This gave me reason to suspect I should here get tidings of the cutter.  We went ashore, and searched the canoe, where we found one of the rullock-ports of the cutter, and some shoes, one of which was known to belong to Mr Woodhouse, one of our midshipmen.  One of the people, at the same time, brought me a piece of meat, which he took to be some of the salt meat belonging to the cutter’s crew.  On examining this, and smelling to it, I found it was fresh.  Mr Fannin (the master) who was with me, supposed it was dog’s flesh, and I was of the same opinion; for I still doubted their being cannibals.  But we were soon convinced by most horrid and undeniable proof.”

“A great many baskets (about twenty) lying on the beach, tied up, we cut them open.  Some were full of roasted flesh, and some of fern-root, which serves them for bread.  On, farther search, we found more shoes, and a hand, which we immediately knew to have belonged to Thomas Hill, one of our fore-castle men, it being marked T.H. with an Otaheite tattow-instrument.  I went with some of the people a little way up the woods, but saw nothing else.  Coming down again, there was a round spot covered with fresh earth, about four feet diameter, where something had been buried.  Having no spade, we began to dig with a cutlass; and in the mean time I launched the canoe with intent to destroy her; but seeing a great smoke ascending over the nearest hill, I got all the people into the boat, and made what haste I could to be with them before sun-set.”

“On opening the next bay, which was Grass Cove, we saw four canoes, one single and three double ones, and a great many people on the beach, who, on our approach; retreated to a small hill, within a ship’s length of the water side, where they stood talking to us.  A large fire was on the top of the high land, beyond the woods, from whence, all the way down the hill, the place was thronged like a fair.  As we came in, I ordered a musquetoon to be fired at one of the canoes, suspecting they might be full of men lying down in the bottom; for they were all afloat, but nobody was seen in them.  The savages on the little hill still kept hallooing, and making signs for us to land.  However, as soon as we got close in, we all fired.  The first volley did not seem to affect them much; but on the second, they began to scramble away as fast as they could, some of them howling.  We continued firing as long as we could see the glimpse of any of them through the bushes.  Amongst the Indians were two very stout men, who never offered to move till they found themselves forsaken by their companions; and then they marched away with great composure and deliberation; their pride not suffering them to run.  One of them, however, got a fall, and either lay there, or crawled off on all-fours.  The other got clear, without any apparent hurt.  I then landed with the marines, and Mr Fannin staid to guard the boat.”