'779- b e in g joined b y the crew o f the pinnace, w h ich was w a itin g
Febriiary. _
» —L—■ .■ fo r Captain Cook, a fcuffle enfued, in w h ich Pareea was
kn o ck ed down, by a Violent blow on the' head, w ith an oar.
T h e natives, w ho were co llefted about the fpot, and had h itherto
been peaceable fpedfators, immediately attacked our
people w ith fuch a ihower o f ftbnes, as forced them to retreat,
w ith great precipitation, and fwirn ofF to a rock, at
fome diftance from the ihore. T h e pinnace was immedia
te ly ranfacked b y the iflan d er s ; and, but fo r the tim ely in-
terpofition o f Pareea, w h o feemed to have recovered from
the blow, and forgot it at the fame inftant, wou ld foon have
been entirely demolifhed. Ha y ing driven aw a y the crowd,
he made figns to our people, that they m igh t come and take
pofleifion. o f the pinnace, and that he wou ld endeavour to
g e t b a ck the things w h ich had been taken out o f it. After
their departure, he follow ed them in his canoe, w ith a mid-
ihipman’s cap, and fome other trifling articles o f the plunder,
and, with, much apparent concern at w hat had hap_
pened, aiked, i f the Orono wou ld k i l l him, and whether he
wou ld permit him to come on board the next day i On bein
g allured, that he ihould be w e ll received, he joined nofes
(as their cuftom is) w ith the officers, in token o f friendihip,
and paddled over to the v illa g e o f Kowrowa.
When Captain Cook was informed o f w h a t had pafled, he
exprefled much uneafinefs at it, and as w e were returning
on board, ‘ ‘ Tam a fraid,” faid he, “ that thefe people w i ll
oblige me to uife fome violent m e a fu r e s ; for, he added,
“ they mull not be left to imagine, that they have gained an
advantage over u s .” However, as it was too late to take
"any fteps this evening, he contented h im fe lf w ith g iv in g
orders, that every man and woman on board ihould be
immediately turned out o f the Ihip. As foon as this order
was
was executed, I returned on ihore ; and our forme r confidence
in the natives b e in g now m u ch abated, b y the events o f the
day, I polled a double gu ard on the A/ir/n, with orders to
call me, i f they faw any men lu rk in g about the beach. At
about eleven o’clock, five iflanders wére obferved creeping
round the bottom o f the Morai ; th e y feemed ve ry cautious
in approaching us, and, at laft, finding themfelves difco-
vered, retired out o f fight. A bout midnight, one o f them
v en tu rin g up clofe to the obfervatory, the fentinel fired over
him ; on w hich the men fled, and we pafled the remainder
o f the n igh t w ithou t farther diflurbance.
Next morning, at day-light, I wen t on board the Refolu-
tion for the time-keeper, and, in m y w a y , was hailed b y
the Difcovery, and informed, that their cutter had been
flolen, d uring the n ight, from the bu o y where it was
moored.
When I arrived on board, I found the marines a rm in g ,
and.Captain Cook loading his double-barrelled gu n. W h ilft
I was relating to him what had happened to us in the n ight,
he interrupted me, w ith fome eagernefs, and acquainted me
w ith the lofs o f the Difcovery’s cutter, and with the prepa-
T T 1 W3S m a km g fo r its recovery. It had been his
Ufual practice, whenever any thin g o f confequence was loft,
at any o f the iflands m this ocean, to get the k in g , or fome
o f the principal Erees, on board, and to keep them as hoft-
ages, till it was reftored. T h is method, w hich had been
a ways attended w ith fuccefs, he meant to purfo e on thé
prefent occafion ; and, at the fame time, had given orders
w i l ° Pan Can° eS that attemP£ t0 leave the bay,
w ith an intention o f fe iz in g and deftroying them i f £
couM not recover the cutter b y peaceable me^ns. A c i d !
G ingly,
1779-
February*
Sunday *4.