Two boats left the ship at about noon, and landed their casks undisturbed.  But when the party returned they found a crowd of over a thousand natives assembled, and a dangerous disposition soon revealed itself amongst them.  It is possible that the Frenchmen had, unconsciously, offended against some of their superstitious rites.  Certainly they had not knowingly been provoked.  They had peacefully bartered their fruits and nuts for beads, and had been treated in a friendly fashion throughout.  But the currents of passion that sweep through the minds of savage peoples baffle analysis.  Something had disturbed them; what it was can hardly be surmised.  One of the officers believed that the gift of some beads to a few, excited the envy of the others.  It may be so; mere envy plays such a large part in the affairs even of civilised peoples, that we need not wonder to find it arousing the anger of savages.  Laperouse tells what occurred in these terms:—­

“Several canoes, after having sold their ladings of provisions on board our ships, had returned ashore, and all landed in this bay, so that it was gradually filled.  Instead of two hundred persons, including women and children, whom M. de Langle found when he arrived at half past one, there were ten or twelve hundred by three o’clock.  He succeeded in embarking his water; but the bay was by this time nearly dry, and he could not hope to get his boats afloat before four o’clock, when the tide would have risen.  He stepped into them, however, with his detachment, and posted himself in the bow, with his musket and his marines, forbidding them to fire unless he gave orders.

“This, he began to realise, he would soon be forced to do.  Stones flew about, and the natives, only up to the knees in water, surrounded the boats within less than three yards.  The marines who were in the boats, attempted in vain to keep them off.  If the fear of commencing hostilities and being accused of barbarity had not checked M. de Langle, he would unquestionably have ordered a general discharge of his swivels and musketry, which no doubt would have dispersed the mob, but he flattered himself that he could check them without shedding blood, and he fell a victim to his humanity.

“Presently a shower of stones thrown from a short distance with as much force as if they had come from a sling, struck almost every man in the boat.  M. de Langle had only time to discharge the two barrels of his piece before he was knocked down; and unfortunately he fell over the larboard bow of the boat, where upwards of two hundred natives instantly massacred him with clubs and stones.  When he was dead, they made him fast by the arm to one of the tholes of the long boat, no doubt to secure his spoil.  The BOUSSOLE’S long-boat, commanded by M. Boutin, was aground within four yards of the ASTROLABE’S, and parallel with her, so as to leave a little channel between them, which was unoccupied by the natives.  Through this all the wounded men, who were so fortunate as not to fall on the other side of the boats, escaped by swimming to the barges, which, happily remaining afloat, were enabled to save forty-nine men out of the sixty-one.”