20 ANNITERSAET ADDEESS. 



resolutely advanced within bow-shot, and then suddenly dis- 

 charged their arrows, which happily went over the boat without 

 doing any mischief; they did not prepare for a second discharge 

 but instantly ran away into the woods, and our people discharged 

 some muskets after them, but none of them were wounded by 

 the shot. Soon after this happened the cutter came under the 

 ship's side, and the first person that I particularly noticed was the 

 master, with three arrows sticking in his body. No other evidence 

 was necessary to convict him of having acted contrary to my 

 orders, which appeared more fully from his own account of the 

 matter, which it is reasonable to suppose was as favourable to 

 himself as he could make it. He said that, having seen some 

 Indian houses with only five or six of the inhabitants, at a place 

 about fourteen or fifteen miles to the westward of the ship's 

 station, where he had sounded some bays, lie came to a grappling, 

 and veered the boat to the beach, where he landed with four men, 

 armed with muskets and pistols ; that the Indians at first were 

 afraid of him, and retired, but that soon after they came down to 

 him, and he gave them some beads and other trifles with which they 

 seemed to be much pleased ; that he then made signs to them for 

 some cocoa-nuts, which they brought him, and with great appearance 

 of friendship and hospitality gave him a broiled fish and some boiled 

 yams ; that he then proceeded with his party to the houses, which, 

 he said, were not more than fifteen or twenty yards from the water- 

 side, and soon after saw a great number of canoes coming round 

 the western point of the bay, and many Indians among the 

 ti'ees ; that, being alarmed at these appearances, he hastily left 

 the house where they had been received, and with the men, 

 made the best of his way towards the boat ; but that, before he 

 could get on board, the Indians attacked, as well those that 

 were with him as those that were in the boat, both from the 

 canoes and the shore. Their number, he said, was between 300 

 and 400 ; their weapons were bows and arrows — the bows were 

 6 feet 5 inches long, and the arrows 4 feet, which they discharged 

 in platoons as regularly as the best disciplined troops in Europe. 

 That it being necessary to defend himself and his people when 



