276 
A CHASE. 
it in 1833, with Colonel Nicolls, R.M., in the ‘Quorra’ 
steamer. At that time no communication had ever 
been made by Europeans with these islands, nor with 
the main land, except for the purposes of aggression, 
by carrying off the poor natives into slavery. The 
consequence was, that they looked on all white men 
with suspicion, which Colonel Nicolls was desirous of 
removing. When the ‘Quorra’ came into the bay, 
the surface of it was covered with little canoes, pur- 
suing their daily avocations of fishing. All made for 
their strongholds in the islands or for the mainland, 
with the utmost speed; the ‘Quorra’s’ boats following 
close upon them until they were near to the shore, 
where some natives checked their advance by firing 
muskets. Two small canoes, how'ever, having a man 
and boy in one, and one man in the other, were so 
far out to sea, that the vessel was between them and 
the shore ; they paddled with all their might, thinking, 
poor fellows, that it wms for life or liberty; and 
when they found our boats wore approaching, the 
single man abandoned, his canoe, and added his ener- 
gies to those of the man and boy in the other, hoping 
by these means to get in shore, being still some dis- 
tance from the cutter. There was now a most amus- 
ing chase,— both parties entered into it with their 
utmost vigour, but with very different motives ; the 
Krumen — six powerful fellows — pursued with the 
keen relish of sportsmen or slave-catchers, while despair 
added strength to the poor natives ; they doubled 
