1812. 
MATTIVI UNJUSTLY TAKES AWAY THE GUN. 
405 
We therefore proceeded to an open place on the outside of the 
town, attended by a numerous crowd of spectators. A part of my 
men being left to guard the waggons, I ordered the rest to follow 
me with their muskets loaded. When the gun in question was dis- 
charged, the Chief desired that the others might also be fired. 
In complying with this request, the one which had been loaded 
by Stuurman, could not by any means be made to explode ; and on 
examination it was found that he had rammed in the cartridge with 
the ball downwards. A failure of this kind, while exhibiting to the 
natives the power of our arms, was the more unlucky, as it led them 
to believe that my party was not entirely composed of men who 
were properly skilled in the use of them ; for they watched all our 
motions with the most prying attention. 
Mattivi then requested that Molaala might be allowed to fire 
off one of the guns. Neither could this be refused ; but as soon as 
he had discharged it, instead of returning it to the Hottentot, as it 
was not the musket which had been intended for him, he was ordered 
by the Chief to take it home to his house. At so flagrant an act 
of bad faith, I loudly expressed my dissatisfaction, as it was an open 
breach of our agreement ; but he, in his turn, pretended to be 
equally dissatisfied with me for wishing to detain what he had now 
bought and made his own ; the whole party at the same time crying 
out, that they ought not to give it out of their possession. At this 
moment I felt exceedingly irritated at their conduct, so deficient in 
honor and every just principle ; but I suppressed my feelings as well 
as I was able, since a glance at the crowd and at my own men, showed 
me too truly that I was completely in their power, and that my gun 
was irrecoverably gone. They must have read in my countenance, 
what I thought of their dealings ; but they walked away, exulting in 
the success of their cunning, and even, perhaps, inwardly proud of 
their superiority over a white-man in this essential qualification, the 
possession of which seems in their eyes, and, I am ashamed to con- 
fess, in the eyes of many Europeans, to constitute a man of talents. 
Although the state of my feelings at this time rendered me but 
little disposed to have further dealings with them j yet as the state 
