CH. VI, J KING PETER. 267 



formed person, appeared to great advantage, as she hung 

 over us both, addressing me vehemently about something 

 relative to the stranger. He, all the while, sat mute before 

 me, while I continued not only silent, but quite ignorant of 

 the purport of what was said. My handkerchief was at 

 length taken out, and many hands being at length laid upon 

 me, I retired as ceremoniously as circumstances permitted, 

 but not until I had been so manipulated by fishy paws, that 

 the peculiar odour of the savage adhered to my clothes long 

 after. 



I next allowed Peter to approach my tent, upon looking 

 into which, he set up a loud but feigned laugh, instead of 

 evincing any surprise on seeing many objects to him so very 

 strange. He afterwards came up with the old man and the 

 stranger, proposing that the three should go in and examine 

 it ; but I positively refused to let them enter the tent toge- 

 ther, for " a bull in a china-shop" were no hyperbole, 

 compared to pilfering savages, in a tent among barometers, 

 sextants and books. 



At length I found, to my regret, king Peter's hand in 



my pocket, pulling at my handkerchief several times, 



although I had given him a tomahawk and breastplate. 



They began to see (as I hoped), that they could not easily get 



more from us. I perceived a messenger despatched across 



the river, and asked this chief by gestures and looks, the 



object of the mission, when he made signs, that others would 



come to dance. It was clear, the man was sent for another 



tribe, as 



" The messenger of blood and brand." 



Still their numbers did not exceed sixty, though gathered 

 along the river bank for many miles back ; and my men, 

 with twelve muskets, were strong enough, when kept to- 

 e-ether ; but this could not be, and it was a time of consider- 

 able anxiety with us all. About noon, the whole tribe took 

 to the river, with the exception of the two old men, the tall 



