42 COOK'S VOYAGE TO FEB. 



guns, and the appearances of hostility in the bay, 

 began to throng round Captain Cook and their king. 

 In this situation, the lieutenant of marines observing 

 that his men were huddled close together in the 

 crowd, and thus incapable of using their arms, it 

 any occasion should require it, proposed to the cap- 

 tain to draw them up along the rocks, close to the 

 water's edge ; and the crowd readily making way for 

 them to pass, they were drawn up in a line, at the 

 distance of about thirty yards from the place where 

 the king was sitting. 



AH this time the old king remained on the ground, 

 with the strongest marks of terror and dejection in 

 his countenance. Captain Cook, not willing to 

 abandon the object for which he had come on shore, 

 continuing to urge him, in the most pressing man- 

 ner, to proceed ; whilst, on the other hand, when- 

 ever the king appeared inclined to follow him, the 

 chiefs, who stood round him, interposed at first with 

 prayers and entreaties, but afterward, having re- 

 course to force and violence, insisted on his staying 

 where he was. Captain Cook, therefore, finding that 

 the alarm had spread too generally, and that it was 

 in vain to think any longer of getting him off with- 

 out bloodshed, at last gave up the point ; observing 

 to Mr. Phillips, that it would be impossible to com- 

 pel him to go on board, without the risk of killing 

 a great number of the inhabitants. 



Though the enterprise which had carried Cap- 

 tain Cook on shore had now failed, and was aban- 

 doned, yet his person did not appear to have been 

 in the least danger, till an accident happened, which 

 gave a fatal turn to the affair. The boats which 

 had been stationed across the bay, having fired at 

 some canoes that were attempting to get out, un- 

 fortunately had killed a chief of the first rank. The 

 news of his death arrived at the village where Cap- 

 tain Cook was, just as he had left the king, and was 

 walking slowly toward the shore. The ferment it 



