CAPTAIN sing's INTERVIEW, 
19a 
by one of their women, ami upon pointing to her, they 
feigned to think that she was the object of our wishes, 
and immediately left a female standing up to her middle 
in the water, and retired to some distance to await om" 
proeecdings. On pulling towards the woman, wbo^ by 
the way, could not have been selected by tbcui either for 
her yt>uth or beauty, she frequently repeated the words, 
"Ven aca, Ven aca," accompanied with an invitation to 
land ; but as we approached, she retired towards the 
sbopei when suddenly two natives, who had slowly 
walked towards us, sprang into the water, and made 
towards the boat with surprising celerity, jumping at 
each step entirely out of the sea, although it was so deep 
as to reach tbeir thighs. Their intention was evidently 
to seize the remaining tomahawk, which I had been 
endeavouring to exchange for the stand; and the foremost 
bad readied within two or three yards of the boat, when 
1 found it necessary, in order to prevent his approach, 
to threaten to strike him with a wooden club, which iiad 
the desii'cd efifect. 
"At this moment one of the natives took up the stand j 
and upon our pointing at liim, tbey appeared to compre- 
hend our object ; a consultation was held over the stand, 
which was minutely examined ; but as it was mounted 
with brass, and perhaps on that account appeared to 
them more valuable than a tomahawk, they declined 
giving it up, and gradually dispersed, or rather pretended 
to do so, for a party of anucd natives was observed to 
conceal themselves under some mangrove-bushes near the 
beach, whilst two canoes were plying about near at hand 
to entice our approach j the stratagem, however, did not 
K 
