1769.* ROUND THE WORLD. 32? 



mine, the internal contact was at IS** 8' 54", and the 

 external 12^ 9' 48'^ ; the latitude of the place of 

 observation was 30° 48' 5i". The latitude observed 

 at noon was SG'' 48' 28". The mean of this and 

 yesterday's observation gives 36° 48' 5h" S. the lati- 

 tude of the place of observation; the variation of 

 the compass was 11° 9' E. 



About noon, we were alarmed by the firing of a 

 great gun from the ship ; Mr. Gore, my second 

 lieutenant, was at this time commanding officer on 

 board, and the account that he gave was this. While 

 some small canoes were trading with the people, two 

 very large ones came up, full of men, one of them 

 having on board forty-seven, all armed with pikes, 

 darts, and stones, and apparently with a hostile in- 

 tention: they appeared to be strangers, and to be 

 rather conscious of superiority over us by their 

 numbers, than afraid of any weapons which could 

 give us the superiority over them: no attack how- 

 ever was made ; probably because they learnt from 

 the people in the other canoes, with whom they im- 

 mediately entered into conference, what kind of an 

 enemy they had to deal with: after a little time, they 

 began to trade, some of them offering their arms, 

 and one of them a square piece of cloth, which makes 

 a part of their dress, called a Haahow ; several of the 

 weapons were purchased, and Mr. Gore having 

 agreed for a Haahow, sent down the price, which 

 was a piece of British cloth, and expected his pur- 

 chase : but the Indian, as soon as he had got Mr. 

 Gore's cloth in his possession, refused to part with 

 his own, and put off the canoe: upon being threatened 

 for this fraud, he and his companions began to sing 

 their war-song in defiance, and shook their paddles : 

 still however they began no attack, only defying Mr. 

 Gore to take any remedy in his power, which so pro- 

 voked him that he levelled a musket loaded with 

 ball at the offender, while he was holding the cloth 

 in his hand, and shot him dead. It would have been 



Y 4 



