1767* ftones, drew together very clofe round the fhip, fome of the
■ 1 men on board finging in a hoarfe voice, fome blowing
Wednef. 2+. c o n c j1S) a n ( j fome playing on a flute. After fome time, a
man who fat upon a canopy that was fixed on one o f the
large double canoes, made figns that he wilhed to come up
to the fhip’s fide; I immediately intimated my confent, and
.when he came along-fide, he gave one of the men a bunch
o f red and yellow feathers, making figns that he fliould
carry it to me. I received it with expreffions of amity, and
immediately got fome trinkets to prefent him in return, but
to my great furprife he had put off to a little diftance from
the Ihip, and upon his throwing up the branch o f a cocoa-
nut tree, there was an univerfal flhout from all the canoes,
which at once moved towards the Ihip, and a fhower o f
ftones was poured into her on every fide. As an attack was
,now begun, in which our arms only could render us fupe-
rior to the multitude that affailed us, efpecially as great part
o f the fhip’s company was in a fick and feeble condition, I
.ordered the guard to fire ; two o f the quarter-deck guns,
which I had loaded with fmall fhot, were alfo fired nearly at
the fame time, and the Indians appeared to be thrown into
■ fome confufion: in a few minutes, however, they renewed
■ the attack, and all our people that were able to come upon
deck, having by this time got to their quarters,-1 ordered
them to fire the great guns, and to play fome of them con-
ftantly at a place on fhore, where a great number of canoes
were ftill taking in men, and pufhing off towards the fhip
with the utmoft expedition. When the great guns began to
fire, there were not lefs than three hundred canoes about
the fhip, having on board at leaft two thoufand men ; many
thoufands were alfo upon the fhore, and more caooes.coming
from every quarter: the firing, however, foon drove away
the canoes that were about the fhip, and put a flop to the
coming
coming off of others. As foon as I faw fome of them re- 1767-
treating, and the reft quiet, I ordered the firing to ceafe, - ^“ne' .
hoping that they were fufficiently convinced of our fuperi- Wt'dncr 24*
ority, not to renew the conteft. In this, however, I was
unhappily miftaken: a great number of the canoes that had
been difperfed, foon drew together again, and lay fome
time on their paddles, looking at the fhip from the diftance
o f about a quarter o f a mile, and then fuddenly hoifting
white ftreamers, pulled towards the fhip’s ftern, and began
again to throw ftones, with great force and dexterity, by the
help o f flings, from a confiderable diftance: each of thefe
ftones weighed about two pounds, and. many of them
wounded the people on board, who would have fuffered
much more, i f an awning had not been fpread over the
whole deck to keep out the fun, and the hammocks placed
in the nettings, At the fame time feveral canoes well
manned, were making towards the fhip’s bow, having
probably taken notice that no fhot had been fired from
this part : I therefore ordered fome guns forward, to be
well pointed and fired at thefe canoes 5 at the fame time
running out two guns abaft, and pointing them well at the
canoes that were making the attack. Among the canoes
that were coming toward the bow, there was one which appeared
to have fome Chief on board, as it was by fignals
made from her that the others had been called together: it
happened that a fhot, fired from the guns forward, hit this
canoe fo full as to cut it afunder. As foon as this was ob-
ferved by the reft, they difperfed with fuch hafte that in half
an hour there was not a Angle canoe to be feen ; the people
alfo who had crouded the fhore, immediately fled over the
hills with the utmoft precipitation.
Having now no reafon to fear any further interruption,
we warped the fhip up the harbour, and by noon, we were
Vol. I. G fr not