with a party of
men, accompanied by Mr. Banks, Dr. Solander, and Mr. Green. We took along
with us one of Mr. Banks's Tents, and after we had fix'd upon a place fit
for our purpose we set up the Tent and marked out the ground we intended
to Occupy. By this time a number of the Natives had got collected
together about us, seemingly only to look on, as not one of them had any
weapon, either Offensive or defensive. I would suffer none to come within
the lines I had marked out, excepting one who appeared to be a chief and
old Owhaa--to these 2 men we endeavour'd to explain, as well as we could,
that we wanted that ground to Sleep upon such a number of nights and then
we should go away. Whether they understood us or no is uncertain, but no
one appeared the least displeased at what we was about; indeed the Ground
we had fixed upon was of no use to them, being part of the sandy Beach
upon the shore of the Bay, and not near to any of their Habitations. It
being too late in the day to do anything more, a party with a petty
officer was left to guard the Tent, while we with another party took a
Walk into the woods, and with us most of the natives. We had but just
crossed the River when Mr. Banks shott three Ducks at one shott, which
surprised them so much that most of them fell down as though they had
been shott likewise. I was in hopes this would have had some good effect,
but the event did not prove it, for we had not been long from the Tent
before the natives again began to gather about, and one of them more
daring than the rest pushed one of the Centinels down, snatched the
Musket out of his hand and made a push at him, and then made off, and
with him all the rest. Immediately upon this the Officer ordered the
party to fire, and the Man who took the musket was shot Dead before he
had got far from the Tent, but the musquet was carried quite off when
this hapned. I and Mr. Banks with the other party was about half a Mile
off, returning out of the woods, upon hearing the firing of Muskets, and
the Natives leaving us at the same time, we Suspected that something was
the matter and hastened our march, but before we arrived the whole was
over, and every one of the Natives fled except old Owhaa, who stuck by us
the whole time, and I believe from the first he either knew or had some
suspicion that the People would attempt something at the Tent, as he was
very much against our going into the Woods out of sight of the Tent.
However, he mi