re observed, that strangers, not
acquainted with their religious prejudices, are likely to commit some
fatal error; and no action is more likely to lead a party into danger
than an incautious use of the seine, for most of the beaches (best suited
for that purpose) are taboo'd. This led to the dreadful fate of Marion
and his party. I understood from George, that when Marion's men assembled
to trail their net on the sacred beach, the natives used every kind of
entreaty and remonstrance to induce them to forbear, but, either from
ignorance or obstinacy, they persisted in their intentions, and drew
their net to land.

The natives, greatly incensed by this act of impiety, vowed revenge; and
the suspicions of the French not being roused, an opportunity soon
presented itself of taking ample retaliation. The seine being very heavy,
the French required the assistance of the natives in drawing it on shore.
These wily fellows instantly consented to the task, and placed themselves
alternately between each Frenchman, apparently, to equalise the work.
Consequently, in the act of pulling, each native had a white man before
him; and, on an appointed signal, the brains of each European were
knocked out by a tremendous blow of the stone hatchet.

Captain Marion, who, from his ship, was an eye-witness of these horrid
murders, instantly hastened on shore with the remainder of his crew to
avenge the slaughter of his countrymen. Led on more by ardour than
prudence, he suffered himself to be surrounded; was overpowered by
numbers, defeated, and every one was put to death!

This account of George's does not, I acknowledge, exactly agree with the
published narrative of that unfortunate event, nor does his age agree
with the dates. Only a few years elapsed between the time of Cook and
Marion, yet he declares himself to have been a child at the death of the
navigator, and a man at the murder of the latter; but as it was voluntary
on his part to give me the above detail, and even if he were not present
himself, he most probably had the facts from one who was, I thought it
worth inserting, as tending to throw light on one of the most melancholy
events which ever took place on these coasts.

George also related to me the dreadful tragedy of the ship Boyd, and,
horrible as these relations were, I felt a particular interest, almost
amounting to pleasure, in hearing them related by an eye-witness; one who
had been an actor in those bloody scenes whi