terms. One of them, however, watched an opportunity, and fnatched a hanger
from us; our people refented the affront by firing upon them, and killed three of
them on the fpot j but the reft, to our furprife, did not appear to be intimidated
at the fight of their expiring countrymen, who lay weltering in their blood ; 'nor did
they feem to breathe any revenge upon the occafion j attempting only to wreft the
hanger out, of the man’s hand that had been (hot, and to take the weapons that
belonged to their other two deceafed comrades ; which having effeâed, they quietly
departed. After having taken poffeflion of the country, in form, for the kino-,,
our company embal ked, and went round the bay in fearch of water again, and to
apprehend, if pofiible, forne ôf the natives, to gain farther infprma'ion of them
refpe&ing the iflaiid. They had not gone far before they faw a canoe; gave chace
to it, and, when they came up with it, the crew threw ftones at them, and were
very daring and infole/it. Our people had recoiirfe to their, arms : the Captain,
Dr. Solander, and Mr. Banks, fired at them, and killed and wounded feveral of
them. The natives fought very defperately with their paddles, but were foon
overpowered : their canoe was taken, three of them made prifoners, and brought
on board thé fliip, and the reft were fuffered to efcape. They were, in perfon,
much like the natives of Otaheite, and hid their lips marked with a blue colour,
but no other part of their bodies, in which they differed from the before-mentioned
people. They talked very loud, but were rude in their addrefs, and more
unpoliihed than the Otaheite^ns,. We were much furprifed.to find they fpoke the
Otaheitean language, though in a different dialeit, fpeaking very guttural* having a
kind of bee, which ibme of the people of Yoolee-Etea have in their fpeech. Tooba-ah
utiderftood them very .well, notwithftanding they make frequent ufe of the G and
K,. which the people of Qtaheitedo not. Their canoe was thirty feet long, made
o f planks fewed together, and had a lug-fail made; of matting.
On the nth, in the morning,-the boats went on ihore again, and carried the
three men whom we had taken, drefled up very finely. The men did not feem
willing to land, and when we left them, they cried, and faid that the people on
that fide of the bay would eat them. While a party of our men went to cut wood,
thefe men hid themfelv.es in the buihes, and many .of the natives appeared on the
other fide.ofihe river. We beckoned to them, and, at length, one man, of more
courage than the reft, ventured over to us without arms, with whom we conferred,