g0 a v o y a g e t o
-779. fra y was occafioned b y the latter’s h a v in g g iv en the man a
, fligh t p rick w ith his bayonet, in order to m a k e h im k e ep
w ith ou t the line.
I n ow perceived, that our fituation required great c ircum -
fpe ition and m an a g em en t; and acco rdin gly g a v e the ftriiteft
orders, that no one fliould fire, nor have recourie to any
other a it o f violence, w ith ou t pofitive commands. As foon
as 1 had g iv en thefe directions, I was called to the affiftance
o f the watering party, where I found the natives equ ally in clined
to mifchief. T h e y had demanded from our people a
la rg e hatchet fo r every ca ik o f water ; and this not b e in g
complied with , they wou ld not fuffer the failors to ro ll them
down to the boats.
I had no fooner joined them, than one o f the natives advanced
up to me, .with great infolence, and made the fame
claim. I told him, that, as a friend, I was ve ry w illin g to
prefent him w ith a hatchet, but that I fliould certainly carry
o ff the water, w ithou t p a y in g any thin g fo r i t ;■ and I im-,
mediately 'ordered the pinnace men to proceed in their
bufinefs, and called three marines from th e traders to prated:
them.
T h o u g h this ih ew o f fpirit fucceeded fo fa r as to make
the natives defift from any open attempt to interrupt us, they
ftill continued to behave in the moft teafing and p rovoking
manner. Whilft fome o f them, under pretence o f aflifting
the men in rollin g down the caiks, turned, them out of.
their courfe, and gave them a w ron g direction; others were
Healing the hats from ofF the failors heads, p u llin g them
backward b y their clothes, or tripping u p their h e e ls ; the
whole crowd, all this time, fhoutin g and lau gh in g , w ith a
itrange mixture o f childiihnefs and malice. T h e y afterward found
found means to fteal the copper’s bu ck et, and took awa y jUghis
b a g b y force ; but the objeCts they were moil eage r to u— .—
poflefs themfelves of, w ere the mufquets o f the marines,
w h o were, eve ry inilant, complain ing o f their attempts to
■force them out o f their hands. T h o u g h they continued, for
the moil part, to pay great deference and refpeCt to me, y e t
they did not fuffer me to efcape w ithou t contributing m y
ih a r e to their fiock o f plunder. One o f them came up to
me w ith a fam ilia r air, and w ith grea t management diverted
m y attention, w h ilft another, w ren ch in g the hanger,,
w h ich I he ld carelefly in m y hand, from me, ran o i f w ith
it lik e ligh tn in g .
It was in vain to thin k o f rep e llin g this infolence by force;
gu a rd in g therefore againft its effeCts, in the beft manner w e
were able, w e had n oth ing to do but to fubmit patiently to
it. My apprehenfions were, however, a little alarmed, b y the
information I foon after received from the ferjeant o f m a rines,
who told me, that, tu rnin g fuddenly round, he faw
a man behind me ho ldin g a d a gg er in the pofition o f ftrik-
in g . In this he m igh t poflibly be miftaken ; y e t our fituation
was certainly a larm in g and critical, and the fmalleft
error on our fide m igh t have been fata l to us. As our
people, were feparated into three fmall parties, one at the
la k e , filling c a ik s ; another ro llin g them down to the fh o re ;
and the third, at fome diftance, purchafing provifions; it
had once occurred to me, that it m igh t be proper to colleCt
them all together, and to execute and protecl one duty at a
time. But on fecond thoughts, I ju d g ed it more advifeable
to let them continue as they were. In cafe o f a real attack,
our whole force, however advantageoufly difpofed, could have
made but a poor refiftance. On the other hand, I thought it
o f fome confequence to ih ew the natives, that we were
N 2 under