Wednef.iS.
flock. When our fupper was ready, we were conducted into
that part o f ‘the houfe where Wiverou was fitting, in order to
eat i t ; Mathiabo flipped with us, and Wiverou calling for his
fupper at the fame time, we eat our meal very fociably, and
with great good-humour. When it was over, we began to
enquire where we were to fleep, and a part of the houfe
was fhewn us, of which we were told we might take poflef-
fion for that purpofe. We then fent for our cloaks, and Mr.
Banks began to undrefs, as his cuftom was, and, with a precaution
which he had been taught by the lofs of the jackets
at Atahourou, fent his clothes aboard the boat, propofing to
cover himfelf with a piece of Indian cloth. When Mathiabo
perceived what was doing, he alfo pretended to want a
cloak ; and, as he had behaved very well, and done us fome
fervice, a cloak was ordered for him. We lay down, and
obferved that Mathiabo was not with u s ; but we fuppofed
fhat he was gone to bathe, as the Indians always do before
they fleep. We had not waited long, however, when an Indian,
who was a ftranger to us, came and told Mr. Banks,
that the cloak and Mathiabo had difappeared together. This
man had fo far gained our confidence, that we did not at firft
believe the report; but it being foon after confirmed by
Tuahow, our own Indian, we knew no time was to be loft.
As it was impoffible for us to purfue the thief with any hope
o f fuccefs, without the affiftance of the people about us, Mr.
Banks ftarted up, and telling our cafe, required them to recover
the cloak ; and to enforce his requifition, fhewed one
of his pocket piftols, which he always kept about him.
Upon the fight of the piftol, the whole company took the
alarm, and, inftead of aflifting to catch the thief, or recover
what had been ftolen, began wirii great precipitation to leave
the place" one of them, however, was feized, upon which
he immediately offered to dire ft the chace; I fee out therefore
fore with Mr. Banks, and though we ran all the way, the
alarm had got before Us, for in about ten minutes we met a
man bringing back the cloak, which the thief had relin-
quiftied in great terror; and as we did not then think fit to
continue the purfuit, he made his efcape. When we returned,
we found the houfe, in which there had been between two
and three hundred people, entirely deferted. It being,
however, foon known that we had no refentment againft
any body but Mathiabo, the Chief Wiverou, our hoft, with
his wife and many others, returned, and took up their lodging
with us for the night. In this place, however, we were
deftined to more confufion and trouble, for about five o’clock
in the morning our fentry alarmed us, with an account that
the boat was miffing: he had feen her, he faid, about half
an hour before, at her grappling, which was not above fifty
yards from the fhore; but upon hearing the found of oars,
he had looked out again, and could fee nothing of her.
At this account we ftarted up greatly alarmed, and ran to
the water fide: the morning was clear and ftar light, fo that
we could fee to a confiderable diftance, but there was no appearance
of the boat. Our fituation was now fuch as might
juftify the moil terrifying apprehenfions; as it was a dead
calm, and we could not therefore fuppofe her to have
broken from her grappling, we had great reafon to fear that
the Indians had attacked her, and finding the people aileep,
had fucceeded in their enterprize: we were but four, with
only one mufquet and two pocket piftols, without a fpare
ball or charge of powder for either. In this ftate of anxiety
and diftrefs we remained a confiderable time, expefting the
Indians every moment to improve their advantage, when, to
our unfpeakable fatisfaftion, we faw the boat return, which
had been driven from her grappling by the tide; a cir-
Vol. II. Y cumftance
Wednef. zg.