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murdered the first and second officers^ who were men of 
fine stature and benevolent dispositions ; and killing one 
of the seamen^ took possession of the ship. Mr. Shelly’s 
life was threatened^ and only spared at the instance of 
two Tahitians^ who^ anxious to save him^ requested that 
he might be kept, to navigate the vessel to Tahiti, 
whither they intended to return. One of these natives 
was Upaparu, a chief of rank, present secretary to 
the government of Tahiti, and a steady friend to 
foreigners. When the vessel arrived at Tahiti, Po- 
mare succeeded in securing to Mr. Shelly its restoration, 
though most of the property had been plundered. Mat¬ 
ting was procured for sails, and the vessel reached Port 
Jackson in safety. 
Flushed with the success that had attended the savage 
and daring effort of the Raiateans, the Tahitians, whom 
Captain Fodger had employed on board his vessel, the 
Daphne, for the purpose of diving among the pearl 
islands, rose upon the ship’s company, murdered the 
captain and some of the men, took possession of the 
vessel, and brought her to Tahiti. Mr. G. Bicknell, a 
nephew of Mr. Bicknell, was on board at the time, 
but his life was spared, amidst the general carnage that 
attended the assault. The mutinous natives returned 
to their own island, but were met as they were about 
to enter the harbour at Tahiti, by Captain Walker of the 
Endeavour, who succeeded in retaking the vessel, and 
thus deprived them of their plunder. 
These acts of daring outrage and appalling crime, on 
the one side, and of increasing and decided attachment 
to the principles of order, humanity, and religion, on the 
other, seemed to indicate that matters in Tahiti were 
fast verging to an important issue, and that, before long. 
