274 
A VOYAGE TO 
177?. ceremony. Very often, indeed, they would firffc give us a 
fong, in which all in the canoe joined, with a very pleafing 
harmony. 
During thefe vilits, they gave us no other trouble, than 
to guard againft their thievifh tricks. But, in the morn- 
Saturday 4. ing of the 4th, we had a ferious alarm. Our party on fhore, 
who were employed in cutting wood, and filling water, 
obferved, that the natives all around them were arming 
themfelves in the 4 beh manner they could; thofe, who were 
not poffeffed of proper weapons, preparing hicks, and col¬ 
lecting hones. On hearing this, I thought it prudent to 
arm alfo ; but, being determined to a£t upon the defenlive, 
I ordered all our workmen to retreat to the rock, upon 
which we had placed our obfervatories; leaving the natives 
in quiet poffehion of the ground where they had affembled, 
which was within a hone’s throw of the Refolution’s hern. 
Our fears were ill-grounded : thefe hohile preparations 
were not directed againh us, but againh a body of their 
own countrymen, who were coming to fight them; and 
our friends of the Sound, on obferving our apprehenhons, 
ufed their beh endeavours to convince us that this was the 
cafe. We could fee, that they had people looking out, on 
each point of the cove, and canoes frequently paffed be¬ 
tween them and the main body affembled near the fhips. 
At length, the adverfe party, in about a dozen large ca¬ 
noes, appeared off the South point of the cove, where they 
hopped, and lay drawn up in line of battle, a negociation 
having commenced. Some people in canoes, in conducting 
the treaty, paffed between the two parties, and there was 
fome fpeaking on both fides. At length, the difference, 
whatever it was, feemed to be compromifed; but the hran- 
gers were not allowed to come along-fide the fhips, nor to 
have 
