Kahoora. No premeditated attack was intended by him or his people; but some of them having snatched some bread and fish from the seamen, while another was stealing something out of the boat, then in charge of the Captain's black servant, the delinquents were chastised with blows. This immediately produced a quarrel, when two muskets were fired, by which two of the natives were shot dead; and before another shot could be fired, the savages, who were greatly superior in numbers, rushed furiously upon our people, and destroyed them all. Had they prudently forborne to resent so hastily the petty thefts committed, no bloodshed might have ensued, and the horrible catastrophe might have been prevented. The boat was said to have been pulled in pieces and burnt.
To avoid the necessity of recurring again to the subject, it may be proper here to glance at the sequel of the Adventure's voyage. After passing through Cook's Strait, on the 23rd of December, Capt. Furneaux steered in a S.E. direction, and then proceeded eastward; and meeting with no interruption, he was abreast of Cape Horn in little more than a month. He then attempted to discover the land laid down by Bouvet; but his endeavours to find it proving fruitless, he bore away for the Cape of Good Hope, where he arrived on the 19th of March, 1774. Here he remained about a month, to refit his ship and refresh his people; and then sailing for England, he anchored at Spithead on the 14th of July. Omai arrived safely in the Adventure, and was the first Tahitian who set foot on our shores.
