A V O Y A G E T O
1779- a n opportunity o f figh tin g u s ; to w h ich the b low in g o f
•'February. r , , . . ,
v— - -th e co n ch s , We had heard in the morning, was meant as a
cchallenge.
■We learned from thefe men, that feventeen o f their countrymen
were killed in the firft a it ion at Kowrowa, o f whom
dive were C h ie fs ; and that Kaneena and his brother, our
very particular friends, were un fo rtun ate ly o f that number.
Eight, the y faid, were k illed at the obfervatory; three o f
w h om were alfo o f the firft rank.
About eleven o ’clock, our two friends le ft us, and took
the precaution to defire, that our guard-boat m igh t attend
rhem, till they had palled the Difcovery, left they Ihould
a g a in be fired upon, w h ich m igh t alarm their countrymen
o n ihore, and expofe them to the danger o f b e in g difco-
vered. T h is requeft was complied w i th ; and w e had the
fatisfartion to find, that the y got fafe and undifcovered to
land.
D u rin g the remainder o f this n ight, w e heard the fame
lou d h ow lin g and lamentations, as in the preceding one.
Toefflay ,6. Early in the morning, w e received another vifit from Koah.
I muft confefs, I was a little piqued to find, that, n otwith-
ftanding the moft evident marks o f treachery in his cond
u it , and the pofitive teftimony o f our friends the priefts, he
ihould ftill be permitted to carry on the fame farce, and to
m a k e us at leaft appear to be the dupes o f his hypocrify.
Indeed our fituation was become extremely awkward and.
unpromifing -, none o f the purpofes fo r w hich this pacific
courfe o f proceeding had been adopted, h a vin g hitherto
been in the leaft forwarded b y it. No fatisfartory anfwer
whatever had been given to our demands ; w e did not feem
to be at all advanced toward a reconciliation with the
illan de rs;
illanders ; they ftill kept in force on the ihore, as i f deter-
mined to refill any attempts w e migh t make to la n d ; and >— »—
y e t the attempt was become abfolutely neceflary, - as the
completing our fu p p ly o f w ater w o u ld not admit o f any
longer delay.
However it muft be obferved, in juftice to the co n d u it o f
Captain Clerke, that it was v e ry probable, from the grea t
numbers o f the natives, and from the refolution w ith
w h ich they feemed to expert us, an attack could not have
been made without fomie d a n g e r ; and that the lofs o f a
ve ry few men m igh t have been feverely fe lt b y us, d u r in g
the remaining courfe o f our vo yage . Whereas the d e lay in g
the execution o f our threats, thou gh, on th e one hand, it
lefiened their opinion o f our prowefs, had the effert o f
caufing them to difperfe, on the other. For, this day, about
noon, find in g us perfift in our in ar tiv ity, great bodies o f
them, after b lowin g their conchs, arid ufing e ve ry mode o f
defiance, marched olf, over the hills, and never appeared
afterward, T hofe, however, w h o remained, were not the
lefs daring and infolent. One man had the audacity to
come within mufquet-lhot, a-head o f the Ih ip ; and, after
flin g in g feveral ftones at us, he waved Captain Cook’s hat
over his head,, whilft his countrymen on ihore were exultin
g, and encouraging his boldnefs. Our people were all in
a flame at this infult, and comin g in a body on the quarter-,
deck, b egged they m igh t no longer be obliged to put up
with thefe repeated provocations ; and requefted me to obtain
permifllon fo r them, from Captain Cle rk e, to a v a i l .
themfelves o f "the firft fair occalion o f reven gin g the death'
o f their Commander. On m y acquainting him with what
was palling, he ga ve orders for fome great guns to be fired
at the natives on Ih o re ; and promifed the crew, that i f they
- ihould