and lamentations, as in the preceding one. Early in the morning,
we received another visit from Koah. I must confess, I was a little
piqued to find, that notwithstanding the most evident marks of
treachery in his conduct, and the positive testimony of our friends
the priests, he should still be permitted to carry on the same farce,
and to make us at least appear to be the dupes of his hypocrisy.
Indeed our situation was become extremely awkward and unpromising;
none of the purposes for which this pacific course of proceeding had
been adopted, having hitherto been in the least forwarded by it. No
satisfactory answer whatever had been given to our demands; we did not
seem to be at all advanced toward a reconciliation with the islanders;
they still kept in force on the shore, as if determined to resist
any attempts we might make to land; and yet the attempt was become
absolutely necessary, as the completing our supply of water would not
admit of any longer delay.

However, it must be observed, in justice to the conduct of Captain
Clerke, that it was very probable, from the great number of the
natives, and from the resolution with which they seemed to expect us,
an attack could not have been made without some danger; and that the
loss of a very few men might have been severely felt by us, during the
remaining course of our voyage. Whereas the delaying the execution of
our threats, though on the one hand it lessened their opinion of our
power, had the effect of causing them to disperse on the other. For
this day, about noon, finding us persist in our inactivity, great
bodies of them, after blowing their conchs, and using every mode of
defiance, marched off over the hills, and never appeared afterward.
Those, however, who remained, were not the less daring and insolent.
One man had the audacity to come within musket-shot a-head of the
ship; and, after slinging several stones at us, he waved Captain
Cook's hat over his head, whilst his countrymen on shore were exulting
and encouraging his boldness. Our people were all in a flame at this
insult, and coming in a body on the quarter-deck, begged they might
no longer be obliged to put up with these repeated provocations; and
requested me to obtain permission for them from Captain Clerke, to
avail themselves of the first fair occasion of revenging the death of
their commander. On my acquainting him with what was passing, he gave
orders for some great guns to be fired at the native