Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 22.djvu/298

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286 JOHN BOIT

perate weather. At 8 in the morning the 4th Officer was dispatch'd with a party well arm'd in the Pinnace, for to dig a grave for our worthy friend. At 9 the pinnace return'd At 10 left the Ship with three boats, under charge of Mr. Hazwell, 1st Officer, with the corps, the Ship firing minute guns. At 11 Capt. Gray landed in a small boat, and after performing divine service, we inter' d the remains of our de- parted, and much beloved, friend, with all the solemnity we was capable of.

The place was gloomy, and nothing was to be heard but the bustling of an aged oak, whose lofty branches hung wavering o'er the grave, together with the meandering brook, the Cries of the Eagle, and the weeping of his friends added solemnity to the scene. So ends. 61

15. Weighed, and left Port Tempest, wind at NW. At sunset it bore NEW. 6 leagues, and (Massacre Cove) 62 West 5 Miles. Saw none of the Natives. No doubt the Rascles wou'd have destroy'd the Jolly boat after they had massacred our unfortunate countrymen, had not the Ship's guns alarm'd them. Standing to the South and E.

16. This day spoke the Brig Hancock 63 of Boston, Samuel Crowell, Master. They was on the same business as ourselves, and had been pretty successful. 64 Capt. Crowell inform'd that

61 When Haswell returned to the spot in the Adventure on 2nd June, 1792, he found that "the natives had dug the corpse of Mr. Caswell up, and by the appearance it must have been done soon after burial."

62 This, it is suggested, was situate on the eastern side of Prince of Wales Island between Cholmondeley Sound and Skowl Bay. No data are given in any of the narratives whereby to distinguish it from any of the other coves in the vicinity. Perhaps Indian tradition may later be brought forward to identify the exact spot. See the supplementary note hereto for further discussion of this subj ect.

63 This vessel had evidently been trading for a month in the vicinity, for Ingraham had learned of her presence on i6th July, while he was in Parry Passage (Cox Strait). On that date he says, "Cow inform'd us he saw a vessel! to the Eastward with 2 masts on which I sent a boat with an Officer accom- panied by Cow to view her after a short absence the boat return'd and inform'd u was a Brig standing to the Eastward this vessel I afterwards found was the Hancock Cap Croel from Boston N A." Hoskins states that she had arrived on 1 4th July, having left Boston in the beginning of November, 1790. She had stopped tor supplies at St. Salvador, a Portuguese settlement on the coast of Brazil, and had also stayed some time at Staten Island, killing seals and obtaining wood and water. She had called at Mas afuera for water and at Owhyhee for fresh provisions. The natives there had determined to capture her, but Tianna (weli known to all readers of Meares) had informed the captain of their intention and had urged him to sail at once, as he haJ promised his people that if the brig remained there on the following day they were at liberty to carry the

64 The Hancock had obtained between five hundred and six hundred sea otter skins- the Columbia had about as many. See Washington Historical Quarterly, vol xi p 17. Haswell says she had seven hundred sea otter skins.