158 VOYAGE TO THE 



chap, natives of indulging their favourite propensity was 

 ^—- yw not overlooked ; and one of them, regardless of all 

 1&2G. risk, thrust himself between our people, snatched 

 up the gun, and, mingling with the mob with the 

 greatest adroitness, succeeded in making his escape. 

 The crowd instantly fled into the wood, and along 

 the beach, but shortly rallied, and with loud shouts 

 advanced upon us, until the discharge of a carronade 

 from the barge, which was fortunately near, put 

 them to flight. The man who had sealed the com- 

 pact of friendship, if so indeed it be, by rubbing 

 noses, sat quietly upon a large stone close to us dur- 

 ing this affair, as if he relied upon the pledge that 

 had been given for his security. It would have 

 been treacherous, and perhaps pregnant with seri- 

 ous evils to them and to ourselves, had any violence 

 been offered, or any thing done that might appear 

 like an infringement of this understanding, or I 

 should certainly have detained his person, in the 

 hope of the gun being returned. As it was, I allow- 

 ed him to go quietly away. 



The boats were at this time unavoidably very 

 awkwardly situated, by being aground upon the 

 rocks, and in a situation from which it would have 

 been extremelv difficult to extricate them, had a de- 

 termined attack been made by the natives. The 

 consequences in that case would have been very 

 serious ; though their weapons consisted only of 

 long poles and bone-headed spears, yet they were 

 sufficiently powerful, from their numbers alone, to 

 have rendered the most determined defence on our 

 part doubtful. 



As soon as we were free, we followed the natives 

 along the beach, approaching them, whenever the 



