“ ■ well after thefe people, or they will certainly carry off
gj fomething or other.” I had hardly got into the boat, before
I was told they had Rolen one of the iron flanchions
from the oppofite gang-way, and were making off with it.
I ordered them to fire over the canoe till I could get round
in the boat, but not to kill any one. But the natives made
too much noife for me to be heard; and the unhappy thief
was killed at the third Riot. Two others in the fame canoe
leaped over-board; but got in again jufl as I came to them.
The flanchion they had thrown over-board. One of them,
a man grown, fat bailing the blood and water out of the
canoe, in a kind of hyfieric laugh. The other a youth
about fourteen or fifteen years of age, looked on the deceafed
with a ferious and dejected countenance: we had afterwards
reafon to believe he was his fon.
At this unhappy accident, all the natives retired with precipitation.
I followed them into the bay, and prevailed upon
the people in one canoe to come along-fide the boat, and
receive fome nails, and other things, which I gave them:
This, in fome meafure, allayed their fears. Having taken
a view of the bay, and found that frefh water, which we
mofl wanted, was to be had, I returned on board, and carried
out a kedge anchor with three hawfers upon an end, to
warp the fhip in by, and hove fhort on the bower. One
would have thought that the natives, by this time, would
have been fo fenfible of the effedt of our fire-arms, as not to
have provoked us to fire upon them any more ; but the event
proved otherwife. For the boat had no fooner left the
kedge anchor, than two men in a canoe put off from the
fhore, took hold of the buoy-rope, and attempted to drag it
afhore, little confidering what was fafi to it. Lefl, after dif-
6 covering
covering their miflake, they Ihould take away the buoy, I or- '77^
dered a mufquet to be fired at them. The ball fell fhort, >_—»—
and they took not the lead notice of i t ; but a fecond having Fn 8‘
paRed over them, they let go the buoy, and made for the
fhore. This was the lafi Ihot we had occafion to fire at any
of them, while we lay at this place. It probably had more
effedt than killing the man, by Ihewing them that they were
not fafe at any difiance; at leaft we had reafon to think fo,
for they afterwards flood in great dread' of the mufquet.
Neverthelefs, they would very often be exercifing their talent
of thieving upon us, which I thought proper to put up with,
as our flay was not likely to- be long amongft them. The
trouble thefe people gave us retarded us fo long, that, before
we were ready to heave the anchor, the wind began to in-
creafe, and blew in fqualls out of the bay; fo that we were
obliged to lie fall. It was not long before the natives ventured
off to us again. In the firff canoe which came, was a
man who feemed to be of fome confequence. He advanced
flowly, with a pig on his fhoulder, and fpeaking fomething
which we did not underftand. As foon as he got along-fide,
I made him a prefent of a hatchet, and feveral other articles.
In return, he fent in his pig; and was, at lafi, prevailed upon
to come himfelf up into the gang-way, where he made but a
fhort ftay, before he went away. The reception this man
met with, induced the people in all the other canoes to put
along-fide; and exchanges were prefently re-eftablifhed.
Matters being thus fettled on board, I went on fhore with
a party of men, to fee what was to be done there. We were
received by the natives with great courtefy; and, as if nothing
had happened, trafficked with them for fome fruit and -’
a few fmall pigs ; and, after loading the launch with water,.
returned: