indiieed to believe, there was a considerable scarcity of 

 hoth in the valley. A few had been furnished as presents^ 

 but no persuasions would induce them to sell any to iis, 

 even for articles which were held in the highest estimation 

 by them. They could not supply them in sufficient quan- 

 tities to exchange for whales' teeth, nor could they be per- 

 suaded to part with them for harpoons, of which we had a 

 large stock on hand. 



The day after the gun was moved for the mountains, the 

 chief warrior, named Mouina, was introduced to me. He 

 was a tall, well-shaped man, of about thirty-five years of 

 age, remarkably active, of an intelligent and open counte- 

 nance, and his whole appearance highly prepossessing. 

 He had just left the other warriors in the fortified village^ 

 and had come down to request me to cause a musket to be 

 fired (which he called a bouhi) that he might witness its 

 effects. Several individuals of the tribe of the Happahs 

 were at that moment about the camp, and I was pleased at 

 the opportunity which was afforded me, to convince them 

 of the folly of resisting our firearms with slings and spears* 

 1 fired several times myself at a mark, to show them that 

 1 never failed of hitting an object the size of a man. I 

 then directed the marines to fire by volleys at a cask, which 

 was soon like a riddle. I directed them to tell their coun- 

 trymen that it would only be making a useless sacrifice of 

 their lives ; that I had no wish to destroy them, but that my 

 own safety, and the security of the friendly tribes, whom I 

 had promised to protect, required that they should be driven 

 from the mountains overhanging the valley, where they 

 had constantly kept their position, daily waving their 

 cloaks to us to ^ome up, and threatening us with their 

 spears and clubs. Indeed, considerable numbers of them 

 had been seen in the grass, on the hills at the back of our 

 encampment, and I had much reason to apprehend an at- 

 tack from them soon, if means were not taken to dislodge 

 them. 



Mouina appeared much pleased with the effect of our 

 musketry ; and frequently exclaimed, mattee, mattee I kill- 

 ed, killed ! The Happahs, however, replied, that nothing 

 could persuade their tribe, that bouhies could do them the 

 injury that we pretended : that they were determined to 

 try the effects of a battle, and if they should be beaten. 



