Second voyage
Shortly after returning to Boston in 1803 Atahualpa set out on another maritime fur trading voyage, this time under the command of Oliver Porter. By January 1804 the ship was trading on the Pacific Northwest coast. The ship continued to cruise the coast the following year.[1]
On 12 June 1805 the ship was attacked at Milbanke Sound by the Heiltsuk First Nation. Captain Porter and eight of his men were killed, and several more seriously wounded. According to the surviving crew Atahualpa had been anchored near a native village and all seemed peaceful. A number of natives were on board. A canoe brought the local chief, who called for Captain Porter to inspect some sea otter furs. When Porter leaned over the rail to see, one of the natives on board Atahualpa stabbed him in the back and threw him overboard. Then followed, according to the survivor Joel Richardson, "a general massacre". The captain, first mate, second mate, supercargo, cooper, cook, and others were killed. Some of the crew who were below deck fired up through the hatches and then charged with knives and muskets, retaking the ship. Only four of the crew were uninjured by the end of the battle. These four, with three of the wounded, cleared the deck of dead bodies, loosed sails, waited for the ship to swing the right direction, then cut the anchor cable and barely cleared "the village rock". Then they made all sail and beat out of Milbanke Sound.[4]
According to the Heiltsuk people (Q̓vúqvay̓áitx̌v), the Atahualpa was conducting trading business in a way that was a grave violation of Heiltsuk Ǧviḷás (law). Thus, according to the Heiltsuk the attack was "enforcement of Heiltsuk jurisdiction under Ǧviḷás". The Heiltsuk explain the attack on the Atahualpa as "one example of Heiltsuk agency when making decisions about natural resources and addressing the misconduct of visitors within our territory."[5]
On 17 June 1805 the dead were buried at sea. The ship was taken to Kaigani where it was hoped other American vessels would be found. They waited at Kaigani until 23 June, when Vancouver, under captain Thomas Brown, arrived. The teenage boatswain of Atahualpa was the highest ranking man left alive. He immediately turned the ship over to Captain Brown, who sent his chief mate, David Adams, over to take command of Atahualpa. Mr. Low, who had left Boston as first mate of Lydia and transferred to Vancouver, was made first mate of Atahualpa. The two ships sailed to Nahwitti.[4]
News of the attack spread quickly along the coast and by 27 June there were six New England trading vessels at Nahwitti, three belonging to the Lyman Company, Atahualpa, under David Adams, Vancouver, under Thomas Brown, and Lydia, under Samuel Hill, and the vessels Juno, under John DeWolf, Pearl, and Mary. Between all the ships a plan was devised to make up the lost crew of Atahualpa with men from other ships, and to establish a new hierarchy of command.[4]
The supercargo of Lydia, Isaac Hurd, was happy to volunteer to transfer to Atahualpa. He and Captain Hill had become bitter enemies during the voyage of the Lydia. Hill refused to let Hurd go. It was agreed that Atahualpa, with David Adams as captain, would sail immediately to Canton. Two days were spent preparing Atahualpa for the voyage. The ship's guns and cargo were moved to the Vancouver. On 3 July Brown and Hurd decided that it would be in the best interest of their employer if the cargos of Vancouver and Lydia were consolidated and one of the ships accompany Atahualpa to Canton. Since Vancouver was larger and could easily take Lydia's cargo, but not the reverse, they argued that the Captain Hill of the Lydia should give up his cargo and sail for Canton. As supercargo of the Lydia Hurd was in charge of the cargo, and so went to inform Captain Hill of the decision. Hill reacted with extreme anger and threats of violence. After several days and attempts to persuade Hill to comply with the plan, Hill still refused to transfer any of the cargo. In the end he allowed Hurd to transfer to Atahualpa, allowing him on board Lydia only to get his personal clothing. When Hurd came on board to do so Captain Hill stood over him the entire time with a club, ready to strike. Watching this from the Vancouver, Captain Brown threw up his hands and declared he would never have anything to do with Hill again.[4]
The Lydia's cook, who had also suffered under Captain Hill, snuck away to Atahualpa. As Atahualpa began to sail away, without the escort Brown and Hurd had wanted, Captain Hill approached in a boat and demanded to come aboard to get his cook. David Adams refused. Once Atahualpa was out of Hill's reach the cook came on deck and waved.[4]
From Nahwitti Atahualpa sailed to Canton and then back to Boston, arriving home in late December 1805.[1]
The attack and its aftermath were documented in various ship logs and other records. Ebenezer Clinton's journal of the Atahualpa and Vancouver includes a song memorializing the event, called The Bold Northwestman.[1]
