them all presents of iron and heads; but they seemed
to set little value upon either, particularly the iron,
not having the least idea of its use; so that we got
nothing in return but a few feathers: They offered
indeed to exchange their arms for ours, and, when
we refused, made many attempts to snatch them out of
our hands. As soon as they came over, Tupia repeated
his declaration, that they were not our friends, and
again warned us to be upon our guard; their attempts
to snatch our weapons, therefore, did not succeed;
and we gave them to understand by Tupia, that we should
be obliged to kill them if they offered any farther
violence. In a few minutes, however, Mr Green
happening to turn about, one of them snatched away
his hanger, and retiring to a little distance, waved
it round his head with a shout of exultation:
The rest now began to be extremely insolent, and we
saw more coming to join them from the opposite side
of the river. It was therefore become necessary
to repress them, and Mr Banks fired at the man who
had taken the hanger with small shot, at the distance
of about fifteen yards: When the shot struck
him, he ceased his cry; but instead of returning the
hanger, continued to flourish it over his head, at
the same time slowly retreating to a greater distance.
Mr Monkhouse seeing this, fired at him with ball,
and he instantly dropped. Upon this the main
body, who had retired to a rock in the middle of the
river upon the first discharge, began to return; two
that were near to the man who had been killed, ran
up to the body, one seized his weapon of green talc,
and the other endeavoured to secure the hanger, which
Mr Monkhouse had but just time to prevent. As
all that had retired to the rock were now advancing,
three of us discharged our pieces, loaded only with
small shot, upon which they swam back for the shore;
and we perceived, upon their landing, that two or
three of them were wounded. They retired slowly
up the country, and we re-embarked in our boats.
As we had unhappily experienced that nothing was to
be done with these people at this place, and finding
the water in the river to be salt, I proceeded in
the boats round the head of the bay in search of fresh
water, and with a design, if possible, to surprise
some of the natives, and take them on board, where
by kind treatment and presents I might obtain their
friendship, and by their means establish an amicable
correspondence with their countrymen.
To my great regret, I found no place where I could
land, a dangerous surf every where beating upon the
shore; but I saw two canoes coming in from the sea,
one under sail, and the other worked with paddles.
I thought this a favourable opportunity to get some
of the people into my possession without mischief,
as those in the canoe were probably fishermen, and
without arms, and I had three boats full of men.
I therefore disposed the boats so as most effectually
to intercept them in their way to the shore; the people