Jane
fhould certainly become a faetifice -tothe favage Spirit of the .-natives.
W-* Thefe ^people they defcrihed as, pqffeffing irem, «areas, a»d utenfiilss, which
they procured tfrpfm-fcheirj neighbours «to the Weffiw-ard, and were obtained
by a eomraereisl progress- from people likeiourfelg'sesf iwhohnought «theca
in great canoes.
Such an account o f -pur -fttuation,-exaggerated,as,it,might hje in fome
points, ;and erroneous in others, was Sufficiently alarming, and awakened
vary painful reflexions 3 nevertheless it did not operate -on my mind So as
jto produce any change in my •original determination. My firft ohjeX,
therefore, was to perfuade two o f thefe people-to .accompany me, diat they
might feejure for as ;a favourable «eeeption fsom-fheir npighteBS®* X®
this propofition they affented, but exprefled fome degree of diffatisfaftion
at the immediate departure, for which we were making preparation; but
When we were ready to-enter the canoe, a finafl One was fesU-douMirig
the point helo«r, with three men in it. We thought it prudent-to wait
Sot :their arri-va!l,iand -they proved to be ibme of-their iEelaftioss, who had
aasceisredi-he alar mrfroro the, mefTengersy-which 1, ha^-^lf eady 'mentioned
•as ihaving been Sent down the risseri fortbntpbtpqlfii ?and i wfbo had
pafled on, as we were afterwards informed, to extend the -notice, of out-
arrival. Though thefe people faw: us in the midft »csf their ftiends, (they
difj&ayed the moft menacing aXioos, and hoftiie polburess A t length,
however, this wild,favage Spirit appeared: to fubfiide, ,a®d they weee pen-
fuaded to land. Qne o f ,them, who was ,-a .-Middle aged jperfon, wfefe
.agitations had been lefe .frequent than thofe o f his companions, and: who
was tneated with particular refpeX by them all, inquired wfh© we-were,
whence we came, whither we were going, and what was the motive of
our
om cbrakg intfl» th$t< country. Wham bk friends* had fatkfied him as
&r^'-th^m«e',/ahl^.’iiefpe£ikgr us, he inftentl^adawifedtus- to delay our
departure: foar that night, as their rekdlionsr below, having been by this
S^ipe alarmed by the meffengers, who had been Sent for that purpofe,'
would) certainly oppofo our patflage,,notwithstanding I had two-of their
owm peopfe withme: He- added, that they would all of them be here
by when they wonld be Coryvibeed-yaShe was,, that we were good
people; and, meditated norifli deligns againft. them,
„ S,uch. were-the Eeafp-ps which this. Indian urged in favour o f ou»rg*
mainingjtilL the ne^t mqrning; and.'tjhgy, were top well founded for me
to jhgfitate in complying with .them; befides, by prolonging my flay till
the,,next ,mo^pipg, it was probable that I might, obtain fcme4®poftant in-
telUgence xefpe^iing .the. country through.,which. Iwas, tq.pafs;., and the
peoplgjwho'bahabjted it., I accordingly, ordered the canoe, to be unloaded,
(taken oyjt of the w^ter, and gummed. ^Idy.^nt-.w^ ajfo pitched, and the
native^, w>er.e now b,e6orpe fq familiar^.-that,I was pb.ligpd to let them know
<my wiffi fo,he alone and undiflurbedj
&|y firil appheation to the natiye. whom 1'ha#'®.«
mentioned, was to obtain, from’him; ftich; a plan of tfeffiefhauld
be enabled-to«give: me; and he complied with this requeft .with a degree
o f readinefsi and -m t e U ig f i iQ d e v identlyproved it was by up
means a new bufipefefto«ihitnv In order: to acquise’ -the heft information
he could comnmmcStc,,I. afltu^ed him^.ff I found his. account- cor-
reX, that I fhould; either return myfelf; forfind others to them, with
fUch articles as they appeared to, want': pafticular^ arms arid ammunition,,
with which they « would be able to prevent their ’ enemies from invading