4 2 . - - A V O Y A G E T O
1779-- in g lv , the boats o f both ihips, w e ll manned and armed,
February • ^
_> were flationed acrofs the b a y ; and, before I le ft the fhip,-
fome great guns had been fired at two la rge canoes, that
were attempting to make their efcape.
It w a s 'b e tw e en feven arid e ight o’c lo ck w hen w e quitted
the Ihip together Captain Coo k in the pinnace, h a vin g Mr.
Phillips, and nine marines w ith h im ; and m y fe lf in the
ftriall boat. T h e laft orders I received from him were, to
quiet th e minds o f the natives, on our fide o f the bay, b y
a llu rin g them, the y fliould not be h u r t ; to ke ep m y people
to g e th e r ; and to be on m y guard. We then parted ; the
Captain went toward Kowrowa, where the k in g refided;
and I proceeded to the beach. My firft care, on g o in g
aflxore, was to giv e ftridt orders to the marines to remain
w ith in the tent, to load their pieces w ith ba ll, and not to
quit their arms. A fte rw ard I took a w a lk to the huts o f
old Kaoo, and the prielts, and. explained to them, as w e ll as
I could, the objeCt o f the hoftile preparations, w h ich had
exceedingly alarmed them. I found, that the y had already
heard o f the cutter’s b e in g ftolen, and I allured them, that
th o u gh Captain Cook was refolved to recover it, and to
p un iih the a u th o r s o f the theft, y e t that the y, and the people
o f the village on our fide, need not be under the fmalleft
apprehenfion o f fuffering any evil from us, I defired the
priefts to explain this to the people, and to tell them not to
be alarmed, but to continue peaceable and quiet. Kaoo
alked me, with great earneftnefs, i f Terreeoboo was to be
hurt ? I allured him, h e was not; and both he and the reft o f
his brethren feemed much fatisfied w ith this aflurance.
In the mean time, Captain Cook, h a v in g called o ff the
launch, w h ich was ftationed at the North point o f the bay, and
4 taken
43
taken it a lon g w ith him, proceeded to Kowrowa, and landed «1779 •
w ith the Lieutenant and nine marines. He immediate ly J ebmry
marched into the villa g e , where he was received w ith the
u fu a l marks o f refpecft; the people proftrating themfelves
before him, and b r in g in g the ir-a ccuftomed offerings o f
fmall hogs. Finding that there was no fufpicion o f his design,
his next ftep was, to inquire fo r Terreeoboo, and the
two boys, his fons, w ho had been his conftant guefts on
board the Refolution. In a Ihort time, the boys returned
a lon g with the natives, w ho had been fent *in fearch o f
them, and immediately led Captain Cook to the houfe
where the k in g had ilept. T h e y found the old man ju ft
awo ke from fleep ; and, after a Ihort converfation about the
lofs o f the cutter, from w h ich Captain Cook was convinced
th a t he was tn no w ife p riv y to it, he invited h im to return
in the boat, and fpend the day on board the Refolution. To
this propofal the k in g readily confented, and immediate ly
got up to accompany him.
T h in g s were in this profperous train, the two boys b e in g
already in the pinnace, and the reft o f the party h a vin g advanced
near the water-fide, w hen an e ld erly woman called
Kanee-kabareea, the mother o f the boys, and one o f the
k in g s favourite wives, came a fter him, and w ith many
tears and entreaties, befought him not to g o on board. At
the fame tune, two Chiefs, w ho came a lon g with her, laid
hold o f him, and infilling, that he Ihould g o no farther,
forced him to fit down. T h e natives, w ho were collecting
in prodigious numbers a long the ihore, and had probably
been alarmed by the firin g o f the grea t guns, and the appearances
o f hoftihty in the bay, began to throng round
Captain Cook.and their k in g . In this fituation, the Lieutenant
o f marines, obferving that his men were huddled clofe
® 2 together