Having now no reafon to fear any further interruption, we warped the ship up the harbour, and by noon we were not more than half a mile from the upper part of the bay, within lefs than two cables length of a fine river, and about two and a half of the reef. We had here nine fathom water, and close to the shore there were five. We moored the ship, and carried out the stream-anchor, with the two shroud hausers, for a fpring, to keep the ship's broad-fide a-breast of the river; we also got up and mounted the eight guns, which had been put into the hold. As foon as this was done, the boats were employed in founding all round the bay, and in examining the shore where any of the inhabitants appeared, in order to difcover, whether it was probable that they would give us any further disturbance. All the afternoon, and part of the next morning, was spent in this fervice, and about noon, the Mafter returned, with a tolerable furvey of the place, and reported, that there were no canoes in fight; that there was good landing on every part of the beach; that there was nothing in the bay from which danger could be apprehended, except the reef, and some rocks at the upper end, which appeared above water; and that the river, though it emptied itself on the other fide of the point, was fresh water.

Soon after the Mafter had brought me this account, I fent Mr. Furneaux again, with all the boats manned and armed, the marines being alfo put on board, with orders to land oppofite to our ftation, and fecure himfelf, under cover of the boats and the ship, in the clearest ground he could find. About two o'clock the boats landed without any oppofition, and Mr. Furneaux fluck up a staff, upon which he hoifted a pennant, turned a turf, and took poffeffion of the island

The

in his Majefty's name, in honour of whom he called
it KING GEORGE THE THIRD'S ISLAND: he then
went to the river, and tafted the water, which he
found excellent, and mixing fome of it with rum,
every man drank his Majesty's health. While he was
at the river, which was about twelve yards wide, and
fordable, he saw two old men on the oppofite fide of
it, who perceiving that they were difcovered, put
themselves in a fupplicatory pofture, and feemed to be.
in great terror and confufion. Mr. Furneaux made signs
that they should come over the river, and one of them
complied. When he landed, he came forward, creep-
ing upon his hands and knees, but Mr. Furneaux
raised him up, and while he stood trembling, fhewed
him some of the ftones that were thrown at the fhip,
and endeavoured to make him apprehend that if the
natives attempted no mischief against us, we should do
no harm to them. He ordered two of the water casks
to be filled, to fhew the Indian that he wanted water,
and produced fome hatchets, and other things, to in-
timate that he wifhed to trade for provifions.
old man, during this pantomimical converfation, in
fome degree recovered his fpirits; and Mr. Furneaux,
to confirm his profeffions of friendship, gave him a
hatchet, fome nails, beads, and other trifles; after
which he re-embarked on board the boats, and left the
pennant flying. As foon as the boats were put off,
the old man went up to the pennant, and danced
round it a confiderable time: he then retired, but foon
after returned with fome green boughs, which he
threw down, and retired a fecond time: it was not
long however before he appeared again, with about a
dozen of the inhabitants, and putting themfelves in
a fupplicating posture, they all approached the pennant
in a flow pace, but the wind happening to move it,
when they were got clofe to it, they fuddenly retreated.
with the greatest precipitation. After ftanding fome
time at a distance, and gazing at it, they went away,
but in a fhort time came back, with two large hogs
alive, which they laid down at the foot of the staff,
and at length taking courage, they began to dance.
When they had performed this ceremony, they brought
the hogs down to the water fide, launched a canoe,

and

1767. June.

1767. June.

Friday 26.

and put them on board. The old man, who had a large white beard, then embarked with them alone, and brought them to the fhip: when he came along-fide, he made a fet speech, and afterwards handed in feveral green plantain leaves, one by one, uttering a sentence, in a folemn flow tone, with each of them as he delivered it; after this he fent on board the two hogs, and then turning round, pointed to the land, I ordered fome prefents to be given him, but he would accept of nothing; and foon after put off his canoe, and went on fhore.

At night, foon after it was dark, we heard the noise of many drums, with conchs, and other wind inftruments, and faw a multitude of lights all along the coaft. At fix in the morning, feeing none of the natives on shore, and obferving that the pennant was taken away, which probably they had learned to despise, as the frogs in the fable did King Log, I ordered the Lieutenant to take a guard on thore, and if all was well, to fend off, that we might begin watering: in a fhort time I had the fatisfaction to find that he had fent off for water casks, and by eight o'clock, we had four tons of water on board. While our people were employed in filling the casks, feveral of the natives appeared on the oppofite fide of the river, with the old man whom the officer had feen the day before; and foon after he came over, and brought with him a little fruit, and a few fowls, which were also fent off to the ship. At this time, having been very ill for near a fortnight, I was fo weak that I could fcarcely crawl about; however, I employed my glaffes to see what was doing on fhore. At near half an hour after eight o'clock, I perceived a multitude of the natives coming over a hill at about the distance of a mile, and at the fame time a great number of canoes making round the western point, and keeping close along the fhore. I then looked at the watering-place, and faw at the back of it, where it was clear, a very numerous party of the natives creeping along behind the bushes; I faw alfo many thoufands in the woods, pushing along towards the watering-place, and canoes coming very faft round the other point of the bay to the eastward, Being alarmed at thefe appearances, I difpatched a

boat,