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[Page 3]
and other refreshments. He had just left the harbour, when a heavy gale worsted his foremast and obliged him to return to it again to repair. He had the Carpenter & his observatory landed & thought no harm. But the Islanders now grew more thievish than they had ever been before, & at last the Cutter belonging to the Discovery was Stole from the Buoy on which it was moored. Capt. Cook next day went on Shore with his Lieutenant & nine Guardemarines to the place, where the chief of the Isle Tere-oboo resided. He was received by the people with their usual veneration, but found a great mob assembled about the Chief. During his compliments some of the Bystanders grew insolent, & one fellow at last became it to such a degree, that C Cook fired at him with small shot, & tho' the fellow received no hurt thro' the mat he had thrown about him, yet a murmuring pervaded the whole Mob, & as some hostilities began from their Side, the Lieutenant fired & killed a man, on which instead of flight, the attack became general, & tho' the Guardemarines fired with effect, no time was given them to reload their pieces; in this fray Capt Cook was unfortunately killed at the first on-set, with four of his people. The Lieutenant with the remainder mostly wounded, retired with difficulty, whilst the firing from the Pinnance & long Boat, which lay near shore, kept the Enemy at some distance. Capt. Clerke to whom the command devolved saw no means of revenging, without considerable loss the death of his brave countryman. The islanders being a numerous & it seemed a warlike set of people, & having stone walls for their defence on the hills. Thus he kept on the defensive, & got all things on board, where he continued repairing whilst the Islanders most heartily sued for peace. In the middle of March he left this unlucky island O.why.he, & stood to the North, where he met with very heavy Gales; & brought the Resolution, which had Sprung a leak & received other damage with the gale into the harbour of Avalcha on S. Polu & S Paul at the end of April this year having damages