«779-, extravagant jo y , as w hen h e was untied, and told he m igh t
^February., g - . away jn faf ety_ j j e ffiewed us, he did not wan t g ra titude,
as he frequ en tly afterward returned w ith prefents o f
provifion s; and alfo .did us other fervices.
Soon after the v illa g e was deftroyed, w e faw, comin g
down the hill, a man, attended b y fifteen or twenty boys,
h o ld in g pieces o f white cloth, green boughs, plantains, &c.
in their hands. I k n ew not h ow it happened, that this
p ea ce fu l embaffy, as foon as they were with in reach, re ceived
the fire o f a party o f ou r men. T his, however, did
not flop them. T h e y continued their proceffion, and the
officer on d u ty came up, in time, to prevent a fecond dif-
cha rg e. As they approached nearer, it was found to be our.
much-efteemed friend Kaireekeea, w h o had fled on our
firft fetting fire to the villa g e , and had now returned, and
defired to be fent on board the Refolution.
When he arrived, w e found him e xce ed in gly grave and
th o u gh tfu l. We endeavoured to make h im underftand the
neceffity w e were under o f fetting fire to the villa g e , b y
w h ich his houfe, and thofe o f his brethren, were unintentiona
lly co n fum ed ., He expoftulated a. little with us on our
wan t o f friendfhip, and on our ingratitude. And, indeed,
it was not till now, that w e learnt the w hole extent o f the
in ju ry we had done them. He told us, that, re ly in g on the-
promifes I had made them, and on the affurances they had
afterward received from the men, w h o had brought us the
remains o f Captain Cook, the y had not removed their e f fects
back into the country, w ith the reft o f the inhabitants,;
bu t had put every th in g that was valuable o f their own, as
w e ll as what they had collected from us, into a houfe clofe
to the, Morai, where they had the mortification to fee it a ll
fet on fire b y ourfelves..
On coming on board, h e had feen the heads o f his countrymen
ly in g on the deck, at w h ich he was ex ce ed in g ly --->--- — j
ihocked, and defired, w ith great earneftnefs, that they m igh t
be thrown over-board. T h is requeft Captain Clerke inftant-
ly ordered to be complied w i th ..
1 In the evening, the w ate r in g party returned on board,
h a v in g met w ith no farther interruption. W e paffed a .
glo omy n ig h t ; the cries and lamentations w e heard on fhore
b e in g far more' dreadful than ever. Our on ly confolation
was, the hope that w e fhould h a v e .n o occafion, in fu tu r e , .
fo r a repetition, o f fuch feverities.
It is very extraordinary, that,-amidft a ll thefe difturbances,
the women o f the ifland, w ho were on board, never offered <
to leave us, nor difcovered the fmalleft apprehenfions either
for themfelvcs or the ir friends afhore. So. entirely, uncon- ■
cerned did they appear, that fome o f them, w h o w ere on
deck when the town was in flames, feemed to admire the .
fight, and frequen tly cried o u t, that i t w a s maitai, or v e r y -
fine.
T h e next morning, Koah came o ff as u fu a l to the fhips. Thurfdayis.
As there exifted no long er any neceffity fo r k e ep in g terms
w ith h im , I was allowed to have m y own w a y . When he
approached toward the fide o f the fhip, fing ing his fong, and
offering me a hog, and fome plantains, I orderetThim to
ke ep off, cautioning h im never to appear a ga in w ith ou t
Captain Cook’s bones, left his life fhould pay the fo r fe it o f
his frequent breach o f promife. He did not appear much
mortified w ith this- reception, but went immediately on
fhore, and joined a party o f his coun trymen, w ho were
pelting the waterers w ith ftofies. T h e body o f the y o u n g
man, who had been k illed the d a y before, was found
this