aS x. with fpears and clubs in their hands, which had a very
unfriendly appearance, and rather feemed to threaten that
we had no farther refrefhments to expedt,' We cannot but
lament, that the time in which this man was killed, by a
perfon who was ignorant of the nature of his offence, did
not admit of any previous confideration. The firft difco-
verers and conquerors of America have often, and very de-
fervedly, been ftigmatifed with cruelty, becaufe they treated
the wretched nations of that continent, not as their brethren,
but as irrational beafts, whom it was lawful to fhoot-
for diverfion ; and yet, in our enlightened age, prejudice
and rafhnefs have often proved fatal to the inhabitants of
the South Sea. Mahine burft into tears, when he faw
one man killing another on fo trifling an occa-fion. Let
his feelings put thofe civilized Europeans to the blufh,
who have humanity fo often on their lips, and fo feldom.
in their hearts !
Captain Cook, knowing tire weak condition of his crew,
was unwilling to relinquifh the hope of procuring refrefhments
at this ifland ; and therefore, after direfting the fhip
to be removed deeper into the harbour, feledled a party of
marines and failors, and landed under the vaulted rocks to
the northward, accompanied by Dr. Sparrman, ■ Mahine, my
father, and myfelf. A great troop o f the natives, confifting
of more than a hundred men, received us on thefe rocks
with fpears and clubs in their hands, of which they did not
attempt
i 3
attempt to make any ufe. We approached them with de-
monflrations of friendfhip, which they returned; and our
firft requeft- was that they fhould fit down, to which they
inftantly agreed. We then endeavoured to fhew the beft
fide of what had happened, and acquainted them that we
had only fhot at one of their countrymen, becaufe he had
made free with our property; that we were defirous of living
as friends with them ; and that we only came to take in
wood, water, and refrefhments, for which we had nails,
hatchets, and other curious- articles to offer in return. The
natives were pacified by our fpecious reafoni-ngs ; they
feemed to think their countryman had deferved his fate,
and conducted us round the beach to a fine brook, where
we eftablifhed our waterers, and began to purchafe fome
fruits, which were at firft brought down very fparingly.
For greater fecurity, the marines were drawn up in a line,
under arms, and our return to the water fecured. But we
had no occafion for thefe precautions; the people with
whom we dealt were too honeft to break a peace to which
they had confented, and of too gentle a difpofition to revenge
the death of a man whom they could not entirely acquit.
In a fhort time our trade went on more brifkly, and!
the natives came down with loads of plantanes, bananas,
and bread-fruit from the, hills, which they fold for a trifling
confideration of iron ware.
Among