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twenty of us, of which number I was one, went on Hiorc with the cafks. 

 The pilot Alaminos warned us to be prepared againft a fudden attack of 

 the natives, who had in that manner fallen on him, in his former vifit 

 to this coaft. We accordingly put a good guard in an open place near 

 the fhore, and proceeded to make wells, in which to our great fatisfac- 

 tion we found excellent water. We ftayed about an hour fteeping 

 cloths in it, and wafhing our wounds, and this delay enabled the In- 

 dians to fall on us ; for at the expiration of that period, one of our out 

 centinels came to give us the alarm of their approach, a few moments 

 only before they appeared. Thefe Indians were very tall of ftature, and 

 were clothed in the ikins of animals. They affailed us with a flight of 

 arrows, with which they wounded fix of us, and myfelf among the 

 reft. We however beat them off, and they then went to fupport another 

 body of their countrymen, who, in their canoes, had attacked and 

 feized our boat, and were dragging it away with them, having 

 wounded the pilot Alaminos, and four of the mariners » We followed 

 them clofe, and wading above our middles in the water, refcued the 

 boat, leaving in all twenty-two of them dead, and three who were 

 flightly wounded, we made prifoners ; thefe however died in the voy- 

 age. After the natives were beaten oiF, we enquired of the foldier. 

 who brought the report of the enemy, what had become of his com- 

 panion ; he faid that a fhort time before, he faw him go towards the 

 water fide with a hatchet in his hand, to cut a palmita j that he fiiortly 

 after heard him cry out as he fuppofed when the enemy were putting 

 him to death, and therefore he gave the alarm, the Indians appearing 

 immediately after. This foldier was named Berrio: he was the only 

 perfon who efcaped without a wound in Pontonchan. We went in 

 fearch of him, and found the plant which he had begun to cut, and the 

 fand much trodden, but no trace of blood : of courfe we concluded that 

 he had been carried off alive. After fearching for the fpace of an hour 

 we gave him up, and returned to the veffels with the water, which, 

 when our companions faw, they knew no moderation in their joy. 

 One man in particular leaped into the boat when it came along-fide the 

 veffel, and feizing a cafe of water, did not ftop drinking until he died. 



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