3^8 cook's first voyage nov. 



happy, if the effect of a few small shot had been 

 tried upon this occasion, which, upon some others, 

 had been successful. 



When the Indian dropped, all the canoes put oft' 

 to some distance ; but as they did not go away, it 

 was thought they might still meditate an attack. To 

 secure therefore a safe passage for the boat, which it 

 was necessary to send on shore, a round shot was 

 fired over their heads, which effectually answered the 

 purpose, and put them all to flight. When an ac- 

 count of what had happened was brought ashore, our 

 Indians were alarmed, and drawing all together, re- 

 treated in a body. After a short time, however, they 

 returned, having heard a more particular account of 

 the affair; and intimated that they thought the man 

 who had been killed deserved his fate. 



A little before sunset the Indians retired to eat 

 their supper, and we went with them to be spectators 

 of the repast ; it consisted of fish of different kinds, 

 among which were lobsters, and some birds, of a 

 species unknown to us: these were either roasted or 

 baked ; to roast them, they fastened them upon a 

 small stick, which was stuck up in the ground inclin- 

 ing towards their fire; and to bake them, they put 

 them into a hole in the ground, with hot stones, in 

 the same manner as the people of Otaheite. 



Among the natives that were assembled upon this 

 occasion, we saw a woman, who, after their manner, 

 was mourning for the death of her relation : she sat 

 upon the ground near the rest, who, one only ex- 

 cepted, seemed not at all to regard her : the tears 

 constantly trickled down her cheeks, and she re- 

 peated in a low, but very mournful voice, words, 

 whioh even Tupia did not at all understand : at the 

 end of every sentence she cut her arms, her face, or 

 her breast with a shell that she held in her hand, so 

 that she was almost covered with blood, and was 

 indeed one of the most affecting spectacles that can 

 be conceived. The cuts, however, did not appear 



