1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 163 



several of our people were washing, and where our 

 nets, among which was the seine, and a great quan- 

 tity of linen, were laid out to dry ; here they again 

 set fire to the grass, entirely disregarding both threats 

 and entreaties. We were therefore obliged to dis- 

 charge a musket, loaded with small shot, at one of 

 them, which drew blood at the distance of about 

 forty yards, and thus putting them to flight, w 7 e ex- 

 tinguished the fire at this place before it had made 

 much progress ; but where the grass had been first 

 kindled, it spread into the woods to a great distance. 

 As the Indians were still in sight, I fired a musket, 

 charged with ball, abreast of them among the man- 

 groves, to convince them that they were not yet out 

 of our reach : upon hearing the ball they quickened 

 their pace, and we soon lost sight of them. We 

 thought they would now give us no more trouble ; 

 but soon after we heard their voices in the woods, 

 and perceived that they came nearer and nearer. I 

 set out, therefore, with Mr. Banks and three or four 

 more to meet them. When our parties came in sight 

 of each other, they halted ; except one old man, who 

 came forward to meet us : at length he stopped, and 

 having uttered some words, which we were very 

 sorry we could not understand, he went back to his 

 companions, and the whole body slowly retreated. 

 We found means, however, to seize some of their 

 darts, and continued to follow them about a mile : 

 we then sat down upon some rocks, from which we 

 could observe their motions, and they also sat down 

 at about an hundred yards' distance. After a short 

 time, the old man again advanced towards us, carry- 

 ing in his hand a lance without a point : he stopped 

 several times, at different distances, and spoke ; we 

 answered by beckoning, and making such signs of 

 amity as w r e could devise ; upon which the messen- 

 ger of peace, as we supposed him to be, turned and 

 spoke aloud to his companions, who then set up their 

 lances against a tree, and advanced towards us in u 



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