94 



pouter's journal* 



of the road, and supposing we should be unaccompanied 

 by nnany Indians, calculated by our silence to take them 

 bj 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. I gave the orders for marching, and sent word of 

 my intentions to Gattanewa, in order that neither him nor 

 his people might be alarmed by our warlike movements. 

 I directed the party sent in advance to halt as soon as they 

 had gained the top of the mountain until 1 came up with 

 the main body. There I intended encamping for the 

 night, should our men not be able to stand the fatigue of a 

 longer march. Several gave out before we reached the 

 summit, which we did in about three hours, with great 

 difficulty. But after resting a short time, and finding our- 

 selves refreshed, the moon shining out bright, and our 

 guides informing us (though very incorrectly) that we 

 were not more than six miles from the enemy, we again 

 marched. Several Indians had joined us, but I had impo- 

 sed silence on them, as we were under the necessity of 

 passing a Happah village, and was fearful of their discover- 

 ing us, and giving intelligence to the Typees. Not a 

 whisper was heard from one end of the line to the other ; 

 our guides marched in front, and we followed in silence up 

 and down the steep sides of rocks and mountains, through 

 rivulets, thickets, and reed brakes, and by the sides of pre- 

 cipices which sometimes caused us to shudder. At twelve 

 o'clock we could hear the drums beating in the Typee 

 valley, accompanied by loud singing, and the number of 

 lights in different parts of it induced me to believe they 

 were rejoicing. I inquired the cause, and was informed by 

 the Indians they were celebrating the victory they had ob- 

 tained over us, and calling on their gods to give them rain, 

 in order that it might render our bouhies useless. We 

 soon arrived at the pathway leading from the top of the 

 mountains into the valley. But the Indians told us that it 

 would be impossible to descend it without daylight ; that 

 the mountain was almost perpendicular, and that in many 

 places we should be under the necessity of lowering our- 

 selves down with great caution, and that it would be even 



