206 cook's VOYAGE TO FEB. 



with, at different times, and who, I think, could have 

 no interest in deceiving us. The second manner of 

 relating the transaction, rests upon the authority of 

 the young New Zealander, who chose to abandon his 

 country and go away with us, and who, consequently, 

 could have no possible view in disguising the truth. 

 All agreeing that the quarrel- happened when the 

 boat's crew were sitting at their meal, it is highly 

 probable that both the accounts are true, as they 

 perfectly coincide. For we may very naturally sup- 

 pose, that while some of the natives were stealing 

 from the man who had been left in the boat, others 

 of them might take the same liberties with the pro- 

 perty of our people who were on shore. 



Be this as it will, all agree, that the quarrel first 

 took its rise from some thefts, in the commission of 

 which the natives were detected. All agree, also, 

 that there was no premeditated plan of bloodshed, 

 and that, if these thefts had not been, unfortunately, 

 too hastily resented, no mischief would have hap- 

 pened. For Kahoora's greatest enemies, those who 

 solicited his destruction most earnestly, at the same 

 time confessed that he had no intention to quarrel, 

 much less to kill, till the fray had actually com- 

 menced. It also appears that the unhappy victims 

 were under no sort of apprehension of their fate ; 

 otherwise they never would have ventured to sit down 

 to a repast at so considerable a distance from their 

 boat, amongst people who were the next moment to 

 be their murderers. What became of the boat I 

 never could learn. Som^said she was pulled to pieces 

 and burnt ; others told us that she was carried, they 

 knew not whither, by a party of strangers. 



We stayed here till the evening, when, having 

 loaded the rest of the boats with grass, celery, scurvy- 

 grass, &c. we embarked to return to the ships. We 

 had prevailed upon Pedro to launch his canoe, and 

 accompany us ; but we had scarcely put off from 

 the shore, when the wind began to blow very hard at 



