44 
A VOYAGE TO 
1779* clofe together in the crowd, and thus incapable of tiling 
^Feb r uai y^ tlieir arms> if any occafion fhould require it, propofed to 
the Captain, to draw them up along the rocks, clofe to the 
water’s edge ; and the crowd readily making way for them 
to pafs, they were drawn up in a line, at the diftance of 
about thirty yards from the place where the king was 
fitting. 
All this time, the old king remained on the ground, with 
the flrongefh marks of terror and dejedlion in his counte¬ 
nance ; Captain Cook, not willing to abandon the objedl for 
which he had come on fhore, continuing to urge him, in 
the moil; prefling manner, to proceed; whilft, on the other 
hand, whenever the king appeared inclined to follow him, 
the Chiefs, who flood round him, interpofed, at firfl with 
prayers and entreaties, but afterward having recourfe to 
force and violence, and infilled on his flaying where he was. 
Captain Cook therefore finding, that the alarm had fpread 
too generally, and that it was in vain to think any longer of 
getting him off without bloodlhed, at lall gave up the 
point; obferving to Mr. Phillips, that it would be impof- 
lible to compel him to go on board, without the rilk of kill¬ 
ing a great number of the inhabitants. 
Though the enterprize, which had carried Captain Cook 
on fhore, had now failed, and was abandoned, yet his per- 
fon did not appear to have been in the leafl danger, till an 
accident happened, which gave a fatal turn to the affair. 
The boats which had been llationed acrofs the bay, having 
fired at fome canoes, that were attempting to get out, unfor¬ 
tunately had killed a Chief of the firfl rank. The news of 
his death arrived at the village where Captain Cook was, juft 
as he had left the king, and was walking flowly toward the 
fhore. The ferment it occalioned was very confpicuous; 
the 
