236 cook's second voyage dec. 



hear the Indians in the woods at high words, I sup- 

 pose quarrelling whether or no they should attack us, 

 and try to save their canoes. It" now grew dark, I 

 therefore just stepped out, and looked once more 

 behind the beach to see if the cutter had been hauled 

 up in the bushes; but seeing nothing of her, returned 

 and put off. Our whole force would have been 

 barely sufficient to have gone up the hill, and to have 

 ventured with half (for half must have been left to 

 guard the boat) would have been fool-hardiness. 



" As we opened the upper part of the sound, we 

 saw a very large fire about three or four miles higher 

 up, which formed a complete oval, reaching from 

 the top of a hill down almost to the water-side, the 

 middle space being inclosed all round by the fire, 

 like a hedge. I consulted with Mr. Fannin, and we 

 were both of opinion that we could expect to reap 

 no other advantage than the poor satisfaction of kill- 

 ing some more of the savages. At leaving Grass Cove, 

 we had fired a general volley towards where we heard 

 the Indians talking; but, by going in and out of the 

 boat, the arms had got wet, and four pieces missed 

 fire. What was still worse, it began to rain ; our 

 ammunition was more than half expended, and we 

 left six large canoes behind us in one place. With so 

 many disadvantages, I did not think it worth while to 

 to proceed, where nothing could be hoped for but 

 revenge. 



" poming between two round islands, situated to 

 the southward of East Bay, we imagined we heard 

 somebody calling, we lay on our oars and listened, but 

 heard no more of it ; we hallooed several times, but 

 to little purpose ; the poor souls were far enough out 

 of hearing ; and, indeed, I think it some comfort to 

 reflect that, in all probability, every man of them 

 must have been killed on the spot." 



Thus far Mr. Burney's report ; and, to complete 

 the account of this tragical transaction, it may not be 

 unnecessary to mention that the people in the cutter 



