A General History & Collection of Voyages and Travels ... - Nauticus

head bearing N. 18° E., distant half a league; the little islet before-mentioned N.E. by E. 1/2 E., and the N.W. point of the bay N. 32° W. Many people appeared on the shore, and some attempted to swim off to us;but having occasion to send the boat ahead to sound, they retired as she drew near them. This, however,gave us a favourable idea of them.On the 4th, at day-break, I went with two boats to examine the coast, to look for a proper landing-place,wood, and water. At this time, the natives began to assemble on the shore, and by signs invited us to land. Iwent first to a small beach, which is towards the head, where I found no good landing, on account of somerocks which every where lined the coast. I, however, put the boat's bow to the shore, and gave cloth,medals, &c. to some people who were there. For this treatment they offered to haul the boats over thebreakers to the sandy beach, which I thought a friendly offer, but had reason afterwards to alter myopinion. When they found I would not do as they desired, they made signs for us to go down into the bay,which we accordingly did, and they ran along shore abreast of us, their number increasing prodigiously. Iput in to the shore in two or three places, but, not liking the situation, did not land. By this time, I believe,the natives conceived what I wanted, as they directed me round a rocky point, where, on a fine sandybeach, I stepped out of the boat without wetting a foot, in the face of a vast multitude, with only a greenbranch in my hand, which I had before got from one of them. I took but one man out of the boat with me,and ordered the other boat to lie-to at a little distance off. They received me with great courtesy andpoliteness; and would retire back from the boat on my making the least motion with my hand. A man,whom I took to be a chief, seeing this, made them form a semicircle round the boat's bow, and beat such asattempted to break through this order. This man I loaded with presents, giving likewise to others, and askedby signs for fresh water, in hopes of seeing where they got it. The chief immediately sent a man for some,who ran to a house, and presently returned with a little in a bamboo; so that I gained but little informationby this. I next asked, by the same means, for something to eat, and they as readily brought me a yam, andsome cocoa-nuts. In short, I was charmed with their behaviour; and the only thing which could give theleast suspicion was, that most of them were armed with clubs, spears, darts, and bows and arrows. For thisreason I kept my eye continually upon the chief, and watched his looks as well as his actions. He mademany signs to me to haul the boat up upon the shore, and at last slipped into the crowd, where I observedhim speak to several people, and then return to me, repeating signs to haul the boat up, and hesitating agood deal before he would receive some spike-nails, which I then offered him. This made me suspectsomething was intended, and immediately I stepped into the boat, telling them by signs that I should soonreturn. But they were not for parting so soon, and now attempted by force, what they could not obtain bygentler means. The gang-board happened unluckily to be laid out for me to come into the boat, I sayunluckily, for if it had not been out, and if the crew had been a little quicker in getting the boat off, thenatives might not have had time to put their design in execution, nor would the following disagreeablescene have happened. As we were putting off the boat, they laid hold of the gang-board, and unhooked itoff the boat's stern. But as they did not take it away, I thought this had been done by accident, and orderedthe boat in again to take it up. Then they themselves hooked it over the boat's stern, and attempted to haulher ashore; others, at the same time, snatched the oars out of the people's hands. On my pointing a musketat them, they in some measure desisted, but returned in an instant, seemingly determined to haul the boatashore. At the head of this party was the chief; the others, who could not come at the boat, stood behindwith darts, stones, and bows and arrows in hand, ready to support them. Signs and threats having no effect,our own safety became the only consideration; and yet I was unwilling to fire on the multitude, andresolved to make the chief alone fall a victim to his own treachery; but my musket at this critical momentmissed fire. Whatever idea they might have formed of the arms we held in our hands, they must now havelooked upon them as childish weapons, and began to let us see how much better theirs were, by throwingstones and darts, and by shooting arrows. This made it absolutely necessary for me to give orders to fire.The first discharge threw them into confusion; but a second was hardly sufficient to drive them off thebeach; and after all, they continued to throw stones from behind the trees and bushes, and, every now and