The iNDiANS SET Fire to the Woods, in 
lance without a point : he flopped feveral times, at different 
diftances, and fpoke ; we anfwered by beckoning and making 
fuch flgns of amity as we could devife ; upon which the mef- 
fen^erof peace, as we fuppofel him to be, turnea and fpoke 
aloud to h : s companions, who then fet up their lances againft 
a tree, and advanced to us in a friendly manner: when they 
came up, we returned the darts or lan.es that we had taken 
from them, and we perceived with great fatisfa&ion that this 
rendered the reconciliation complete. We found in this party 
four per ons whom we had never feen before, who as ufual 
were introduced to us by name ; but the man who had been 
wounded in the attempt to burn our nets and linen, was not 
among them ; we knew however that he could not be danger- 
oufly hurt, by the diftance at which the fhot reached him. 
We made ail of them p efents of fuch trinkets as we had about 
us, and they walked back with us towards the Ihip : as we 
went along, they told us, by figns, that they would not fet 
fire to the grafs any more ; and we diftributed among them 
fome mufquet balls, and endeavoured to make them under- 
ftand their ufe and effed. When they came abreaft of the fhip, 
they fat down, but could not be prevailed upon to come on 
board ; we therefore left them, and in about two hours they 
went away, foon after which we perceived the woods on lire 
at about two miles diftance. If this accident had happened a 
very little while fooner, the confequence might have been 
dreadful ; for our powder had been aboard but a few days, and 
the ftore tent, with many valuable things, which it contained, 
had not been removed many hours. We had no idea of the 
fury with which grafs would burn in this hot climate, nor con- 
fequently of the difficulty of extinguilhing it ; but we deter- 
mined, that if it fhould ever again be neceffary for us to pitch 
our tents in fuch a lituation, our firft meafure fhould be to clear 
the ground round us. 
In the afternoon we got every thing on board the Ihip, new 
birthed her, and let her fwing with the tide ; and at night 
the mafter returned, with the difcouraging account that there 
was no paffage for the Ihip to the northward. 
The next morning, at low water, I went and founded, and 
bouyed the bar, the Ihip being now ready for the fea. We 
faw no Indians this day, but all the hills round us for many 
miles were on fire, which at night made a moft ftriking and 
beautiful appearance. 
The 2 1 ft paffed without our getting fight of any of the in- 
habitants, and indeed without a Angle incident wortll notice. 
On the 2 2d, we killed a turtle for the day’s provilion, upon 
opening which we found a wooden harpoon, or turtle peg, 
about as thick as as man’s linger, near fifteen inches long, and 
bearded at the end, fuch as we had feen among the natives, 
K 2 flicking 
