VISIT TO THEIR TENTS. 381 



misapplied words, and scarcely more intelligible 

 signs. Whilst we were thus engaged, some old 

 men, half blind, came tottering up with their 

 spears, accompanied by two equally old women, 

 carrying short and rudely fashioned iron knives, 

 which, like the sword of the redoubted Hudi- 

 bras, would do to toast or strike withal ; but, 

 perceiving the uplifted hands of their friends, 

 the men threw their spears on the ground. 



Conceiving that I had now in some degree 

 gained their confidence, though not so entirely 

 but that each held the knife or stiletto-shaped 

 horn grasped in his hand by way of precaution, 

 I suppose, against treachery, I directed M c Kay 

 and Sinclair to go and examine the fall, with a 

 view to run it, if possible, and so avoid the 

 making a portage, fearing lest the sight of our 

 baggage might tempt the natives to steal, and 

 so provoke a rupture. They understood at 

 once what we were about ; so, to draw off their 

 attention, I went with them to their tents, 

 which were three in number, one single and 

 two joined together, constructed in the usual 

 manner with poles and skins. On our arrival, 

 I was struck with the sight of a sort of circum- 

 vallation of piled stones, precisely similar to 

 those which we had passed, and arranged, as 

 I conjectured, to serve for shields against the 

 missiles of their enemies ; as, besides the bow, 



