During the remainder of this night, we heard the same loud howling and lamentations, as in the preceding one.  Early in the morning, we received another visit from Koah.  I must confess, I was a little piqued to find, that notwithstanding the most evident marks of treachery in his conduct, and the positive testimony of our friends the priests, he should still be permitted to carry on the same farce, and to make us at least appear to be the dupes of his hypocrisy.  Indeed our situation was become extremely awkward and unpromising; none of the purposes for which this pacific course of proceeding had been adopted, having hitherto been in the least forwarded by it.  No satisfactory answer whatever had been given to our demands; we did not seem to be at all advanced toward a reconciliation with the islanders; they still kept in force on the shore, as if determined to resist any attempts we might make to land; and yet the attempt was become absolutely necessary, as the completing our supply of water would not admit of any longer delay.

However, it must be observed, in justice to the conduct of Captain Clerke, that it was very probable, from the great number of the natives, and from the resolution with which they seemed to expect us, an attack could not have been made without some danger; and that the loss of a very few men might have been severely felt by us, during the remaining course of our voyage.  Whereas the delaying the execution of our threats, though on the one hand it lessened their opinion of our power, had the effect of causing them to disperse on the other.  For this day, about noon, finding us persist in our inactivity, great bodies of them, after blowing their conchs, and using every mode of defiance, marched off over the hills, and never appeared afterward.  Those, however, who remained, were not the less daring and insolent.  One man had the audacity to come within musket-shot a-head of the ship; and, after slinging several stones at us, he waved Captain Cook’s hat over his head, whilst his countrymen on shore were exulting and encouraging his boldness.  Our people were all in a flame at this insult, and coming in a body on the quarter-deck, begged they might no longer be obliged to put up with these repeated provocations; and requested me to obtain permission for them from Captain Clerke, to avail themselves of the first fair occasion of revenging the death of their commander.  On my acquainting him with what was passing, he gave orders for some great guns to be fired at the natives on shore; and promised the crew, that if they should meet with any molestation at the watering-place the next day, they should then be left at liberty to chastise them.

It is somewhat remarkable, that before we could bring our guns to bear, the islanders had suspected our intentions, from the stir they saw in the ship, and had retired behind their houses and walls.  We were therefore obliged to fire, in some measure, at random; notwithstanding which, our shot produced all the effects that could have been desired; for, soon after, we saw Koah paddling toward us, with extreme haste, and on his arrival we learned, that some people had been killed, and amongst the rest, Maiha-maiha, a principal chief, and a near relation of the king.[2]