/ 



92 EXCURSION UP INDIAN SOUND. [1828. 



May 10th. — This day about fifteen hundred of the natives came 

 alongside, men, women, and children ; and now that they had acquired 

 confidence in our amicable intentions, they became amusing and interest- 

 ing. I permitted them all to come on board by turns, and partake of 

 that hospitality which had so delighted their friends the preceding day. 

 Previous to their departure I succeeded in making Cheleule understand 

 that I was going up to the head of the sound with two boats on the 

 following morning, in search of die-woods ; and wished him, with three 

 or four of his tribe, to accompany me. To this proposition he readily 

 assented, and took his leave. 



May 1 1 th. — This morning our boats were lowered, and prepared for 

 a week's cruise. A brass swivel with plenty of ammunition was placed 

 in each of them, together with a due number of muskets, pistols, and 

 lances. I selected ten men for our contemplated excursion, who were 

 armed with cutlasses. When every thing was ready, my first officer 

 having received his instructions respecting his deportment to the na- 

 tives during our absence, we left the vessel and pulled for the village. 

 The chief, Cheleule, was awaiting our arrival on the beach with four 

 of his people : I immediately requested him to leave orders with his 

 tribe for no one to go off to the vessel until we returned. With this re- 

 quest he readily complied, and his orders were strictly obeyed, for not 

 a single canoe approached the Wasp during our absence. 



Having received these honest savages on board our boats, we put on 

 the sails, and at 5, A. M., steered for the head of the sound, in a west- 

 north-west direction, with the wind from south-west, and clear weather. 

 Although we passed along the shore very rapidly, I was enabled to per- 

 ceive that the soil was rich, and the country very fine. The farther 

 we advanced up the lagoon the heavier we found the timber, and the 

 thicker the grass. In fact, the more I saw of this part of the conti- 

 nent the better I liked it, and the firmer became my conviction that 

 there are few finer countries in the world. 



At 12 o'clock we partook of a cold dinner with excellent appetites ; 

 and as we had now a leading wind, and were going at the rate of about 

 seven miles an hour, I concluded not to stop until night, as there were 

 no indications of the head of the bay being near at hand. In the 

 evening my savage friend Cheleule informed me that a very large tribe 

 of natives was located about ten miles farther ; and therefore he 

 thought it would be best to land at a spot he pointed out, and encamp 

 for the night. I immediately adopted the suggestion, and steered " for 

 the point proposed." 



At 9, P. M., we landed in a beautiful valley, covered with verdure, and 

 interspersed with groves, meadows, and other rural scenery of the 

 most picturesque description. I judged that we were now about eighty 

 miles from the vessel ; the southern extremity of the Cordilleras was 

 far to the eastward of us, and other indications bore testimony that we 

 were fanned by airs from the Pacific Ocean. 



It being low water when we landed, we found an abundance of mus- 

 cles and clams, and caught about two hundred fine mullet at the mouth 

 of a small fresh-water river a few rods from the boats. Our four na- 

 tives soon had a fire kindled, while the sailors were employed in fell- 



