38 
A VOYAGE TO 
1779. in all their tranfaffions with thefe ftrangers, have to fleer 
^ February^ ccm rfe amidft fo much uncertainty, where a trifling 
error may ba attended with even the moft fatal confe- 
quences. However true or falfe our conjecftures may be, 
things went on in their ufual quiet courfe, till the after- 
Saturday 13. noon of the 13th. 
Toward the evening of that day, the officer who com¬ 
manded the watering-party of the Difcovery, came to in¬ 
form me, that feveral Chiefs had affembled at the well near 
the beach, driving away the natives, whom he had hired to 
aflift the bailors in rolling down the calks to the fhore. He 
told me, at the fame time, that he thought their behavi¬ 
our extremely fufpicious, and that they meant to give him 
fome farther difturbance. At his requeft, therefore, I fent 
a marine along with him, but buffered him to take only 
his lide-arms. In a Ihort time the officer returned, and 
on his acquainting me, that the iflanders had armed them- 
felves with ftones, and were grown very tumultuous, I 
went myfelf to the fpot, attended by a marine, with his 
mufquet. Seeing us approach, they threw away their 
ffones, and, on my fpeaking to fome of the Chiefs, the 
mob were driven away, and thofe who chofe it, were buf¬ 
fered to aflift in filling the calks. Having left things quiet 
here, I went to meet Captain Cook, whom I faw coming 
on fliore, in the pinnace. I related to him what had juft 
paffed; and he ordered me, in cafe of their beginning to 
throw ftones, or behave infolently, immediately to fire a 
ball at the offenders. I accordingly gave orders to the cor¬ 
poral, to have the pieces of the fentinels loaded with ball, 
inftead of fmaff Ihot. 
Soon after our return to the tents, we were alarmed by a 
continued fire of mufquets, from the Difcovery, which we 
10 obferved 
