°28% ANOTHER POPULOUS VILLAGE. 



poked it, and turned it over and over with their 

 paddles, as if they feared some hidden danger. At 

 last they espied the hatchet, which they took off, 

 but let the breaker go, although bound with iron 

 hoops. They passed the hatchet from one to the 

 other, and examined it, and at last seemed clearly 

 to comprehend its use, as they set up a shout, and 

 waved it aloft in the air to the other canoes coming 

 up. Its possession, however, instead of inducing 

 them to commence a peaceful trade, seemed only to 

 excite them instantly to attack people having such 

 valuable articles. They paddled towards us in- 

 stantly, cast loose their arrows, adjusted their bows, 

 and very shortly began to shoot at us. Captain 

 Blackwood then fired his rifle into the end of the 

 canoe, which seemed to alarm them a little, and 

 they hung back for the rest. 



Meanwhile we were going rapidly down with the 

 ebb tide, along the channel leading to the south. 

 As soon as we opened the mouth of this channel 

 we met a breeze from the sea, obliging us to beat. 

 We found from two to three fathoms water, which 

 was deepest near the bank : as we proceeded, how- 

 ever, it got shoaler, and at the mouth of the 

 channel we got into eleven feet, the same water we 

 drew, and as the tide was falling, we were obliged 

 to return and anchor where it was deeper. We sent 

 the cutter on to try for a deeper channel outside. 



Just within the extreme point of the west bank, 

 near which we lay, was a large village, concealed 

 among the trees, having one or two great houses, 



