258 
ANIMATED DISCUSSION. 
power ; but he declared that his people could not pull 
without breakfast, and the preparations of this meal 
was delayed by a variety of untoward circumstances ; 
among which, not the least important was the per- 
versity of the devoted goat, which required to be 
caught three or four times before it would allow itself 
to be killed, skinned, and stewed ; so that by the 
time this very important affair was dispatched, and we 
had taken leave of the kind host, it was nine o^clock. 
On our way to the boat, we were met by a number 
of men armed with muskets, who saluted us very 
civilly in passing, but previously to our embarkation 
they surrounded Mr. Lilly, and King Bell, whom they 
engaged in a very animated discussion, on the subject 
of our further advance. At times the palaver seemed 
to go on smoothly enough, at others the interlocutors 
broke out into passionate exclamations and the wildest 
gestures, which being simultaneously responded to on 
the part of the bystanders, showed them to be unanimous 
in their unreasonable stipulations. Our apprehensions 
for Mr. Lilly's safety, were allayed by his perfectly 
composed demeanour, as he stood in the centre of this, 
apparently, angry group. 
On reaching the boat, he explained that these 
people had come from the towns above, to inform us 
that if we proceeded on our voyage, we should meet 
with a very bad and savage set of men, from whom 
our lives would be in the greatest danger. The orator 
added, that since the white men had come to their 
