March himbut on being allured o f . protefilion by tomohomoho,- he confent-
ed, and the whole party made:,the heft of their way to!the dhore.'. I
intruded to. Coleman a prefent of red, cloth, and fome other things, as a
pledge of my good .will and friendly difpofition towards Trytooboory ; as
alfo an a x e ,. and other articles, to Toinohomoho, which he requelled to be
die-bearer o f for the fame pu rp o fe .y
Thurfdayai. The next-forenoon, Coleman with Tomohomoho and Tennavei icame
on board., .As no one appeared like a prifpner in the canoe, I inquired
o f Coleman if the murderers were, in cultody ? He laid, he believed they
were, but did not, positively know,’ as the bufinefs- after landing the
preceding evening, had been conducted by the chiefs with thp moll, profound.
fecrecy; that he had feen nothing of the party during the, whole
o f the night, nor till they were about to put off from'the 'beach, when
he jumped into the Hern of the canoe. • .The two chiefs delired I .would
attend them into the cabin; where, after Hunting all the doors, they informed
me, that the man, who. had murdered Mr, Hergeft,; .with two
others who had been equally aflive and guilty,. were.. in theTpre part of
the canoe, and that no time lhould be-loll in feettring them, left any
tiling fhould tranfpire, and they lhould again make,their efcape. ; Orders
were immediately given; for their being admitted into, the Ihip, and they
foon were brought into the cabin.
.. Fhe chiefs now pointed out the principal offender, - whole appearance
correfponded, with the d^fcrjptian given by Tohookoqarto. , One half o f
his body, from his forehead to his feet, was made jet black by ipunfl-u-
ajing; , the other . two men were piarked after the fame manner, but
not with the. fame regularity., Thefe - appearances alone -would not
have been fuffjcient to have identified their perfons, as we had feen
many of Tiieeree's fubjects disfigured after the fame barbarous fafiiion;
which I underftood had been adopted in the late wars, for the purpofe.of
increaling the ferocity of their appearance, and llriking their enemies
with terror.
Tohoobooario was not prefent as a witnefs againll the accufed perfons;
this I very much regretted, but as there was great probability that
Coleman’s evidence would confirm what the chiefs had aliened, he was
called
called in. After fle'dfaftly furveying their perfOnS, ? he pointed1 out the ^79|*.
fame man whom the chiefs had accufed as the murderer of Mr. Hergeft, <
but faid, that he had no -knowledge of the -'other two.
Notwithftanding ' Coleman’s corroborative evidence, I much wilhed
for further proof before I fanfilioned their pmiifhment; and having
heard that Mr. Dobfon, one of themidfhipmen' who - came out in the
Daedalus-, had fpoken of one of the' natives;,- who, when alongfide on
that' occafi'onf had bfeen remarked for' his 'infolence and improper behaviour;
and who, the inllant the boat with Mr. Hergeft put,off from
the Ihips had; paddled haftily to the (bore, where he landed, became
very afilive in the affray; :and was, in the unanimous opinion of the Crew,
fiifpected to have been-' the principal, if not the foie caufe. 'of -the calamity
that followed ;' I having therefore called upon Mr. Dobfon, and
afked'him if he had any recollefilion o f the pr-ifoners ; he without the leaft
hefitatiOn,, pointed out the fame mail’who'flood aeCufed as the perfon
who had aided the part above deferibed, and was ready- to make- oath to
his identity;;?
Thefe proofs, though not politive,- were yet fo-circumllantial as to
leave little'doubt Of this man’s guilt; but, as the evidence of Tohoobooarto-
would be Hill an additional confirmation, I-defired Tennavee would repair
to the Ihore and bring him on board, that the criminals might be
fairly tried, and that-we might have the fullell fatisfaffion sof their guilt
which the"nature o f the cafe would afford. During this interval, I ordered
the iprifoners’ into confinement, Until further teftimonies lhould be produced
to'Criminate or acquit them.
Tomohomoho difliked- much the delay of punifhment, and requefted
that the prifoners might be immediately executed; but I perfifted in the
exercife of my'own feelings and judgment. On queftioning him concerning
a fourth man, who! had been implicated in the murder, he acknowledged,
that there was a fourth who had been-very materially concerned ;
but faid, that all he could lea-rn about him was, that he had been feen in
the neighbourhood fome months1 before ; and as ,he had not lately made
his appearance, it was. by no means certain. whether he was then, on the
iftand, or had gone to:-fome of the others. Under all circumftances,
there: