232 cook's second voyage dec. 



wild greens for the ship's company ; with orders to 

 return that evening, as I intended to sail the next 

 morning. But, on the boat's not returning the same 

 evening, nor the next morning, being under great 

 uneasiness about her, I hoisted out the launch, and 

 sent her, with the second lieutenant, Mr. Burney, 

 manned with the boat's crew and ten marines, in 

 search of her. My orders to Mr. Burney were, first 

 to look well into East Bay, and then to proceed to 

 Grass Cove, the place to which Mr. Rowe had been 

 sent; and if he heard nothing of the boat there, to go 

 farther up the Sound, and come back along the west 

 shore. As Mr. Rowe had left the ship an hour be- 

 fore the time proposed, and in a great hurry, I was 

 strongly persuaded that his curiosity had carried him 

 into East Bay, none in our ship having ever been 

 there ; or else, that some accident had happened to 

 the boat, either by going a-drift through the boat- 

 keeper's negligence, or by being stove among the 

 rocks. This was almost every body's opinion ; and 

 on this supposition the carpenter's mate was sent in 

 the launch, with some sheets of tin. I had not the 

 least suspicion that our people had received any in- 

 jury from the natives ; our boats having frequently 

 been higher up, and worse provided. How much I was 

 mistaken, too soon appeared ; for Mr. Burney having 

 returned about eleven o'clock the same night, made 

 his report of a horrible scene indeed, which cannot 

 be better described than in his own words, which 

 now follow. 



" On the 18th we left the ship ; and having a 

 light breeze in our favour, we soon got round Long 

 Island, and within Long Point. I examined every 

 cove, on the larboard hand, as we went along, look- 

 ing well all around with a spy-glass, which I took for 

 that purpose. At half past one, we stopped at a 

 beach, 03 the left hand side going up East Bay, to 

 boil some victuals, as we brought nothing but raw 

 meat with us. >yhilst we were cooking, I saw an 



