1774* ROUND 1 THE WORLD. 43 



spike-nails which I then offered him. This made me 

 suspect something was intended, and immediately I 

 stepped into the boat, telling them by signs that I 

 should soon return. But they were not for parting 

 so soon, and now attempted, by force, what they 

 could not obtain by gentler means. The gang-board 

 happened unluckily to be laid out for me to come into 

 the boat. I say unluckily, for if it had not been out, 

 and if the crew had been a little quicker in getting 

 the boat off, the natives might not have had time to 

 put their design in execution, nor would the follow- 

 ing disagreeable scene have happened. As we were 

 putting off the boat, they laid hold of the gang- 

 board, and unhooked it off the boat's stern, but as 

 they did not take it away, I thought this had been 

 done by accident, and ordered the boat in again to 

 take it up. Then they themselves hooked it over the 

 boat's stern, and attempted to haul her ashore ; others, 

 at the same time, snatched the oars out of the peo- 

 ple's hands. On my pointing a musket at them, 

 they in some measure desisted, but returned in an 

 instant, seemingly determined to haul the boat ashore. 

 At the head of this party was the chief; the others, 

 who could not come at the boat, stood behind with 

 darts, stones, and bows and arrows in hand, ready to 

 support them. Signs and threats having no effect, 

 our own safety became the only consideration ; and 

 yet I was unwilling to tire on the multitude, and re- 

 solved to make the chief alone fall a victim to his 

 own treachery ; but my musket at this critical mo- 

 ment missed fire. Whatever, idea they might have 

 formed of the arms we held in our hands, they must 

 now have looked upon them as childish weapons, and 

 began to let us see how much better theirs were, by 

 throwing stones and darts, and by shooting arrows. 

 This made it absolutely necessary for me to give or- 

 ders to fire. The first discharge threw them into con- 

 fusion ; but a second was hardly sufficient to drive 

 them off the beach ; and, after all, they continued 



