They are provoked to fir? on the Ink a bit ants. 155 
peribns well armed ; we rowed dire&ly towards to the fhore, 
but the water was fo lhallow that we could not reach it by 
about two hundred yards: we waded however the reft of the 
way, having left two of the feamen to take care of the boat. 
Hitherto we had feen no figns of inhabitants at this place; 
but as foon as we got alhore we difcovcred the prints of human 
feet, which could not long have been impreffed upon the fand, 
as they were below high-water mark : we therefore concluded 
that the people were at no great diftance, and, as a thick wood 
came down within a hundred yards of the water, we thought 
it neceftary to proceed with caution, left we Ihould fall into an 
ambufcade and our retreat to the boat be cut off. We walked 
along the Ikirts of the wood, and at the diftance of about two 
hundred yards from the place where we landed, we came to a 
grove of cocoa-nut trees, which flood upon the banks of a little 
brook of brackiih water. The trees were of a fmall growth, 
but well hung with fruit; and near them was a lhed or hut, 
which had been covered with their leaves, though moll of them 
were now fallen off: about the hut lay a great number of the 
/hells of the fruit, fome of which appeared to be juft fre/h from 
the tree. We looked at the fruit very wilhfully, but not think** 
ing it fafe to climb, we were obliged to leave it without tailing 
a Angle nut. At a little diftance from this place we found plan- 
tains, and a bread-fruit tree, but it had nothing upon it; and 
having now advanced about a quarter of a mile from the boat, 
three Indians rulhed out of the wood with a hideous Ihout, at 
about the diftance of a hundred yards ; and as they ran towards 
us, the foremoft threw fomething out of his hand, which flew 
on one fide of him, and burnt exadlly like gunpowder, but 
made no report: the other two inftantly threw their lances at 
us; and, as no time was now to be loft, we difeharged our 
pieces, which were loaded with fmall fhot. It is probable that 
they did not feel the fhot, for though they halted a moment, 
they did not retreat ; and a third dart was thrown at us. As 
we thought their farther approach might be prevented with lefs 
ri(k of life, than it would coll to defend ourfelves againft their 
attack if they /hould come nearer, we loaded our pieces with 
ball, and fired a fecond time : by this difeharge it is probable 
that fome of them were wounded ; yet we had the fatisfaftion 
to fee that they all ran away with great agility. . As I was not 
difpofed forcibly to invade this country, either to gratify our 
appetites or our curiofity, and perceived that nothing was to be 
done upon friendly terms, we improved this interval, in which 
the deftrudtion of the natives was no longer neceffary to our 
own defence, and with all expedition returned towards our 
boat. As we were advancing along the fhore, we perceived 
that the two men onboard made fignals that more Indians were 
coming 
