106 



Porter's Voyage 



and I became fully convinced that the safety of my people, as 

 well as the interests of my government, would be compromised 

 by any delay in the renewal of hostilities. Accordingly, the next 

 day I determined to proceed with a force which I believe^ they 

 could not resist, and selected two hundred men from the Essex, 

 the Essex Junior (which had now arrived,) and from the prizes. 

 I directed boats to be prepared to start with them before daylight 

 next morning, and cautioned every one to be secret as to my 

 intentions, not wishing to be annoyed by the noise and confusion 

 of either of the tribes of Indians, whom we had always found 

 useless to us. In the evening, the boats being leaky and unable 

 to carry the men, I caused the party to be sent on shore, and 

 determined to go by land. We had a fine moonlight night, and 

 I hoped to be down in the Typee valley long before daylight. 

 We had guides which we believed could be depended upon for 

 their knowledge of the road, and supposing we should be un- 

 accompanied by many Indians, calculated by our silence to take 

 them by surprise, and make several prisoners, the possession of 

 which would probably bring them to terms and save the necessity 

 of bloodshed, which I wished to avoid if possible. The Essex's 

 crew composed the main body, the rest being divided into 

 scouting parties, headed by their respective officers. Added to 

 this, I was desirous of impressing them with a high idea of our 

 force, and by this means, terrify them into terms without farther 

 effusion of blood. I accordingly directed my men to assemble on 

 the ridge and to fire a volley ; the Typees had not until then 

 seen us, nor had they the least suspicion of our being there. As 

 soon as they heard the report of our muskets, and discovered our 

 numbers, which, with the multitude of Indians of both tribes 

 who had now assembled, was very numerous, they shouted, beat 

 their drums, and blew their war conchs from one end of the valley 

 to the other. And what with the squealing of the hogs, which they 

 now began to catch, the screaming of the women and children, 

 and the yelling of the men, the din was horrible. 



After firing our volley which went off better than I expected, 

 we descended, with great difficulty, into the village of the Hap- 

 pahs, and were shown into the public square. Around this 

 place were several vacant houses, which had in all appearance been 

 vacated on our account. In these I quartered my officers and 

 men, assigning to each ship's crew their abode, after which I took 

 possession of the one I had chosen for myself, in front of which 

 the American ensign was hoisted. 



When night approached, proper look-outs were placed, and 

 fJres made before each house. Those of the tribe of Tayeehs 

 remained with us, the Happahs retired. All not on guard de- 

 voted themselves to sleep, and at dayhght, next morning, we 



