the women, formed, altogether, a horrible
combination: added to all this was the mortification
of seeing all our property carried off
in different directions, without the least possibility
of our preventing it. The tribe of the
Narpooes (who, when the fire began, were at
the other end of the beach) left their operations
in that quarter, and poured down upon
us to share in the general plunder. Never shall
I forget the countenance of the chief, as he
rushed forward at the head of his destroying
crew! He was called “ The Gi a n t a n d he
was well worthy of the name, being the tallest
and largest man I had ever seen : he had an
immense bushy black beard ; and grinned ex-
ultingly when he saw the work of destruction
proceeding with such rapidity, and kept shouting
loudly to his party to excite them to carry
off all they could.
A cask containing seventy gallons of rum
now caught fire and blew up with a terrible
explosion ; and the wind freshening considerably,
huge volumes of smoke and flame burst
out in every direction. Two of our houses
were so completely enveloped, that we had
given up all hopes of saving them. The
third, which was a beautifully carved taboo’d
one, some little distance from the others, and
which we had converted into a store and
magazine, was now the only object of our
solicitude and terror. For, besides the valuable
property of various kinds which were
deposited within it, it contained several barrels
of gunpowder! It was in vain we attempted
to warn the frantic natives to retire from the
vicinity of this danger. At length we persuaded
about a dozen of the most rational to
listen while we explained to them the cause
of our alarm; and they immediately ascended
to the roof, where, with the utmost intrepidity
and coolness, they kept pouring water over
the thatch, thus lessening the probability of
an immediate explosion. About this time we
noticed the re-appearance of King George ;
which circumstance rekindled our hopes. He
was armed with a thick stick, which he laid
heavily on the backs of such of his subjects
as were running away with our property;
thus forcing them to relinquish their prizes,
and to lay them down before his own mansion,