« far exceeded thofe which- accompanied the King before,—
.« When, we got to A r t in g a l l no canoes were feen, though
'« the ufual previous - notice had been fent o f our coming t©
« attack them .— The'' P el few people being unable to provoke
a th f appearance o f the enemy, landed, and went a little.way.
.« Up from the fea-feqre^RAA Kook, now took the command,
« and. conducted the troops ; tlie King remaining, in his
^‘ . canoe, and occafionally difpatching the frigate canoes with
•« orders to him and A rea K ooker.— W e were entreated^
•fi;not to land; we however, perceiving that the enemy
« were beginning to defend themfe.lves, jumped pn.fhore to
m affift our friends, and befieged fome houfes poffeffed by
M the enemy .— T he fwivel,Avhrch had been BxSd in a_canoe
** which the natives had prepared for the purpofe, with great
“ ingenuity add judgment, played conftantly on the houfes
« which were filled with people ; our mufquetry covering
•« the Pexew people, foon diflodged the enemy, and one o f
,« the houfes was by fome accident prefently in flames.—We
■it were often greatly annoyed by the enemy, who rufhed
« down on us with a Ihowerof fpears; in return, whenever
a we perceived them coming, a brilk fire was kept up,, which
?S^^^Rdifperfed th em imim^ gte l^ ^ ut ia allwprobabilityJ
m muft have killed a oonfiderahle number o f .them.— A-rra^
m Kooker, who had gone further than any other in purfuit o f
it the enemy^ afe'ending-a hill in fight o f the canoes, and -ob-
u ferving one o f the_ART±MGAtL people coming down, ftept
unnoticed
« unnoticed amongff feme bufhes to let him pafs, and then
tt purfuing him down the'declivity, ftunned him with a blow
« from his wooden fword*, and was dfagging_him. a prifoner
« to his canoe, when Thom as W ilson, feeing feveral of the
a enemy rufhing down on A rra Kookeri; and that he muft
inevitably have been killed,* ran immediately to his af-!
« fiftance, and levelled his piece at the Artingall people,
« which they perceiving, -inftantly- feetopk" themfelyes; to
“ flight; this was a eireumflanOe the more fortunate,- as
a Thomas Wil&ckn had expended “his whole ftock of am-
« munition in and had a&ually at the
« time no charge in his mhlqefet. /
. “ The natives of Arv^ngall behaved with much couragfe
« in this engagement; they defended the 'houfe that took
« fire to the laft, nor quitted it till it wasreadytd Talk—
“ One o f the Pelew people alfo oh--lliis occafidn fllffin-
« guifhed himfelf in a very extraordinary manner; he
•«• ran to the houfe while it was in flames, tore off a burn-
« ing brand, and carrying it to another houfe, where many
« of the enemy had taken fhelter, fet it{on fire, and (the
« materials of their buildings being very combuftible) it
« was quickly burnt down; the man, after accomplilhing
« this bold atchievement, had the good fortune to return to
« his companions unhurt ; the King publicly rewarded him
* The fame fort of weapon was prefented to Captain W ilson at Emtjngs, and is
.figured in plate II. N° i .
% «for
1783.
CTOBER.