HAWAII AND OAIIU. 107 



ten days, and was taken possession of by Mr. Dudoit, the part owner, 

 who obtamed another crew ; she then returned to Strong's Island; and 

 cruised off and on for a month, but nothing was seen after the first 

 day, when two boats and a canoe approached the vessel. One of the 

 boats was recognised as that belonging to the Honduras, in which the 

 captain had gone on shore ; the other was thought to belong to the 

 Waverley, but the boats did not come near enough to permit them, or 

 the persons in them, to be distinguished: the}'- were, however, clothed. 

 Guns fired at them when they were entirely out of reach, caused them 

 to return. Masts, supposed to have been those of a vessel, were seen 

 over the land. 



A rumour reached Tahiti, a year afterwards, that both Captain 

 Cathcart, of the Waverley, and Captain Scott, were living at Strong's 

 Island, and that the hull of the Waverley was lying rotting in a creek 

 on the west side of the island. 



In looking; into all the facts of these cases, it seems that there mav 

 have been some cause for the great change that took place in the 

 conduct of the natives of these islands, in the course pursued by the 

 whites. It appears by testimony in my possession, that Mr. Dudoit 

 had confined and taken away two men against their will, on a former 

 visit. We have also seen that Captain Cathcart, of the Waverley, had 

 maltreated a chief, by cutting off his beard : this act was sufficient to 

 incense the whole people, and to cause the capture and massacre of all 

 the whites within reach ; for it is an indignity that no natives of the 

 South Seas would submit to. It seems very probable that the whites 

 could have become so ascendant on the island, in so short a time as 

 elapsed between the two visits of the Honduras ; but it is not at all 

 surprising that the natives should have visited Mr. Dudoit's sins upon 

 the head of his captain. 



There was an impression at Oahu, that white men must have had 

 some agency in the business, from the manner in which the guns were 

 directed and fired. If a massacre took place on board the Waver- 

 ley, it is not improbable that two or three might have been spared, 

 held in subjection by the natives, and forced to perform this service. 

 The presence and action of whites may have arisen from runaways 

 from vessels, for we have had ample proof that throughout the Pacific 

 isles there are dissolute characters, who would be as prone as anv 

 savage to deeds of piracy or blood, if they themselves were to derive 

 any benefit from it. 



Whatever were the true state of things, I felt well satisfied that it 

 was desirable for some part of our force to visit this island ; both it 

 and Ascension were therefore included in the orders of Captain Hud- 



