barrelled gun. It had been his ufual practice, whenever any thing of confequence was loft at any of the islands in this ocean, to get the king or fome of the principal earees, on board, and to keep them as hoftages till it was reftored. This method, which had been always attended with fuccefs, he meant to purfue on the prefent occafion.

It was between seven and eight o'clock when we quitted the fhip together; Captain Cook in the pinnace, having Mr. Phillips and nine marines with him, and myself in the fmall boat. The laft orders I received from him were, to quiet the minds of the natives, on our fide of the bay, by affuring them they should not be hurt; to keep my people together, and to be on my guard. We then parted; the captain went toward Kowrowa, where the king refided; and I proceeded to the beach. My first care on going afhore was, to give ftrict orders to the marines to remain within the tent, to load their pieces with ball, and not to quit their arms. Afterward I took a walk to the huts of old Kaoo and the priests, and explained to them, as well as I could, the object of the hoftile preparations, which had exceedingly alarmed them. I found that they had already heard of the cutter's being ftolen, and I affured them, that though Captain Cook was refolved to recover it, and to punifh the authors of the theft, yet that they, and the people of the village on our fide, need not be under the fmalleft apprehenfion of fuffering any evil from us. Kaoo afked me with great earneftness, if Terreeoboo was to be hurt? I affured him he was not; and both he and the rest of VOL. VII. Z

his

his brethren feemed much fatisfied with this af furance.

In the mean time, Captain Cook having called off the launch, which was ftationed at the north point of the bay, and taken it along with him, proceeded to Kowrowa, and landed with the lieutenant and nine marines. He immediately marched to the village, where he was received with the ufual marks of refpe&t; the people proftrating themselves before him, and bringing their accustomed offerings of fmall hogs. Finding that there was no fufpicion of his defign, his next step was to enquire for Terreeoboo, and the two boys, his fons, who had been his conftant guests on board the Refolution. In a fhort time the boys returned along with the natives, who had been fent in fearch of them, and immediately led Captain Cook to the house where the king had flept. They found the old man juft awoke from fleep; and after a fhort converfation about the lofs of the cutter, from which Captain Cook was convinced that he was in no wife privy to it, he invited him to return in the boat, and spend the day on board the Refolution. To this propofal the king readily confented, and immediately got up to accompany him.

Things were in this profperous train; the two boys being already in the pinnace, and the reft of the party, having advanced near the waterfide, when an elderly woman, called Kanee-kabareea, the mother of the boys, and one of the king's favourite wives, came after him, and with many tears and entreaties, befought him not to go on board. At the fame time two chiefs, whọ came along with her, laid hold of him, and inGifting that he should go no farther, forced him

to

to fit down. The natives, who were collecting in prodigious numbers along the fhore, and had probably been alarmed by the firing of the great guns, and the appearances of hoftility in the bay, began to throng round Captain Cook and their king. In this fituation, the lieutenant of marines, obferving that his men were huddled clofe together in the crowd, and thus incapable of ufing their arms, if any occafion fhould require it, proposed to the captain to draw them up along the rocks close to the water's edge; and the crowd readily making way for them to pass, they were drawn up in a line at the diftance of about thirty yards from the place where the king was fitting.

All this time the old king remained on the ground, with the strongest marks of terror and dejection in his countenance; Captain Cook, not willing to abandon the object for which he had come on fhore, continuing to urge him in the most preffing manner to proceed; whilft on the other hand, whenever the king appeared inclined to follow him, the chiefs, who stood round him, interpofed, at first with prayers and entreaties, but afterwards having recourse to force and violence, infifted on his ftaying where he was. Captain Cook therefore finding that the alarm. had spread too generally, and that it was in vain to think any longer of getting him off without bloodthed, at laft gave up the point; obferving to Mr. Phillips, that it would be impoffible to compel him to go on board, without running the risk of killing a great number of the inhabit

ants.

Though the enterprife, which had carried Captain Cook on fhore, had now failed and was abandoned,

Z 2

abandoned, yet his perfon did not appear to have been in the leaft danger, till an accident happened which gave a fatal turn to the affair. The boats, which had been stationed across the bay, having fired at fome canoes that were attempting to get out, unfortunately had killed a chief of the firft rank. The news of his death arrived at the village where Captain Cook was, juft as he had left the king, and was walking flowly toward the shore. The ferment it occafioned was very confpicuous; the women and children were immediately sent off, and the men put on their war-mats, and armed themselves with spears and ftones. One of the natives, having in his hands à stone and a long iron spike, (which they called a pahooa) came up to the captain, flourishing his weapon by way of defiance, and threatening to throw the stone. The captain defired him to defift; but the man perfifting in his infolence, he was at length provoked to fire a load of small fhot. The man having his mat on, which the fhot were not able to penetrate, this had no other effect than to irritate and encourage them. Several ftones were thrown at the marines; and one of the earees attempted to ftab Mr. Phillips with his pahooa, but failed in the the attempt, and received from him a blow with the butend of his mutket. Captain Cook now fired his second barrel, loaded with ball, and killed one of the foremost of the natives. A general attack with ftones immediately followed, which was answered by a difcharge of mutketry from the marines, and the people in the boats. The islanders, contrary to the expectations of every one, stood the

with great firmness; and before the marines me to reload, they broke in upon them with

dreadful