1769. April. Friday 14. refolution not to accept 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 present of beads to the woman. It will not perhaps be easy to account for all the fteps that were taken in the recovery of this glass and fnuff-box; but this cannot be thought ftrange, confidering that the scene of action was among a people whofe language, policy and connections are even now but imperfectly known; upon the whole, however, they fhow an intelligence 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. СНАР 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 Music of the Natives, and the Manner in which they difpofe of their Dead. N the next morning, Saturday the 15th, feveral of the Chiefs whom we had feen the day before came on board, and brought with them, hogs, bread-fruit, and other refreshments, for which we gave them hatchets and linen, and fuch things as seemed 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 fhip's guns, where I might throw up a small fort for our defence, and prepare for making our aftronomical ob fervation. I therefore took a party of men, and landed without delay, accompanied by Mr. Banks, Dr. Solander, and the aftrono-mer, Mr. Green. We foon fixed upon a part of the fandy beach, on 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 small 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 1769. April. Saturday 15. not. 1769. April. not being a single weapon of any kind among them. I intimated, however, that none of them were to come within Saturday 15 the line I had drawn, except one who appeared to be a chicf, and Owhaw. To these two perfons I addreffed myself by figns, 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 feen 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 rather, as Owhaw was very importunate with us, by figns, 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 officer 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 fhot: this ftruck them with the utmost terror, so that most of them fell fuddenly to the ground, as if they also had been fhot at the fame difcharge: it was not long, however, before they recovered from their fright, and we continued our rout; 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 fraggled a little distance from each other, but Owhaw immediately called us together, and by waving his hand, fent away every Indian who followed us except three, cach of whom, as a pledge of peace on their 7 part, part, and an entreaty that there might be peace on ours, haftily 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 we came up, we found it entirely deserted, 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 fnatched away his musquet. 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 thickest 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 thofe 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 distrust or resentment; and having ftruck our tent, we returned to the ship, but by no means fatisfied with the transactions of the day. Upon questioning our people more particularly, whose conduct they foon perceived we could not approve, they alleged that the centinel whofe mufquet was taken away, was violently affaulted and thrown down, and that a push VOL. II. N was 1769. April. Saturday 15. 1769. April. Saturday 15. Sunday 16. was afterwards made at him by the man who took the muf- The next morning but few of the natives were seen upon the beach, and not one of them came off to the fhip. This convinced us that our endeavours 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 so constant 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 fome of the gentlemen: the natives gathered about us, but |