Cook now fired his second barrel loaded with ball and killed one of the natives, but Sergeant Gibson told him it was the wrong man, so he received orders to kill the right one, and did so.  The stone-throwing became heavier, and the marines responded with a volley, but before they had time to reload the natives rushed them, killing four out of the seven and wounding the rest, Phillips being stabbed between the shoulders, but, before the blow could be repeated he managed to shoot his assailant.

Cook’s death.

Cook was now close to the water’s edge, and had turned round to order the boats’ crews to cease firing and pull in.  This is believed to have caused his death, for, whilst he faced the natives, none of them, except the one shot by Gibson, had offered him actual violence, but when he turned to give orders he was struck on the head and stabbed in the back, falling with his face in a pool of water.  As soon as he fell a great shout arose; he was dragged ashore, and the natives, snatching the dagger from each other, showed savage eagerness to share in his destruction.  Phillips and his wounded marines plunged into the water and, covered by musketry fire, gained the boats; their officer, though wounded, jumping out again to the assistance of the last man who, severely injured by a blow on the face, was in great danger of being captured.  The boats, seeing there was no possibility of recovering the bodies of the five who were killed, were ordered to return at once to the ships from which they had only been absent an hour.  Nine stand of arms, Cook’s double-barreled gun and his hanger fell into the hands of the natives.  As soon as this was reported, the boats were recalled from the bay, and a strong reinforcement was sent to Mr. King with orders to strike his camp and get the Resolution’s foremast off to the ship.  The Indians were seen to be assembling to the right of the tents, so the guns were turned on them, and a party was posted on the Morai to cover the place where the mast lay.  About one o’clock everything was got away from the shore, only a few stones being thrown by natives who thought their mats were proof against bullets, and only found out their mistake too late.

Notwithstanding what had occurred, one of the priests, whom Burney calls Kerriakair, remained with the English till everything had been removed, and supplied the men with food and water.  King, about four o’clock, was sent to try to recover the bodies of the Captain and marines.  He was at first received with a volley of stones, which fortunately fell short; he displayed a white flag and pulled inshore, whilst the remaining boats lay off to cover him with their fire if needed, but the stone-throwing was stopped, and the natives also showed the white flag.  In answer to King’s demand some of the chiefs promised that the bodies should be delivered the next day, and Koah, swimming off to one of the boats, explained that they could not be given up at once as they had already been taken some distance up country.  Burney, however, says that they gathered, from signs made by some other Indians, that the bodies had already been cut to pieces, and one man came down into the water flourishing Cook’s hanger “with many tokens of exultation and defiance.”