'J’j - take up the canoe; but as fhe came near the fhore, the
’----— ' people from thence began to pelt her -with ftones. Being in
Wednef. 18. - ■ r 1 r -r 7, ° iome pain for her fafety, as ihe was unarmed, I went my-
felf in another boat to protect her, and ordered a great gun,
loaded with ball, to be fired along the coaft, which made
them all retire from the fhore, and I was fuffered to bring
away two canoes without the leaft fhew of oppofition. In
one of the canoes was a little boy, who was much frightened;
but I foon diflipated his fears, by giving him beads,
and putting him on fhore. A few hours after, we were
all good friends again ; and the canoes were returned to the
firft perfon who came for them.
It was not till the evening of this day that any one inquired
after Tupia, and then but two or three. As foon as
they learnt the caufe of his death, they were quite fatisfied;
indeed, it did not appear to me, that it would have caufed a
moment’s uneafinefs in the breaft of any one, had his death
been occafioned by any other means than by ficknefs. As
little inquiry was made after Aotourou, the man who went
away with M. de Bougainville. But they were continually
afking for Mr. Banks, and feveral others who were with me
in my former voyage.
Thefe people informed us, that Toutaha, the regent of the
greater Peninfula of Otaheite, had been killed in a battle,
which was fought between the two kingdoms about
five months before; and that Otoo was the reigning prince.
Tubourai Tamaide, and feveral more of our principal
friends about Matavai, fell in this battle, as alfo a great
number of common people; but, at prefent, a peace fub-
fifted between the two kingdoms.
On
On the 19th we had gentle breezes eafterly with fome
fmart fhowers of rain. Early in the morning, the boats
were again fent to recover the Adventure’s anchors, but returned
with the fame ill fuccefs as the day before; fo that
we ceafed to look for them any longer, thinking ourfelves
very happy in having come off fo well, conlidering the fitu-
ation we had been in. In an excurfion which Captain Fur-
neaux and I made along the coaft, we met with a chief who
entertained us wifh excellent filh, fruit, &c. In return for
his hofpitality, I made him a prefent of an ax and other
things; and he afterwards accompanied us back to the fliips,
where he made but a fhort ftay.
Nothing worthy of note happened on the 20th, till the Friday za.
dufk of the evening, when one of the natives made off with
a mufquet belonging to the guard on fhore. I was prefent
when this happened, and fent fome of our people after him,
which would have been to little purpofe, had not fome of
the natives, of their own accord, purfued the thief. They
knocked him down, took from him the mufquer, and
brought it to us. Fear, on this occafion, certainly operated
more with them than principle. They, however, deferve to
be applauded for this aft of juftice ; for, if they had not
given their immediate afliftance, it would hardly have been
in my power to have recovered the mufquet, by any gentle
means whatever; and by making ufe of any other, I was.
fure to lofe more than ten times its value.
The sift the wind was at North a* frefh breeze. This 0, j Saturday 231
morning a chief made me a viftt, and prefented me with: a
quantity of fruit; among which were a number of cocoa-
nuts we had drawn the water from, and afterwards thrown
overboard. Thefe he had picked up, and tied in bundles fo
artfully»,
Thurfday 19*