1769. overpowered, and the other two were taken up with October, lefs difficulty. I am confcious that the feeling of every reader of humanity will cenfure me, for having fired upon these unhappy people; and it is impoffible that, upon a calm review, I fhould approve it myself. They certainly did not deferve death, for not choofing to confide in my promifes, or not confenting to come on board my boat, even if they had apprehended no danger; but the nature of my fervice required me to obtain a knowledge of their country, which I could no otherwise effect than by forcing my way into it in a hoftile manner, or gaining admiffion through the confidence and goodwill of the people. I had already tried the power of prefents without effect; and I was now prompted, by my defire to avoid further hoftilities, to get fome of them on board, as the only method left of convincing them that we intended them no harm, and had it in our power to contribute to their gratification and convenience. Thus far my intentions certainly were not criminal; and though in the conteft, which I had not the least reason to expect, our victory might have been complete without fo great an expence of life, yet in fuch fituations, when the command to fire has been given, no man can restrain its excefs, or prescribe its effect.

As foon as the poor wretches whom we had taken out of the water were in the boat, they fquatted down, expecting, no doubt, instantly to be put to death: we made hafte to convince them of the contrary, by every method in our power; we furnished them with clothes, and gave them every other teftimony of kindnefs, that could remove their fears and engage their good-will. Those who are acquainted with human nature will not wonder, that the fudden joy of these young favages, at being unexpecly delivered from the fear of death, and kindly treated by thofe whom they fuppofed would have been their inftant executioners, furmounted their concern for their friends they had loft, and was strongly expreffed in their countenances and behaviour. fore we reached the fhip, their fufpicions and fears being wholly removed, they appeared to be not only reconciled to their fituation but in high fpirits; and upon being offered fome bread when they came on

Be

board,

board, they devoured it with a voracious appetite. They answered and afked many questions, with great, appearance of pleasure and curiofity, and when our dinner came, they expreffed an inclination to tafte every thing that they faw; they feemed beit pleafed with the falt pork, though we had other provifions upon the table. At fun-fet they eat another meal with great eagernefs, each devouring a large quantity of bread, and drinking above a quart of water. We then made them beds upon the lockers, and they went to fleep with great feeming content. In the night, however, the tumult of their minds having fubfided, and given way to reflection, they fighed often and loud. Tupia, who was always upon the watch to comfort them, got up, and, by foothing and encouragement, made them not only easy but cheerful; their cheerfulness was encouraged fo that they fung a fong with a degree of tafle that furprised us; the tune was folemn and flow, like those of our Pfalms, containing many notes and femitones. Their countenances were intelligent and expreffive, and the middlemoft, who feened to be about fifteen, had an openness in his afpect, and an ease in his deportment, which were very striking: we found that the two eldest were brothers, and that their names were TAAHOURANGE and KOIKERANGE; the name of the youngest was MARAGOVETE. As we were returning to the ship, after having taken these boys into the boat, we picked up a large piece of pumice- ftone floating upon the water; a fure fign that there either is or has been a volcano in this neighbourhood.

1769.

October.

In the morning, they all feemed to be cheerful, and Tuesday 10, eat another enormous meal; after this we dreffed them, and adorned them with bracelets, anclets, and necklaces, after their own fashion, and the boat being hoifted out, they were told that we were going to fet them a-fhore; this produced a tranfport of joy; but upon perceiving that we made towards our first landing place, near the river, their countenances changed, and they entreated with great earnestnefs that they might not be fet a-fhore at that place, because, they faid, it was inhabited by their enemies, who would kill them and eat them. This was a great difappoint

