AprillSSO. 



QUARREL WITH THE NATIVES. 



317 



and which they were not permitted to pass. At noon, after 

 observing the sun's transit, I went to the barrier, and while 

 the people were at dinner, endeavoured to amuse our visitors, 

 who were from fifteen to twenty in number, by showing them 

 several trifles ; among the rest, a pocket set of coloured glasses, 

 belonging to the transit. They looked through them at the 

 sun, but handled them rather roughly, and broke the frame ; 

 upon which I expressed my anger, and turned them away. 

 Soon afterwards, however, I walked towards them, and select- 

 ing the Indian who had offended me, gave him a bunch of 

 beads, and thus restored peace ; but desired them, at the same 

 time, to go to their wigwams, which they did. In their way, 

 they mischievously broke down a part of my meridian mark ; 

 seeing which, I sent a carpenter, attended by a marine, to repair 

 it, and went myself to inspect its being again set up. The 

 natives were collected round it, evidently in expectation of my 

 being angry, and awaited my approach. Upon my coming near, 

 I showed them that I was much displeased, and ordered them 

 into their canoes ; when one of the party, muttering a few 

 words, picked up a stone from the ground, and was fixing it 

 in his sling, when I took the marine's musket, and presented it 

 at him, upon which the whole took to their heels ; the principal 

 offender and another ran along the beach, and the rest to their 

 canoes. I could not resist the opportunity of letting them know 

 we were prepared for them, by firing over the heads of the two 

 who were running near the water. 



The report of the musket attracted the attention of Lieutenant 

 Mitchell, who was on board on the look-out, expecting some 

 fracas would, sooner or later, take place ; and seeing four or five 

 canoes paddling across, and the two Indians running along the 

 beach, he manned a boat, and pulled towards the canoes, which 

 tried to evade him, and stones were thrown at him as he ap- 

 proached. A musket fired over their heads, soon quieted them, 

 when he pulled round their canoes, to show them they were 

 in his power, but did not molest them, and then allowed the 

 party to proceed. 



This affair alarmed the women at the wigwams, and hastily 



