184 NEW ZEALAND CHAP. VIII 
from the shore in a river; the people followed them and 
threatened with long lances; the pinnace soon came to their 
assistance, fired upon the natives, and killed the chief. The 
other three dragged the body about a hundred yards and 
then left it. At the report of the muskets we drew 
together and went to the place where the body was left; it 
was shot through the heart. He was a middle-sized man, 
tattowed on the face on one cheek only, in spiral lines very 
regularly formed. He was covered with a fine cloth of a 
manufacture totally new to us; it was tied on exactly as 
represented in Mr, Dalrymple’s book,’ p. 63; his hair was 
also tied in a knot on the top of his head, but there was no 
feather stuck in it; his complexion brown but not very dark. 
Soon after we came on board we very distinctly heard 
the people ashore talking very loud, although they were not 
less than two miles distant from us. 
9th. On attempting to land this morning the Indians 
received us with threatening demonstrations, but a musket 
fired wide of them intimidated them, and they allowed us 
to approach near enough to parley. Tupia found their 
language so near his own that he could tolerably well 
understand them. He induced them to lay down their 
arms, and we gave them some beads and iron, neither of 
which they seemed to value; indeed, they seemed totally 
ignorant of the use of the latter. They constantly 
attempted to seize our arms, or anything they could get, so 
that we were obliged to fire on them and disperse them; 
none were, we hope, killed. Soon after we intercepted a 
native canoe; but when we came up with it, the owners 
made so desperate a resistance that we were compelled to 
fire upon them, killing four; the other three (boys) 
attempted to swim to shore, but were captured and taken 
on board the ship. On finding that they were not to be 
killed, they at once recovered their spirits, and soon 
appeared to have forgotten everything that had happened. 
At supper they ate an enormous quantity of bread, and 
1 An Account of the Discoveries made in the South Pacifick Ocean, previous to 
1764. By Alexander Dalrymple. London, 1767. 
