1 
10 TRAVELS IN 
Scarcely had they joined me, when they be- 
gan to fhow, by then' condud, how their af- 
fairs were fituated. The whole horde, both 
thofe who had arrived and thofe who liad sic- 
companied me, no longer paid attention to 
any thing but their quarrel ; and they endca- 
voured to intereft me in it, though I knew not 
^ fingle word of their language. To fee their 
warmth, one might have fuppofed that their 
eleftioa Vi^as a matter of i;nportance to the whole 
world, and that the fate of mankind was about 
to depend on their chief. All fpoke at the fame 
time ; each endeavoured to drown his neigh-^ 
hour's voice by his own ; their eyes fparkled 
with fury ; and, amidft this confufion, while 
they threatened each other in turns, the noife 
they made became truly dreadful. 
This inteftin? war among the favages af- 
forded me a fpeftacle entirely new; ai^d though 
it had rather an alarming appearance, it pre- 
fented fomething interefting to the obfervation 
of a traveller. The hope, indeed, which I 
entertained of fettling their difpute in. an equi- 
table manners made fome amends for the dif- 
agreeablenefs of my fituation by being confti- 
tuted fuprenae judge in ^.cayfe of fo much 
?oafe- 
