this place, we suspected that, upon our arrival, they had been driven
farther up the country; and the rather, as Owhaw was very importunate
with us, by signs, not to go into the woods, which, however, and partly
for these reasons, we were determined to do. Having therefore appointed
the thirteen marines and a petty officer to guard the tent, we set out,
and a great number of the natives joined our party. As we were crossing
a little river that lay in our way we saw some ducks, and Mr Banks, as
soon as he had got over, fired at them, and happened to kill three at
one shot: this struck them with the utmost terror, so that most of them
fell suddenly to the ground, as if they also had been shot at the same
discharge: it was not long, however, before they recovered from their
fright, and we continued our route; but we had not gone far before we
were alarmed by the report of two pieces, which were fired by the guard
at the tent. We had then straggled a little distance from each other,
but Owhaw immediately called us together, and by waving his hand, sent
away every Indian who followed us except three, each of whom, as a
pledge of peace on their part, and an entreaty that there might be peace
on ours, hastily broke a branch from the trees, and came to us with it
in their hands. As we had too much reason to fear that some mischief
had happened, we hasted back to the tent, which was not distant above
half a mile, and when we came up, we found it entirely deserted, except
by our own people.

It appeared, that one of the Indians who remained about the tent after
we left it, had watched his opportunity, and, taking the centry
unawares, had snatched away his musquet. Upon this, the petty officer, a
midshipman, who commanded the party, perhaps from a sudden fear of
farther violence, perhaps from the natural petulance of power newly
acquired, and perhaps from a brutality in his nature, ordered the
marines to fire: the men, with as little consideration or humanity as
the officer, immediately discharged their pieces among the thickest of
the flying crowd, consisting of more than a hundred; and observing that
the thief did not fall, pursued him, and shot him dead. We afterwards
learnt, that none of the others were either killed or wounded.

Owhaw, who had never left us, observing that we were now totally
deserted, got together a few of those who had fled, though not without
some difficulty, and ranged them about us; we endeavoured to jus