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boat, to acquaint the officer on fhore with what I had
feen, and order him immediately to come on board
with his men, and leave the cafks behind him he
had however, difcovered his danger, and embarked
before the boat reached him. Having perceived the
Indians that were creeping towards him under thelter
of the wood, he immediately difpatched the old man
to them, making figns that they should keep at a dif-
tance, and that he wanted nothing but water. As
foon as they perceived that they were discovered, they
began to fhout, and advanced with greater speed. The
officer immediately repaired to the boats with his peo.
ple; and the Indians, in the mean time having croffed
the river, took poffeffion of the water cafks, with great
appearance of exultation and joy. The canoes now
pulled along the fhore, towards the place, with the
utmost expedition, all the people on land keeping pace
with them, except a multitude of women and children,
who feated themfelves upon a hill which overlooked
the bay and the beach. The canoes from each point
of the bay, as they drew nearer to that part of it where
the ship was at anchor, put on fhore and took in more
men, who had great bags in their hands, which after-
wards appeared to be filled with stones. All the canoes
that had come round the points, and many others
that had put off from the shore within the bay, now
made towards the fhip, fo that I had no doubt but
that they intended to try their fortune in a fecond attack.
As to shorten the contest would certainly leffen the
mifchief, I determined to make this action decifive,
and puc an
end to hoftilities at once; I therefore or-
dered the people, who were all at their quarters, to
fire first upon the canoes, which were drawn together
in groups this was immediately done fo effectually,
that those which were to the westward made towards
the fhore as fast as poffible, and those to the eastward,
getting round the reef, were foon beyond the reach of
our guns. I then directed the fire into the wood in
different parts, which foon drove the Indians out of
it, who ran up the hill where the women and children
had seated themselves to fee the battle. Upon this
hill there were now feveral thousands who thought
themselves in perfect fecurity; but to convince them

:

of

1767.

June.

1767. June.

of the contrary, and hoping that when they faw the fhot fall much farther than they could think poflible, they would fuppofe it could reach them at any distance, I ordered fome of the guns to be let down as low as they would admit, and fired four fhot towards them. Two of the balls fell close by a tree where a great number of thefe people were fitting, and ftruck them with fuch terror and confternation, than in less than two minutes not one of them was to be feen. Having thus cleared the coaft, I manned and armed the boats, and putting a strong guard on board, I sent all the carpenters with their axes, and ordered them to deftroy every canoe that had been run a-shore. Before noon, this service was effectually performed, and more than fifty canoes, many of which were fixty feet long, and three broad, and lafhed together, were cut to pieces. Nothing was found in them but ftones and flings, except a little fruit, and a few fowls and hogs, which were on board two or three canoes of a much fmaller fize.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, about ten of the natives came out of the wood with green boughs in their hands, which they ftuck up near the water fide, and retired. After a fhort time, they appeared again, and brought with them feveral hogs, with their legs tied, which they placed near the green boughs, and retired a fecond time. After this they brought down feveral more hogs, and fome dogs, with their fore legs tied over their heads, and going again into the woods, brought back feveral bundles of the cloth which they ufe for apparel, and which has fome refemblance to Indian paper. Thefe they placed upon the beach, and called to us on board to fetch them away. As we were at the distance of about three cables length, we could not then perfectly difcover of what this peaceoffering confifted: we gueffed at the hogs and the cloth, but feeing the dogs, with their fore legs appearing over the hinder part of the neck, rife up feveral times, and run a little way in an erect pofture, we took them for fome ftrange unknown animal, and were very impatient to have a nearer view of them. The boat was therefore fent on fhore with all expedition, and our wonder was foon at an end. Our people

found

found nine good hogs, befides the dogs and the cloth : the hogs were brought off, but the dogs were turned loofe, and with the cloth left behind. In return for the hogs, our people left upon the fhore fome hatchets, nails, and other things, making figns to fome of the Indians who were in fight, to take them away with their cloth. Soon after the boat had come on board, the Indians brought down two more hogs, and called to us to fetch them; the boat therefore returned, and fetched off the two hogs, but ftill left the cloth, though the Indians made figns that we should take it. Our people reported, that they had not touched any of the things which they had left upon the beach for them, and fomebody fuggesting that they would not take our offering because we had not accepted their cloth, I gave orders that it should be fetched away. The event proved that the conjecture was true, or the moment the boat had taken the cloth on board, the Indians came down, and with every poffible demonstration of joy, carried away all I had fent them into the wood. Our boats then went into the watering-place, and filled and brought off the cafks, to the amount of about fix tons. We found that they had fuffered no injury while they had been in the poffeffion of the Indians, but fome leathern buckets and funnels, which had been taken away with the casks, were not returned.

