alluded to; whereas all they had in view
was, to make known to him the wars that had arisen, in consequence of
the goats that Captain Cook had left at Oneeheow, and the slaughter
of the poor goats themselves, during the struggle for the property of
them. Captain Clerke, applying this earnestness of conversation, and
these terrible representations, to our calamitous transactions at
Owhyhee, and to an indication of revenge, kept his telescope fixed
upon us, and the moment he saw the smoke of the muskets, ordered the
boats to be manned and armed, and to put off to our assistance.

The next morning I was again ordered on shore, with the watering
party. The risk we had run the preceding day, determined Captain
Clerke to send a considerable force from both ships for our guard,
amounting in all to forty men under arms. This precaution, however,
was now unnecessary; for we found the beach left entirely to
ourselves, and the ground between the landing-place and the lake
_tabooed_ with small white flags. We concluded, from this appearance,
that some of the chiefs had certainly visited this quarter; and that
not being able to stay, they had kindly and considerately taken this
step, for our greater security and convenience. We saw several men
armed with long spears and daggers, on the other side of the river,
on our right; but they did not offer to give us the least molestation.
Their women came over, and sat down on the banks close by us, and at
noon we prevailed on some of the men to bring hogs and roots for our
people, and to dress them for us. As soon as we had left the beach,
they came down to the sea-side, and one of them threw a stone at us;
but his conduct seeming to be highly disapproved of by all the rest,
we did not think it proper to shew any resentment.

The next day we completed our watering, without meeting with any
material difficulty. On our return to the ships, we found that several
chiefs had been on board, and had made excuses for the behaviour of
their countrymen, attributing their riotous conduct to the quarrels
which subsisted at that time amongst the principal people of
the island, and which had occasioned a general want of order and
subordination amongst them. The government of Atooi was in dispute
between Toneoneo, who had the supreme power when we were here last
year, and a boy named Teavee. They are both, by different fathers,
the grandsons of Perreeorannee, king of Woahoo, who had given the
government