14 CRUISE OF THE ' CUBAgOAr 



;i son of the Eev. Mr. Nobbs, the other a member of the 

 Christian familj'. They had but just lauded at Santa Cruz, 

 when, from certain appearances, they began to suspect that 

 some foul play was intended. They therefore thought it 

 jirudeut to return to their boat, and were not a moment 

 too soon, for, when in the act of pushing off, they saw clearly 

 that it had been the intention of the natives to prevent their 

 doing so, and immediately after leaving the shore their boat 

 was enveloped in a shower of ariows, which wounded Nobbs 

 in the wrist and Christian in the jaw, while one of the 

 boatmen was struck on the breast by an arrow which passed 

 through him. The two first died of lock-jaw two days after 

 the attack, while the third, more seriously Avounded to all 

 appearance, survived and got well. 



The Bishop's narrative caused a good deal of emotion 

 among his hearers, composed in great measure of the rela- 

 tives and friends of the two victims. I took an opportunity 

 of asking Bishop Patteson if he had any clue to the motives 

 of this brutal attack. He told me he was all the more 

 puzzled to account for it, inasmuch as he had been well 

 received by the savages on his first visit ; but that, after 

 much reflection on the subject, lie had come to the con- 

 clusion, that their altered conduct was an act of retaliation 

 for some outrage upon them by seafaring men. He added, 

 in a general way, that he had grounds for attributing the 

 hostility of the South Sea Islanders to the wliites, to acts of 

 violence and inju.stice to which they were exposed by their 

 contact with lawless traders ; and this \iew of tlie case I 



