Taraiopu hesitated.

At this moment a man ran up and cried, "It is war; they have killed a chief!" One of the guard boats had, in fact, fired at a canoe attempting to leave the bay, and killed a man.

The natives at once ran to arms, and Cook, seeing his intentions frustrated, walked towards the boat.

A native attacked him with a spear, and Cook shot him with his gun.

Still, no further attack was made, but the men in the boats hearing Cook's shot, and seeing the excited crowd, commenced to fire without orders.