PORTER’S JOURNAL, 
than six miles from the enemy, we again marched. Several In¬ 
dians had joined us, but I had imposed silence on them, as we 
were under the necessity of passing a Happah village, and was 
fearful of their discovering us, and giving intelligence to the Ty- 
pees. Not a whisper was heard from one end of the line to the 
other; our guides marched in front, and we followed in silence up 
and down the steep sides of rocks and mountains, through ri¬ 
vulets, thickets, and reed breaks, and by the sides of precipices 
which sometimes caused us to shudder. At twelve o’clock we 
could hear the drums beating in the Typee valley accompanied 
by loud singing, and the number of lights in different parts of it 
induced me to believe they were rejoicing. I inquired the cause, 
and was informed by the Indians they were celebrating the victo¬ 
ry they had obtained over us, and calling on their gods to give 
them rain in order that it might render our bouhies useless. 
We soon arrived at the path way leading from the top of the 
mountains into the valley; but the Indians told us that it would be 
impossible to descend it without day-light; that the mountain was 
almost perpendicular, and that in many places we should be um 
der the necessity of lowering ourselves down with great caution, 
and that it would be even necessary for them to assist us in the 
day-time to enable us to get down with safety. Believing from 
experience that when the natives considered the roads bad, they 
would prove really so to us, and finding that my men were much 
fatigued and averse to risking their necks any longer at night, ad¬ 
ded to which several of my stoutest men had given out, and were 
left under charge of the Indians on the road, I concluded that it 
would be most adviseable to wait for day-light before we attempt¬ 
ed to descend. We were in possession of the path way to the val¬ 
ley, and could prevent the Happahs from giving them any intelli¬ 
gence of us; we were on a narrow ridge running between the val¬ 
leys of the two tribes and well situated to guard against surprise 
and defend ourselves from an attack from either; and wdiat added 
to the convenience of our situation we had a stream of water not 
far distant. 
I had left a small party in charge of a hill, which appeared t© 
me then a commanding situation; but as I had come to my present 
determination I sent a messenger to call them in, and after plac* 
