PORTER^S JOURNAL, 



95 



necessary for them to assist us in the day-time to enable us 

 to get down with safety. Believing from experience that 

 when the natives considered the roads bad, they would 

 prove really so to us, and finding that my men were much 

 fatigued, and averse to risking their necks any longer at 

 night, added to which, several of my stoutest men had 

 given out, and were left under charge of the Indians on 

 the road, I concluded that it would be most adviseable to 

 wait for daylight before we attempted to descend. We 

 were in possession of the pathwa) to the valley, and could 

 prevent the Happahs from giving them any intelligence of 

 us 5 we were on a narrow ridge running between the val- 

 leys of the two tribes, well situated to guard against sur- 

 prise, and defend ourselves from an attack from either ; 

 and what added to the convenience of our situation, we 

 had a stream of water not far distant. 



I had left a small party in charge of a hill, which appear- 

 ed to me then a commanding situation ; but after coming 

 to my present determination, I sent a messenger to call 

 them in, and after placing guards, we laid down on our 

 arms. 1 had fallen into a dose, when an Indian came to 

 inform me that it was coming on to rain very heavy, and 

 as he expressed himself, would mattee ! mattee ! bouhie. 

 This appearance of rain caused loud shouts of joy in the 

 Typee valley and drums were beating in every quarter, 

 I cautioned my men about taking care of their arms and 

 ammunition; but from the violence of the rain, which 

 soon poured down in torrents, I had little hope that a 

 musket would be kept dry or a cartridge saved. Never, 

 in the course of my life, did I spend a more anxious or 

 disagreeable night, and I believe there were few with me 

 who had ever seen its equal. A cold and piercing wind 

 accompanied the deluge, for I can call it nothing else, and 

 chilled us to the heart. Without room to keep ourselves 

 warm by moving about, fearful of stirring, lest we might be 

 precipitated into eternity down the steep sides of the 

 mountains, for the ridge had now become so slippery we 

 could scarcely keep our feet— we all anxiously looked for 

 morning, and the first dawn of day, although the wind and 

 rain still continued, was a cheering sight to us, notwith- 

 standing our apprehensions for the fate of the ammunition 

 and the condition of our muskets. W e were all as perfect- 



