a fire of musketry from the _Discovery_. It was directed at a small
canoe which was paddling to the shore in great haste, pursued by one of
the ship's boats. The canoe reached the shore first, and the natives,
who had been stealing, made their escape. Captain Cook and Captain King
pursued them into the woods for about three miles, but failed to
overtake them.

During Cook's absence a serious difference occurred on the shore. One
of the officers conceived it to be his duty to seize one of the native
canoes. This chanced to belong to a great man named Pareea, who soon
afterwards claimed his property. The officer refused to give it up, and
a scuffle ensued, in which Pareea was knocked on the head with an oar.
The natives immediately attacked the sailors with a shower of stones,
which compelled them to retreat precipitately into the sea and swim off
to a rock at some distance from the shore, leaving the pinnace in the
hands of the natives, who at once ransacked it. They would probably
have demolished it entirely had not Pareea, who soon recovered from his
blow, come forward, and, with an admirable spirit of forgiveness,
rescued it from their hands, returned it to the sailors, and afterwards
rubbed noses with the officer who caused all the mischief, in token of
his reconciliation!

During that night the cutter of the _Discovery_ was stolen, and next
morning Captain Cook, landing with nine marines, went up to the village.
It had been his usual practice, whenever anything of importance was
lost at any of the islands in that ocean, to get the king or some of the
chief men on board, and keep them as hostages until the missing article
should be restored. This method, which had been always attended with
success, he meant to pursue on the present occasion. Meanwhile, the
boats of both ships were ordered out, and well manned and armed.

Captain Cook then marched into the village, where he was received with
the usual marks of respect--the people prostrating themselves before
him, and bringing him their accustomed offerings of small hogs.

We cannot help remarking here that Cook was to be blamed for permitting
the natives to treat him with a degree of ceremonious solemnity which
was obviously meant as an act of worship. The only thing that can be
said in his defence, we think, is, that in a region where many
remarkable, and to him incomprehensible, customs prevailed, he could not
certainly assure himself that the people w