SECOND VOYAGE 173 



have stripped him, as he imagined, had he not presented 

 a tooth-pick case, which the natives probably thought was 

 a little gun. As soon as the Captain heard of this he went 

 to the place where the robbery was committed, but took 

 no steps to recover it ; in this he acknowledges he was 

 wrong, as it encouraged farther aggressions. 



Early in the morning of the 28th, Lieutenant Clerke, with 

 the master and fourteen or fifteen men, went on shore in the 

 launch for water. She was no sooner landed than the 

 natives gathered about her, behaving in so rude a manner 

 that the officers were in some doubt if they should land 

 the casks ; however, they ventured, and with difficulty 

 got them filled and into the boat again. While thus 

 employed, Mr. Clerke's gun was snatched from him and 

 carried off ; as were also some of the coopers' tools and 

 other articles. All this was done, as it were, by stealth ; 

 for they laid hold of nothing by main force. Captain Cook 

 landed just as the launch was ready to put off, and the 

 natives, who were pretty numerous on the beach, as soon 

 as they saw him, fled ; so that he suspected something had 

 happened. However, he prevailed on many to stay ; 

 being informed of all the preceding circumstances, he 

 quickly resolved to force them to make restitution ; and for 

 this purpose ordered all the marines to be armed and sent 

 on shore. He then sent all the boats off but one, with 

 which he staid, having a good many of the natives about 

 him, who behaved with their usual courtesy ; but he made 

 them so sensible of his intention, that long before the 

 marines came, Mr. Clerke's musket was brought; but 

 they used many excuses to divert him from insisting on the 

 surgeon's. At length, Mr. Edgcumbe arriving with the 

 marines, this alarmed them so much that some lied. Only 

 one person was wounded before the other musket was 

 brought and laid down at his feet. That moment he 

 ordered the same canoes he had seized to be restored, 

 to show them on what account they were detained. 



On returning to go on board, he found a good many 

 people collected together, from whom they understood that 

 the man he had fired at was dead. This "story the Captain 

 treated as improbable, and addressed a man, who seemed 

 of some consequence, for the restitution of a cooper's adze 

 they had lost in the morning. He immediately sent away 

 two men, as he thought, for it ; but he soon found they 

 had greatly mistaken each other ; for instead of the adze 

 they brought the wounded man, stretched out on a board, 

 and laid him down by him, to all appearance dead. Captain 

 Cook was much moved at the sight ; but soon discovered 

 that he was only wounded in the hand and thigh. He, 



