[Footnote 2:  The word matee is commonly used, in the language of these islands, to express either killing or wounding; and we were afterwards told, that this chief had only received a slight blow on the face from a stone, which had been struck by one of the balls.]

Soon after the arrival of Koah, two boys swam off from, the morai toward the ships, having each a long spear in his hand; and after they had approached pretty near, they began to chant a song in a very solemn manner, the subject of which, from their often mentioning the word Orono, and pointing to the village where Captain Cook was killed, we concluded to be the late calamitous disaster.  Having sung in a plaintive strain for about twelve or fifteen minutes, during the whole of which time they remained in the water, they went on board the Discovery and delivered their spears, and after making a short stay, returned on shore.  Who sent them, or what was the object of this ceremony, we were never able to learn.

At night, the usual precautions were taken for the security of the ships; and as soon as it was dark, our two friends, who had visited us the night before, came off again.  They assured us, that though the effects of our great guns, this afternoon, had terrified the chiefs exceedingly, they had by no means laid aside their hostile intentions, and advised us to be on our guard.

The next morning, the boats of both ships were sent ashore for water, and the Discovery was warped close to the beach, in order to cover that service.  We soon found that the intelligence which the priests had sent us, was not without foundation; and that the natives were resolved to take every opportunity of annoying us, when, it could be done without much risk.

Throughout all this group of islands, the villages, for the most part, are situated near the sea; and the adjacent ground is enclosed with stone walls, about three feet high.  These, we at first imagined, were intended for the division of property; but we now discovered, that they served, and probably were principally designed, for a defence against invasion.  They consist of loose stones, and the inhabitants are very dexterous in shifting them with great quickness, to such situations, as the direction of the attack may require.  In the sides of the mountain, which hangs over the bay, they have also little holes, or caves, of considerable depth, the entrance of which is secured by a fence of the same kind.  From behind both these defences, the natives kept perpetually harassing our waterers with stones; nor could the small force we had on shore, with the advantage of muskets, compel them to retreat.