392 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



again advanced, with Tupaea, Messrs. Banks, Green, and 

 Monkhouse, and Dr. Solander. Tupaea was directed to speak 

 to tbe natives, and it was soon evident that he could readily 

 make himself understood. After some parleying about twenty 

 or thirty were induced to swim over, most of them, however, 

 bringing their arms with them. All attempts to establish 

 friendly intercourse were vain, as the only object the natives 

 seemed to have in view was to get possession of the arms of 

 the strangers, which, as they could not obtain them by barter, 

 they tried to snatch out of their hands. What followed is 

 best described in Cook's own words. " In a few minutes, Mr. 

 Green happening to turn about, one of them snatched away 

 his hanger, and, retiring to a little distance, waved it round his 

 head with a shout of exultation. The rest now began to be 

 extremely insolent, and we saw more coming to join them 

 from the opposite side of the river : it was therefore become 

 necessary to repress them, and Mr. Banks fired at the man 

 who had taken the hanger with small shot, at the distance 

 of about fifteen yards. When the shot struck him he ceased 

 his cry, but, instead of returning the hanger, continued to 

 flourish it over his head, at the same time slowly retreating 

 to a greater distance. Mr. Monkhouse, seeing this, fired at 

 him with ball, and he instantly dropped. Upon this, the main 

 body, who had retired to a rock in the middle of the river on 

 the first discharge, began to return. Two that were near to 

 the man who had been killed ran up to the body ; one seized 

 his weapon of green talc, and the other endeavoured to secure 

 the hanger, which Mr. Monkhouse had but just time to pre- 

 vent. As ail that had retired to the rock were now advancing, 

 three of us discharged our pieces, loaded only with small shot, 

 upon which they swam back for the shore, and we perceived, 

 upon their landing, that two or three of them were wounded. 

 They retired slov.'Iy up the country, and we re-embarked in our 

 boats." 



The party of natives thus encountered was not the same 

 as that which had been seen the evening before. iVccording 

 to the Maori tradition, the ship had been seen coming into the 

 bay the day before, and was thought to be a floating island ; 

 and this was a party of the Eongowhakaata tribe, who had 

 come from Orakaiaj)u, a pa just below the junction of the Arai 

 and Waipaoa Eivers, for the express j)urpose of trying to take 

 possession of the ship, and hence their hostile attitude. The 

 man who seized Mr. Green's hanger, and lost his life in con- 

 sequence, was Te Eakau. The landing was effected, as before, 

 at the boat-harbour, and the place where the marines were 

 posted could easily be identified before the whole aspect of the 

 place was changed by the harbour-works which are now in 

 progress. It w'as a nearly level piece of ground, about one 



