their fortune in a fecond attack. As to fhorten the conteft
would certainly leil'en the mifchief, I determined to make
this action decifiye, and put an end to hoftilities at once; I
therefore ordered the people, who were all at their quarters,
to fire firlt upon the canoes which were drawn together in
groups: this was immediately done fo effedtually, that thofe
which were to the weftward made towards the fhore as fait
as poflible, and thofe to the eaftward, getting round the
reef, were foon beyond the reach o f our guns. I then directed
the fire into the wood in different parts, which foon
drove the Indians out o f it, who ran up the hill where the
women and children had feated themfelves to fee the battle.
•Upon this hill there were now feveral thoufands who
thought themfelves in perfect fecurity; but to convince
them of the contrary, and hoping that when they faw the
fhot fall much farther than they could think poffible, they
would fuppofe it could reach them at any diftance, I ordered
fome of the guns to be let down as low as they would admit,
and fired four fhot to wards them. Two of the balls fell clofe
by a tree where a great number o f thefe people were fitting,
and ftruck them with fuch terror and conflernation, that in
lefs than two minutes not one o f them was to be feen.
Having thus cleared the coaft, I manned and armed the
boats, and putting a ftrong guard on board, I fent all the
carpenters with their axes, and ordered them to deftroy
every canoe that had been run afhore. Before noon, this
fervice was effectually performed, and more than fifty canoes,
many of which were fixty feet long, and three broad, and
lafhed together, were, cut to pieces. Nothing was found in
them but ftones and flings, except a little fruit, and a few
fowls and hogs, which were on board two or three canoes of
a much fmaller fize.
At
At two o’clock in the afternoon, about ten o f the natives t767-
came out o f the wood with green boughs in their hands, c. ^1?—
which they ftuck up near the water fide, and retired. After Fnday -6‘
a fhort time, they appeared again, and brought with them
feveral hogs, with their legs tied, which they placed near
the green boughs, and retired a fecond time. After this
they brought down feveral more hogs, and fome dogs, with
their fore-legs tied over their heads, and going again into
the woods, brought back feveral bundles of the cloth which
they ufe for apparel, and which has fome refemblance to
Indian paper; Thefe they placed upon the beach, and called
to us on board to fetch them away. As we were at the
diftance of about three cables’ length, we could not then
perfectly difcover o f what this peace-offering confifted : we
gueffed at the hogs and the cloth, but feeing the dogs, with
their fore-legs appearing over the hinder part of the neck,
rife up feveral times, and run a little way in an eredl
pofture, we took them for fome ftrange unknown animal,
and were very impatient to have a- nearer view o f them.
The boat was therefore fent on fhore with all expedition,
and our wonder was foon at an end. Our people found nine
good hogs, befides the dogs and the cloth: the hogs were
brought off, but the dogs were turned loofe, and with the
cloth left behind. In return for the hogs, our people left
upon the fhore fome hatchets, nails, and other things,
making figns to fome of the Indians who were in fight, to
take them away with their cloth. Soon after the boat had
come on board, the Indians brought down two more hogs,
and called to us to fetch th em; the boat therefore returned,
and fetched off the two hogs, but ftill left the cloth, though
the Indians made figns that we fhould take it. Our people
reported, that they had not touched any o f the things which
they