1783- a. good look out to prevent furprize.— The alarm our peo-
JJOVEMBERt ' : ~ & ■ ,a_ ;/ J ' | § * ' "
pie felt, was, that being near leaving .the iflands, the natives
Wednefday (who had experienced the great utility the E n g H jh were of to
them) might endeavour to detain them, by attempting to
feize their arms, and poffefs themfelves of their veffel.—It
was in vain that Captain W ilson ftrove to>remove thefe ap-
prelienlions, by recalling to their remembrance the genero-
fity the King and all his people had Ihewnthem^pn every
occafion, fince they , had been thrown upon his territories ?
that his behaviour had been always to them humane, unrefer
ved, and unfufpicious; that, therefore. there, could be no
room now to doubt, the fincerity of a people, who jhad; in all
the time they had been.under their protection, never given-
them any real canfe for miftruft; that it materially behoved
them, in their prefent lituation* not-to let the natives fee they
_ entertained any; thatby doing other wife they might put
ideas into their minds, which, but for their own indifcretion,
might never have occurred. Nor did he fail to fet before
them the little avail, of all the . force of the J L t ig B f h , i f the
natives were refolved upon any fuch enterprise as they 'fuf-
pe£led; he reprefented to them, that their ammunition muft
v be-Toon expended, in cafe of hoftilities ; that the natives
could hinder their embarking, even if their iveflel was
launched ; that it was in their power, without coming to extremities,
to make them fnbmit to any terms, by depriving
them of the fpring of frelh water, Ihould they chufe to
come to the ifland in any number.
All
| All thefe arguments.were ineffectual to fubdue the general 1783.
'T... , > ■* • . . . HOVEMBi
apprehenfion, 'not more than two or tpre.e uniting in, lenti-
ment with the Captain; its was therefore concluded, after a
lopgjj confutation on the •.matter, that eyprypne fhonld be
4tr|6by on his guard.; tbat-}thej^iv«$s vafid; fix-pouhcj^f.
Ihould continue to be kept loaded with grape-jjich the-fpiall
arms ready charged with hall, .and the cartouch-b^^s filled
;wjthJoadec| -cartridges; but that, .every onp; fbqpld carefully >
avoid all appearance ^ . fufpiqiop, uo.lefsi -any?uncommon
number of. canpes Ihould _-ppur into the b^y^or thole who
TWbre ip them appear- armed, with fpeap,.o%ap$>y9ach.with
any hoftile parade-, in .which ^cafe eyeryipptbod fhouldbq
t aken^.dqfend jth^pafelyps ;. and,- as their n iim te w^e inadequate
to refift fuch a multitude as might attack them,
that they muff then ufe their abilitiesMn fingling out,jthe
^Chiefs, and by fuch a meafure throw confulion apd difmayw
among the reft. '
| As the faithful hiftorian of thefe tranfaddions, it is my
duty to record every material.occurrence; though I muff con-
fefs that my hand fhrinks from the paper, whilft, impreffed.
?with horror and pity, I am compelled .to relate, that the lives
-firft intended to be devoted were; tliofe of the humane, liberal
King, the manly and benevolent;,General; the', facetious 1
and inoffenlive Arra Kooker. But, however this refolu-
•tion may Ihock the reader, yet he will candidly afcribe s
this daring conception, not to a want of that^gcaernfity.
I «which -