i?69- had been taken from the marine when the Indian was ffiot;
i_the piftols which Mr. Banks loft with his clothes at Atahou-
Wednef. 14. r o u . a f w o r ( j belonging to one of the petty officers, and the
water calk. About noon, the rake was reftored, and great
felicitation was made for the releafe of the canoes ; but I ftill
Thurfday 15. infilled upon my original condition. The next day came,
and nothing farther was reftored, at which I was much fur-
prifed, for the people were in the utmoft diftrefs for the filh,
which in a ffiort time would be fpoilt; I was, therefore, reduced
to a difagreeable fituation, either of releafing the canoes,
contrary to what I had folemnly and puhlickly declared*
or to detain them, to the great injury of thofe who were innocent,
without anfwering any good purpofe to ourfelvest
as a temporary expedient,, I permitted them to take the filh ;
but ftill detained the canoes. This very licence, however*
was productive of new confufion and injury; for, it not
being eafy at once to diftinguiffi to what particular perfons
the feveral lots of filh, belonged, the canoes were plundered,
under favour of this circumftance, by thofe who had no
right to any part of their cargo. Moll preffing inftances were
ftill made that the canoes might be reftored, and I having
now the greateft reafon to believe, either that the things for
which I detained them weEe not in the illand, or that thofe
who fuffered by their detention had not fufficient influence
over the thieves to prevail upon them to relinquiffi their
booty, determined at length to give them up, not a little
mortified at the bad fuccefs of my projeft.
Another accident alfo about this time was, notwithftand-
ing all our caution, very near embroiling us with the Indians.
I fent the boat on fhore with an officer to get ballaft
for the ffiip, and not immediately finding Hones convenient
for the purpofe, he began to pull down fome part of an in-
clofure where they depofited the bones of their dead; this
6 the
the Indians violently oppofed, and a meflenger came down y^9-
to the tents to acquaint the officers that they would not
fuffer it. Mr. Banks immediately repaired to the place,
and an amicable end was foon put* to the difpute, by fending
the boat’s crew to the river, where Hones enough were to be.
gathered without a poffibility of giving offence. It is very
remarkable, that thefe Indians appeared to be much more,
jealous of what was done to the dead than the living. This
was the only meafure in which they ventured to oppofe us,,
and the only infult that was offered to any individual among,
us Was upon a fimilar occafion. Mr. Monkhoufe happening,
one day to pull a flower from a tree which grew in one of
their fepulchral inclofures,, an Indian, whofe jealoufy had
probably been upon, the watch, came fuddenly behind him,
and ftruck him: Mr. Monkhoufe. laid hold of him,, but he
was inftantly refcued by two more, who took hold of Mr..
Monkhoufe’s hair, and forced him to quit his hold of their,
companion, , and then ran. away without offering him any
farther violence.
In the evening o f the 19th, while the canoes were ftill de-~ Mondiy w .
tained, we received a vifit from Oberea, which furprifed us
not a little, as ffie brought with.her none of the things that
had been ftolen, and knew that ffie was-fufpedted of having
fbme of them in her cuftody. She faid indeed, that her favourite
Obadee, whom ffie had beaten and difmifled, had
taken them away ;, but ffie feemed confcious, that ffie had
no right to be believed: 'ffie difcovered the ftrongeft figns of
fear* yet ffie furmounted.it with aftoniffiing refolution; and
was very preffing to fleep with .her attendants in .Mr. Banks’s,
tent. In this, however, ffie was not gratified; the affair of.
the jacket was too recent, and the tent was befides filled
with other people. No body elfe feemed willing to entertain
hex,.