ment

1769. October.

ment to me, because I hoped the report and appearance of the boys would procure a favourable reception for ourselves. I had already fent an officer on fhore with the marines and a party of men to cut wood, and I was determined to land near the place; not, however, to abandon the boys, if when we got afhore they fhould be unwilling to leave us, but to fend a boat with them in the evening to that part of the bay to which they pointed, and which they called their home. Mr. Banks, Dr. Solander, and Tupia were with me, and upon our landing with the boys, and croffing the river, they seemed at first to be unwilling to leave us ; but at length they suddenly changed their minds, and, though not without a manifeft ftruggle and fome tears, they took their leave. When they were gone, we proceeded along a swamp, with a defign to fhoot some ducks, of which we faw great plenty, and four of the marines attended us, walking a-breaft of us upon a bank that overlooked the country. After we had advanced about a mile, these men called out to us, and told us, that a large body of the Indians was in fight, and advancing at a great rate. Upon receiving this intelligence, we drew together, and refolved to make the best of our way to the boats. We had fcarcely begun to put this into execution when the three Indian boys started fuddenly from fome bushes, where they. had concealed themselves, and again claimed our protection; we readily received them, and repairing to the beach as the clearest place, we walked brifkly towards the boats. The Indians were in two bodies, one ran along the bank, which had been quitted by the marines, the other fetched a compafs by the fwamp, fo that we could not fee them. When they perceived that we had formed into one body they flackened their pace, but still followed us in a gentle walk. That they flackened their pace, was for us, as well as for them, a fortunate circumftance; for when we came to the fide of the river, where we expected to find the boats that were to carry us over to the wooders, we found the pinnace at least a mile from her station, having been fent to pick up a bird, which had been shot by the officer on fhore; and the little boat was obliged to make three trips before we could all get over to the

reft

1769.

reft of the party. As foon as we were drawn up on the other fide, the Indians came down, not in a body October. as we expected, but by two or three at a time, all armed, and in a fhort time their number increased to about two hundred. As we now despaired of making peace with them, feeing that the dread of our fmall arms did not keep them at a distance, and that the fhip was too far off to reach the place with a shot, we refolved to re-embark, left our Ray fhould embroil us in another quarrel, and cost more of the Indians their lives; we therefore advanced towards the pinnace, which was now returning, when one of the boys suddenly cried out, that his uncle was among the people who had marched down to us, and defired us to stay and talk with them. We complied, and a parley immediately commenced between them and Tupia; during which the boys held up every thing we had given them, as tokens of our kindness and liberality, but neither would either of the boys fwim over to them, or any of them to the boys. The body of the man, who had been killed the day before, ftill lay exposed upon the beach; the boys feeing it lie very near us, went up to it, and covered it with fome of the clothes that we had given them; and foon after a single man, unarmed, who proved to be the uncle of Maragovete, the youngest of the boys, fwam over to us, bringing in his hand a green branch, which we fuppofed, as well here as at Otaheite, to be an emblem of peace. We received his, branch by the hands of Tupia, to whom he gave it, and made him many prefents; we alfo invited him to go on board the fhip, but he declined it; we therefore left him, and expected that his ne phew and the two other young Indians would have stayed with him, but, to our great fur prize, they chose rather to go with us. As foon as we had retired, he went and gathered another green branch, and with this in his hand he approached the dead body which the youth had covered with part of his clothes, walking fideways, with many ceremonies, and then throwing it towards him; when this was done, he returned to his companions, who had fat down upon the fand to obferve the iffue of his negociation. They immediately gathered round him, and continued in a body

October

1769. above an hour, without feeming to take any farther notice of us. We were more curious than they, and obferving them with our glaffes from on board the fhip, we faw fome of them crofs the river upon a kind of raft, or catamarine, and four of them carry off the dead body which had been covered by the boy, and over which his uncle had performed the ceremony of the branch, upon a kind of bier, between four men; the other body was still suffered to remain where it had been first left.

After dinner, I directed Tupia to ask the boys, if they had now any objection to going afhore where we had left their uncle, the body having been carried off which we understood was a ratification of peace? They faid they had not: and the boat being ordered, they went into it with great alacrity. When the boat, in which I had fent two midshipmen, came to land, they went willingly afhore; but foon after the put off they returned to the rocks, and, wading into the water, earneftly entreated to be taken on board again; but the people in the boat, having pofitive orders to leave them, could not comply. We were very attentive to what happened on fhore, and keeping a conftant watch with our glaffes, we faw a man pass the river upon another raft, and fetch them to a place where forty or fifty of the natives were assembled, who clofed round them, and continued in the fame place till fun-fet: upon looking again, when we faw them in motion, we could plainly distinguish our three prifoners, who feparated themselves from the reft, came down to the beach, having waved their hands three times towards the fhip, ran nimbly back and joined their companions, who walked leisurely away towards that part which the boys had pointed to as their dwelling-place; we had therefore the greatest reafon to believe that no mifchief wouldhappen to them, especially as we perceived that they went off in the clothes we had given them.

After it was dark, loud voices were heard on shore in the bottom of the bay, as ufual, of which we could never learn the meaning.

CHAP.