two four-pounders to be fired at them. Fortunately tliefe
guns, though w e ll aimed, did no m ifchie f, and yet gave
the natives a convincing proof o f their power. One o f the
balls broke a cocoa-nut tree in the middle, under which a
party o f them were f it t in g ; and the other ihivered a rock,
that flood in an e xa ft line w ith them. As I had, ju ft before,
g iv en them the flrongeft affurances o f their fafe ty , I was
exce ed in gly mortified at this adl o f h o ft ility ; and, to prevent
a repetition o f it, immediately difpatched a boat to acquaint
Captain Clerke, that, at prefent, I was on the moft
frien d ly terms w ith the n a tiv e s ; and that, i f occafion fhould
hereafter arife fo r a ltering m y con d u it toward them, I
w o u ld hoift a ja ck , as a fignal fo r him to afford us all the
affiftance in his power.
We expeited the return o f the boat w ith the utmoft impatience
; and after remaining a quarter o f an hour, under
the moft torturing anxiety and fufpence, our fe a r s were at
len g th confirmed, b y the arrival o f Mr. Bligh , w ith orders
to ftrike the tents as q u ick ly as poflible, and to fend the
fails, that were repairing, on board. Juft at the fame moment,
our friend Kaireekeea h a vin g alfo received intelligence
o f the death o f Captain Cook, from a native, who had
arrived from the other fide o f the bay, came to me, w ith
great forrow and deje&ion in his countenance, to inquire,
i f it was true ?
Our fituation was, at this time, extremely critical and im portant.
Not only our own lives, but the event o f the e x pedition,
and the return o f at leaft one o f the ihips, being
involved in the fame common danger. We had the maft o f
the Refolution, and the greateft part o f our fails, on Ihore,
under the prote&ion o f only fix marines: their lofs would
have
have been irreparable ; and though the natives had not as p'779^
y e t fhewn the fmalleft difpofition to moleft us, y e t it was '__ .—
impoffible to anfwer fo r the alteration, w h ich the news o f
the t ran fa ¿lion at Kowrowa m igh t produce. I therefore
thought it prudent to diffethble m y b e lie f o f the death o f
Captain Cook, and to defire Kaireekeea to difcourage the
rep ort; left either the fear o f our refentment, or the fuc-
ce fs fu l example o f their countrymen, m igh t lead them to
feize the favourable opportunity, w h ich at this time offered
itfëlf, o f g iv in g us a fécond blow. At the fame time, I ad-
vifed him to b rin g old Kaoo, and the reft o f the priefts, into
a la rge houfe that was clofe to the Moral ; - partly out o f
regard to their fafety, in cafe it ihould have been found
neceffary to proceed to extremities ; and partly to have h im
near us, in order to- make ufe o f his authority w ith the
people, i f it could be inftrumental in preferving peace.
Ha vin g placed the marines on the top o f the Moral, w hich
formed a ftrong and advantageous poll, and le ft the command
with Mr. Bligh, g iv in g h im the moft pofitive directions
to a<3 entirely on the defenfive, I wen t on board the
Difcovery, in order to reprefent to Captain Clerke the dangerous
fituation o f our affairs. As foon as I quitted the
fpot, the natives began to annoy our people with ftones ;
and I had fcarcely reached the ihip, before I heard the firing
o f the marines. I therefore returned inftantly on ihore, '
where I found things g row in g every moment more alarming.
T h e natiyes were arming, and p utting on their mats *
and their numbers increafed very fail. I could alfo perceive
feveral large bodies m a rch ing toward us, a lon g the c liff
w h ich feparates the v illa g e o f Kakooa from the North fide
o f the bay, where the villa ge o f Kowrowa is fituated.
V o l . III. ?
1 T h e y