

300 cook's SECOND VOYAGE APRIL, 



heard ; and the unhappy thief was killed at the third 

 shot. Two others in the same canoe leaped overboard ; 

 but got in again just as I came to them. The 

 stanchion they had thrown overboard. One of them, 

 a man grown, sat bailing the blood and water out of 

 the canoe, in a kind of hysteric laugh. The other, a 

 youth about fourteen or fifteen years of age, looked 

 on the deceased with a serious and dejected counte- 

 nance : we had afterwards reason to believe he was 

 his son. 



At this unhappy accident, all the natives retired 

 with precipitation. I followed them into the bay, and 

 prevailed upon the people in one canoe to come along- 

 side the boat, and receive some nails, and other things, 

 which I gave them. This, in some measure, allayed 

 their fears. Having taken a view of the bay, and found 

 that fresh water, which we most wanted, was to be had, 

 I returned on board, and carried out a kedge-anchor 

 with three hawsers upon an end, to warp the ship in 

 by, and hove short on the bower. One would have 

 thought, that the natives, by this time, would have 

 been so sensible of the effect of our fire-arms, as not 

 to have provoked us to fire upon them any more ; 

 but the event proved otherwise. For the boat had 

 no sooner left the kedge-anchor, than two men in a 

 canoe put off from the shore, took hold of the buoy- 

 rope, and attempted to drag it ashore, little consider- 

 ing what was fast to it. Lest, after discovering their 

 mistake, they should take away the buoy, I ordered a 

 musket to be fired at them. The ball fell short, and 

 they took not the least notice of it ; but a second 

 having passed over them, they let go the buoy, and 

 made for the shore. This was the last shot we had occa- 

 sion to fire at any of them while we lay at this place. 

 It probably had more effect than killing the man, by 

 showing them that they were not safe at any distance ; 

 at least we had reason to think so, for they afterwards 

 stood in great dread of the musket. Nevertheless, 

 they would very often be exercising their talent of 



