Page:A voyage round the world, in His Britannic Majesty's sloop, Resolution, commanded by Capt. James Cook, during the years 1772, 3, 4, and 5 (IA b30413849 0001).pdf/253

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people, not to place themselves in the power of a set of uncivilized men, who follow their own caprice instead of laws.

The next morning we hoisted St. George's colours, the jack and pennant in honour of His Majesty's birth-day, which we prepared to celebrate with the usual festivities. The family of natives, whose name I have mentioned page 209, and who by living constantly in a neighbouring cove, were now intimate with us, came on board very early, and breakfasted with us. Whilst we were sitting in the steerage, an officer acquainted the captain with the approach of a large double canoe, well manned with New Zeelanders, coming from the northward. We immediately went on deck, and saw the canoe about a musket shot from us, containing twenty-eight men, making towards our sloop, which from her size they probably took to be the commanding one. Our friends on board very earnestly told us they would be our enemies, and persisted to fire at them; nay Towahanga, the head of the family jumped on the arm chest, which was placed on our quarter deck, and taking hold of a stick, made a number of warlike motions with it, and soon after spoke to them very violently, but with some degree of solemnity, at the same time brandishing, as it seemed in defiance, a large hatchet of green nephritic stone, which he had never shewn us before. In the mean time the canoe approached, without