We haftened afliore after breakfaft, to refume our enquiries.
We foon left the beach, where the natives were
again affembled in great numbers of both fexes. A mod
beautiful bind of lily (crinum ajiaticum) was the firft plant
which we met with; and feveral others, not lefs valuable,
were collected foon after. We came to the watering-place,
which was a pond about a hundred or a hundred and fifty
yards long, and fifty broad ; it contained ftagnant water,
which was fomewhat tainted with a brackilh tafte, and
might perhaps have fubterraneous communications with the
fait lagoon, which in one place adjoined to it. Lieutenant
Clerke, who fuperintended the waters, told us that his
mulket had been nimbly fnatched away by one of the natives,
who inftantly ran off with it. We advanced to the
fait lagoon, and botanized among the fpacious mangroves
which furrounded it. Thefe trees occupy a vaft
fpace of ground, and grow more and more intricate by age.
Their feeds do not drop off, but Ihoot down from the top
of the tree, till they reach the ground, where they take
root, and fpread new branches. Whilft we were here we
heard three great guns fired; but the found being broken
by many intervening objects, we fufpedted that they were '
only mufkets overcharged as ufual, by fome young gentlemen
on a fhooting party. We left the lake foon after, and
paffed through a plantation, where the natives bowed to us
very kindly, and invited us to fit down amongft them.
We
We were defirous of making the moll of our time, and
therefore foon left them, and returned to the frefh-water
pond. Having fired a mulket at fome wild-ducks, which
were in great plenty, we were called to by Mr. Gilbert; the
mailer, who told us that a volley o f fmall arms, and three cannon
had been fired to alarm and bring us back, becaufe a fray
had happened between the natives and our people. We joined
him in a few minutes, and found with him the captain, and
a file of marines, together with two natives, who fat on their
hams, and from time to time pronounced the word woa,.
which fignifies “ friend.” We fuppofed that the theft of
Mr. Gierke’s mulket had given occafion to this difturbance;
but this was too trifling a circumftance to be refented. The
cooper, in mending the water-calk, was not fulficiently attentive
to his adze, and one of the natives had fnatched it
up, and conveyed it away. The captain, in order to recover
this valuable inftrument, of which however there were no
lefs than a dozen in the Ihip, ordered his people to feize feveral
large double canoes, which had probably arrived from
different adjacent iflands. They performed his command,
and Mr. Clerke’s gun was brought back by the aftonilhed
natives. But this was not fuflicient, and another canoe
was feized. A native, who flood upon it, defended his property,
which he had forfeited by no offence, and took up a
fpear, which he feemed refolved to employ with good effetfl.
Captain Cook levelled his mulket at him, and bid him lay
down