302 cook's SECOND VOYAGE APRIL, 



trade was opened for fruit and pigs. I believe 

 the reason of the natives flying from our people the 

 day before, was their not seeing me at the head of 

 them; for they certainly would have done the same 

 to-day had I not been present. About noon, a chief 

 of some consequence, attended by a great number of 

 people, came down to the landing-place. I presented 

 him with such articles as I had with me ; and, in 

 return, he gave me some of his ornaments. After 

 these mutual exchanges, a good understanding 

 seemed to be established between us ; so that we got 

 by exchanges as much fruit as loaded two boats, with 

 which we returned on board to dinner; but could 

 not prevail on the chief to accompany us. 



In the afternoon, the watering and trading parties 

 were sent on shore ; though the latter got but little, 

 as most of the natives had retired into the country. 

 A party of us went to the other, or southern cove of 

 the bay, where I procured five pigs, and came to the 

 house, which, we were told, did belong to the man 

 we had killed. He must have been a person of some 

 note, as there were six pigs in and about his house, 

 which, we were told, belonged to his son, who fled 

 on our approach. I wanted much to have seen him, 

 to make him a present, and by other kind treatment 

 to convince him and the others, that it was not from 

 any bad design against the nation, that we had killed 

 his father. It would have been to little purpose, if I 

 had left any thing in the house, as it certainly would 

 have been taken by others ; especially as I could not 

 sufficiently explain to them my meaning. Strict 

 honesty was seldom observed when the property of 

 our things came to be disputed. I saw a striking 

 instance of this in the morning, when I was going 

 ashore. A man in a canoe offered me a small pig for 

 a six-inch spike, and another man being employed 

 to convey it, I gave him the spike, which he kept for 

 himself, and, instead of it, gave to the man who 

 owned the pig a sixpenny nail. Words of course 



