^'>^) Pa:RTEli's JOURNAL. 



out to examine the bushes, and supposed it a false alarm ; 

 hut on returning to the camp, casting our eyes up the hills, 

 we perceived a party skulking among the reeds and grass : 

 we got the six pounder to bear on them, soon dislodged 

 them, and had no other interruption or alarm during the day. 



About eleven o'clock we perceived that our people had 

 gained the mountains, and were driving the Happahs from 

 height to height, who fought as they retreated, and daring 

 our men to follow them with threatening gesticulations. 

 A native, who bore the American flag, waved it in triumph 

 as he skipped along the mountains — they were attended 

 by a large concourse of friendly natives, armed as usual, 

 who generally kept in the rear of our men. Mouina alone 

 was seen in the advance of the whole, and was well known 

 by his scarlet cloak, and waving plumes. In about an 

 hour we lost sight of the combatants, and saw no more of 

 them until about four o'clock, when they were discovered 

 descending the mountains on their return, the natives 

 bearing five dead bodies, slung on poles. 



Mr. Downes and his men soon afterwards arrived at the 

 camp, overcome with the fatigue of an exercise to which 

 they had been so little accustomed. He informed mc 

 that on his arrival near the tops of the mountains, the 

 Happahs, stationed on the summit, had assailed him and 

 his men, with stones and spears ; that he had driven them 

 from place to place until they had taken refuge in a for- 

 tress, erected in a manner before described, on the brow 

 of a steep hill. Here they all made a stand, to the num- 

 ber of between three and four thousand. They dared our 

 people to ascend this hill, at the foot of which they had 

 made a halt to take breath. The word was given by Mr. 

 Downes, to rush up the hill ; at that instant a stone struck 

 liim on the belly, and laid him breathless on the ground, 

 and at the same instant, one of our people was pierced 

 with a spear through his neck. This occasioned a halt, 

 and they were about abandoning any farther attempt on the 

 place : but Mr. Downes soon recovered, and finding him- 

 self able to walk, gave orders for a charge. Hitherto our 

 party had done nothing. Not one of the enemy had, to 

 their knowledge, been wounded. They scoffed at our men, 

 and exposed their posteriors to them, and treated them 

 with the utmost contempt and derision. The friendly na- 



