344 cook's first voyage nov. 



and amis, chiefly for paper, and behaved with great 

 friendship and honesty. But while some of them 

 were below with Mr. Banks, a young man who was 

 upon the deck stole a half minute glass which was 

 in the binnacle, and was detected just as he was car- 

 rying it off. Mr. Hicks, who was commanding-officer 

 on board, took it into his head to punish him, by 

 giving him twelve lashes with a cat-o'nine-tails ; and 

 accordingly ordered him to be taken to the gang- 

 way, and tied up to the shrouds. When the other 

 Indians who were on board saw him seized, they 

 attempted to rescue him ; and being resisted called 

 for their arms, which were handed up from the 

 canoes, and the people of one of them attempted to 

 come up the ship's side. The tumult was heard by 

 Mr. Banks, who, with Tupia, came hastily upon the 

 deck to see what had happened. The Indians im- 

 mediately ran to Tupia, who, finding Mr. Hicks in- 

 exorable, could only assure them, that nothing was 

 intended against the life of their companion ; but 

 that it was necessary he should suffer some punish- 

 ment for his offence ; which being explained to them, 

 they seemed to be satisfied. The punishment w^as 

 then inflicted, and as soon as the criminal was un- 

 bound, an old man among the spectators, who was 

 supposed to be his father, gave him a hearty beating, 

 and sent him down into his canoe. All the canoes 

 then dropped a-stern, and the people said that they 

 were afraid to come any more near the ship : after 

 much persuasion, however, they ventured back again, 

 but their cheerful confidence was at an end, and 

 their stay was short ; they promised indeed, at their 

 departure, to return with some fish, but we saw no 

 more of them. 



On the 23d, the wind being contrary, we kept 

 plying down the river, and at seven in the evening, 

 got without the N. W. point of the islands lying on 

 the west side of it. The weather being bad, night 

 coming on, and having land on every side of us, I 



3* 



