part, and an entreaty that there might be peace on ours, O6^-
haftily broke a branch from the trees, and came to us with
it in their hands. As we had too much reafon to fear that
fome mifehief had happened, we hafted back to the. tent,
which was not diftant above half a mile, and when we came
up, we found it entirely deferted, except by our own people.
It appeared, that one of the Indians who remained about
the tent after we left it, had watched his opportunity, and,
taking the centry unawares, had fnatched away his mufquet.
Upon this, the petty officer, a midlhipman, who commanded
the party, perhaps from a fudden fear of farther violence,,
perhaps from the natural petulance of power newly acquired,
and perhaps from a brutality in his nature, ordered the marines
to fire: the men with as little confideration or humanity
as the officer, immediately difcharged their pieces among
the thickeft of the flying crowd, confifting of more than a
hundred; and obferving that the thief did not fall, purfued
him, and ffiot him dead. We afterwards learnt, that none
of the others were either killed or wounded.
Owhaw, who had never left us, obferving that we were
now totally deferted, got together a few of thofe who had
fled, though not without fome difficulty, and ranged them
about us: we endeavoured to juftify our people as well as
we could, and to convince the Indians that i f they did no
wrong to us, we fhould do no wrong to them: they went'
away without any appearance o f diftruft or refentment; and
having ftruck our tent, we returned to the ffiip, but by no
means fatisfied with the tranfactions of the day.
Upon queltioning our people more particularly, whofe
conduct they foon perceived we could not approve, they al-'
leged that the centinel whofe mufquet was taken away,
was violently aflaulted and thrown down, and that a puffi
Y ol. II. N was