■779- them with our vengeance in cafe o f a r e fu fa l; but, by no
Febru y ^ means> ¿0 g re unlcfs attacked ; and not to land- on any account
whatever. Thefe orders were delivered to me before
the whole party, and in the moft pofidve manner.
I le ft the iliips about fou r o’clock in the afternoon ; and,
as we approached the ihore, I perceived every, indication o f
a hoftile reception. T h e 'w h o le crowd o f natives was in
motion ; the women and children retiring"; the men putting
on their war mats, and armin g themfelves w ith -long fpears
and daggers.’ We alfo obferved, that, fince the morning,
they had thrown up ftone bread-works along the beach,
where Captain Cook had la n d e d ; probably in expe&ation
o f an attack at that p la c e ; and, as foon as we were with in
reach, they began to throw ftones at us w ith flings, buc
w ith ou t doing any mifchie f. Concluding, therefore, that all
attempts to b rin g them ¿o a parley wou ld be in vain, unleft
I firft gave them fome ground for m u tu a l confidence ; I ordered
the armed boats to flop, and wen t on, in the fmall
’ boat, alone, w ith a white flag in m y hand, w hich, by a
general cry o f jo y from the natives, I had the fatisfadion to
find was inftantly underftood. The women immediately returned
from the fide o f the hill, whither they had retired;
the men threw o ff their mats ; and all fat down together by
the water-fide, extending their arms, and inviting me to
come on ihore.
T h o u gh this behaviour was very expreflive o f a friend ly
difpofition, yet I could not help entertaining fome fufpicions
o f its fincerity. But when I faw Koah, w ith a boldnefs and
affurance altogether unaccountable, fw im m in g o ff toward
the boat, w ith a white flag in his hand, I thought it ne-
ceffary to return this mark o f confidence, and therefore received
him into the boat, though a rm ed ; a circumftance
which
w hich did not tend to leffen m y fufpicions. I muff confefs, F
I had long harboured an unfavourable opinion o f this man. ----
T h e priefts had always told ps, that he was o f a malicious
difpofition, and no friend o f o u r s ; and the repeated detec-
tions'of his fraud and treachery, had convinced us o f the
truth o f their reprefentations. Add to all this, the fho ckin g
trarifailion o f the morning, in w h ich he was feen a ilin g a
principal part, made me feel the utmoft horror at finding
m y fe lf fo near him ; and as he came u p to me w ith feigned
tears, and embraced me, I was fo diftruftful o f his intentions,
that I could not help tak in g hold o f the point o f the
■pahooah, w h ich he held in his hand, and turnin g it from
me. I told him, that I had come to demand the body o f
Captain C o o k ; and to declare w a r againft them, unlefs it
was inftantly reftored. He affured me- this ihould be done
as foon as poflible ; and that he w ou ld g o h im fe lf for that
p u rp o fe ; and, after b e g g in g o f me a piece o f iron, w ith
much affurance, as i f n oth ing extraordinary had happened,
he leaped into the fea, and fw am afliore, ca llin g out to his
countrymen, that w e were all friends again.
We waited near an hour, with great anxiety for his return
; during w hich time, the reft o f the boats had approached
fo near the ihore, as to enter into converfation
with a party o f the natives, at fome diftance from u s ; by
whom they were plainly giv en to'underftand, that the body
had been cut to pieces, and carried up the coun try; but o f
this circumftance I was not-informed, till our return to the
Jhips.
I began now to exprefs fome impatience at Koah’s d e la y ;
upon which the Chiefs preifed me exceedingly to come on
ih o r e ; a llu rin g me, that i f I would go m y fe lf to Terreeoboo,
2 the