1767.

June.

The next morning I fent the boats on fhore, with a Satur. 27. guard, to fill fome more cafks with water, and foon after the people were on fhore, the fame old man, who had come over the river to them the first day, came again to the farther fide of it, where he made a long speech, and then croffed the water. When he came up to the waterers, the officer fhewed him the ftones that were piled up like cannon balls upon the fhore, and had been brought thither fince our first landing, and fome of the bags that had been taken out of the canoes which I had ordered to be deftroyed, filled with ftones, and endeavoured to make him understand that the Indians had been the aggreffors, and that the mischief we had done them was in our own defence. The old man seemed to apprehend his meaning, but not to admit it: he immediately made a fpeech to the people, pointing to the ftones, flings, and bags, with great

emotion,

1767. June.

Satur. 27.

emotion, and fometimes his looks, gestures, and voice were so furious as to be frightful. His paffions, however, fubfided by degrees, and the officer, who to his great regret could not understand one word of all that he had faid, endeavoured to convince him, by all the figns he could devife, that we wished to live in friendship with them, and were disposed to shew them every mark of kindness in our power. He then fhook hands with him, and embraced him, giving him at the fame time feveral fuch trinkets as he thought would be most acceptable. He contrived alfo to make the old man understand that we wished to traffic for provifions, that the Indians fhould not come down in great numbers, and that they should keep on one side of the river and we on the other. After this the old man went away with great appearance of fatisfaction, and before noon a trade was established, which furnished us with hogs, fowls and fruit in great abundance, fo that all the ship's company, whether fick or well, had as much as they could use.

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The fick fent on shore, and a regular Trade eftablished with the Natives. Some account of their Character and Manners, of their Vifits on board the Ship, and a Variety of Incidents that happened during this Intercourfe.

MAT

ATTERS being thus happily fettled, I sent the Surgeon, with the second Lieutenant, to examine the country, and fix upon some place where the fick might take up their refidence on fhore. When they returned, they faid, that with refpect to health and convenience, all the places that they had feen upon the island feemed to be equally proper: but that with respect to fafety, they could recommend none but the watering-place, as they would be there under the protection of the fhip and the guard, and would eafily be prevented from straggling into the country, and brought off to their meals. To the wateringplace therefore I fent them, with thofe that were emploved in filling the cafks, and appointed the Gunner

to

to command the party that was to be their guard. A tent was erected for them as a shelter both from the fun and the rain, and the Surgeon was fent to fuperintend their conduct, and give his advice if it should be wanted. It happened that walking out with his gun, after he had feen the fick properly difpofed of in the tent, a wild duck flew over his head, which he shot, and it fell dead among fome of the natives who were on the other side of the river. This threw them into a panic, and they all ran away: when they got to fome distance they stopped, and he made figns to them to bring the duck over this one of them at last ventured to do, and, pale and trembling, laid it down at his feet. Several other ducks happening at that inftant to fly over the spot where they were standing, he fired again, and fortunately brought down three more. This incident gave the natives fuch a dread of a gun, that if a musquet was pointed at a thoufand of them, they would all run away like a flock of fheep; and probably the ease with which they were afterwards kept at a distance, and their orderly behaviour in their traffic, was in a great measure owing to their having upon this occafion feen the inftrument of which before they had only felt the effects.

As I forefaw that a private traffic would probably commence between fuch of our people as were on fhore, and the natives, and that if it was left to their own caprice, perpetual quarrels and mifchief would enfue, I ordered that all matters of traffic should be tranfacted by the Gunner, on behalf of both parties, and I directed him to fee that no injury was done to the natives, either by violence or fraud, and by all poffible means to attach the old man to his intereft. This fervice he performed with great diligence and fidelity, nor did he neglect to complain of those who tranfgreffed my orders, which was of infinite advantage to all parties; for as I punished the firft offenders with a neceffary feverity, many irregularities, that would otherwife have produced the moft difagreeable confequences, were prevented: we were alfo indebted for many advantages to the old man, whofe caution kept our people perpetually on their guard, and foon brought back thofe who ftraggled from the party.

The

1767.

June.

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