under no fea rs ; and, w hat was ftill more material, th e
crowd was, b y this means, kept divided, and a confider-
able part o f them fu lly employed in bartering provifions.
It is probable, that their dread of. the effe&s o f our arms,
was the principal caufe o f their backwardnefs in a ttacking
us ; and indeed the confidence w c appeared to place in this
advantage, b y oppofing on ly five marines to their w hole
force, m u ll have raifed in them a ve ry h ig h id e i o f our fu -
peridrity. It was our bufinefs to k e ep u p this opinion as
m u ch as p o f f ib l e a n d in juftice to the w hole party, I m u it
obferve, that no men could poflibly behave better, fo r the
purpofe o f ftrengthpning thefe impreffions. Whatever could
be taken in je ll, they bore w ith the u tmoll temper and patien
ce; and whenever any ferious attempt was made to interrupt
them, they oppofed it w ith bold looks and menaces.
B y this management, w e fucceeded fo far , as to ge t a l l
the calks down to the water fide, w ith ou t an y material
accident.
W h ile w e w ere g e ttin g them into the launch, the natives,,
perceiving the opportunity o f plundering wou ld foon be
over, became eve ry moment more daring and infolent. On
this occafion, I was indebted to the ferjeant o f marines fo r
fu g g e ftin g to me, the advantage that wou ld arife from fendin
g o ff his party firft into the boats ; b y w h ich means, the
mufquets o f the foldiers, w h ich , as I have, already mentioned,
were the obje'dls the illanders had principally in view,
w ou ld be removed out o f their r e a ch ; and in cafe o f an attack,
the marines themfelves m igh t be employed more ef-
f e ilu a lly in our defence, than i f they were on lhore.
We had now got every thin g into the boats, and only Mr;
Anderfon the gunner, a feaman o f the boat’s crew, and
m y fe lf,
m y fe lf, remained pn lhore. As the pinnace la y beyond the ^79-
fu r f, throu gh w h ich w e were obliged to fwim, I told them i _
to make the belt o f the ir w a y to it, and that I ihould fo llow
them.
W ith this order I was furprized to find them both refufe
to c om p ly ; and th e confequence was a contell amongft us,
w h o ihould be the laft on lhore. It feems, that fome. h a fty
words I had ju lt before ufed to the failor, w h ich he thought
refledted on his courage, was the caufe o f this odd fan cy in
h im ; and the o ld gunner, finding a point o f honour ftarted,
thou ght he could not w e ll avoid taking a part in it. In this
ridiculous fituation w e m igh t have remained fome time,,
had not our difpute been foon fettled by the ftories that began
to fly about us, and by the cries o f the people from the
boats, to make hafte, as the natives were fo llow in g us into
the water with clubs and fpears. I reached the fide o f the
pinnace firft, and finding Mr. Anderfon was a t fome diftance
behind, and not yet entirely out o f danger, I palled out to
the ma rines, to fire one mufquet. In the hu rry o f executin
g m y orders, th e y fired tw o ; and w h en I go t into the boat,
I faw the natives ru n n in g awa y , and one man, w ith a
w oman fitting b y him, le ft behind on the beach. T h e man
made feveral attempts to rife, w ithou t b e in g a b le ; and it
was w ith much regret, I perceived h im to be wounded in
the groin. T h e natives foon a fter returned, and furrounded
the wounded man, b ran d iihin g their fpears and daggers at
us, w ith an air o f threatening and defiance ; but before we
reached the ihips, we faw, fome perfons, whom we fuppofed
to be the Chiefs, now arrived, d r ivin g them awa y from the
lhore.
•During our abfence, Captain Clerke had been under the
greateft; anxiety for our fafety. And thefe apprehenfions
w e re