he boat than the attack began by about 200 men; the
unfortunate poor man who had run up the beach was knocked down, and the
stones flew like a shower of shot. Many Indians got hold of the stern
rope and were near hauling the boat on shore, which they would certainly
have effected if I had not had a knife in my pocket with which I cut the
rope. We then hauled off to the grapnel, everyone being more or less
hurt. At this time I saw five of the natives about the poor man they had
killed, and two of them were beating him about the head with stones in
their hands.

We had no time to reflect for to my surprise they filled their canoes
with stones, and twelve men came off after us to renew the attack, which
they did so effectually as nearly to disable us all. Our grapnel was foul
but Providence here assisted us; the fluke broke and we got to our oars
and pulled to sea. They however could paddle round us, so that we were
obliged to sustain the attack without being able to return it, except
with such stones as lodged in the boat, and in this I found we were very
inferior to them. We could not close because our boat was lumbered and
heavy, of which they knew how to take advantage: I therefore adopted the
expedient of throwing overboard some clothes which, as I expected, they
stopped to pick up and, as it was by this time almost dark, they gave
over the attack and returned towards the shore leaving us to reflect on
our unhappy situation.

The poor man killed by the natives was John Norton: this was his second
voyage with me as a quartermaster, and his worthy character made me
lament his loss very much. He has left an aged parent I am told, whom he
supported.

I once before sustained an attack of a similar nature with a smaller
number of Europeans against a multitude of Indians: it was after the
death of Captain Cook on the Morai at Owhyhee, where I was left by
Lieutenant King. Yet notwithstanding this experience I had not an idea
that the power of a man's arm could throw stones from two to eight pounds
weight with such force and exactness as these people did. Here unhappily
we were without firearms, which the Indians knew; and it was a fortunate
circumstance that they did not begin to attack us in the cave; for in
that case our destruction must have been inevitable, and we should have
had nothing left for it but to sell our lives as dearly as we could, in
which I found everyone cheerfully disposed to concur. This appearance of