94 cook's first voyage april, 



and endeavoured to make them understand, that we 

 wanted the ground which we had marked out to 

 sleep upon for a certain number of nights, and that 

 then we should go away. Whether I was understood 

 I cannot certainly determine ; but the people be- 

 haved with a deference and respect that at once 

 pleased and surprised us : they sat down peaceably 

 without the circle, and looked on, without giving us 

 any interruption till we had done, which was upwards 

 of two hours. As we had seen no poultry, and but 

 two hogs, in our walk when we were last on shore at 

 this place, we suspected that, upon our arrival, they 

 had been driven farther up the country ; and the 

 rather, as Owhaw was very importunate with us, by 

 signs, not to go into the woods, which, however, 

 and partly for these reasons, we were determined to 

 do. Having therefore appointed the thirteen marines 

 and a petty officer to guard the tent, we set out, 

 and a great number of the natives joined our party. 

 As we were crossing a little river that lay in our way 

 we saw some ducks, and Mr. Banks, as soon as he 

 had got over, fired at them, and happened to kill 

 three at one shot : this struck them with the utmost 

 terror, so that most of them fell suddenly to the 

 ground, as if they also had been shot at the same 

 discharge : it was not long, however, before they 

 recovered from their fright, and we continued our 

 route ; but we had not gone far before we were 

 alarmed by the report of two pieces, which were 

 fired by the guard at the tent. We had then straggled 

 a little distance from each other, but Owhaw imme- 

 diately called us together, and by waving his hand 

 sent away every Indian who followed us except three 

 each of whom, as a pledge of peace on their part, 

 and an entreaty that there might be peace on ours, 

 hastily broke a branch from the trees, and came to 

 us with it in their hands. As we had too much 

 reason to fear that some mischief had happened, we 

 hasted back to the tent, which was not distant above 



