J42 A N A C C O U N T O F
>783»‘-
SEPTEMBER.
« nity, the Chief defended it with lingular cóiïrage, and foil
« his life ih endeavouring to fave his Order. When brought
« to Pelew, his head Was eût off, and ftuck on a bamboo,
« fixed up before the King’s houle.
« The canoe which brought me from the war had ip it
« two prifoners, one of whom had a broken thigh, and the
« other wounded in lèverai partsby a fpeàr. Their cuft'om
itf^^yhen they go tro battle, to trefs tHçir hair in apârtictilar
« manner, and to collect it in a great bunch at the top of
« their head ; but as foön its they are capturedrheyiu^foit,
«rpuÊ it dver their faces, and wait with firmhéls àiid 'infté*
«pidity the exterminating blow, which they are foréitO
« receive from the hands of their conquerors. Whenthefè
« two unfortunate meh; on coming into the;canoe where I
«was, by the above -mentioned dilpofition had-teftified
« they were prepared for their fate, the natives ordëred
« them to fit down in the bottom of the canoeji t® vFb|ch
« the one whole thigh was broken, fubmitted ; but 'thé
« other being refradfory, refufed, and feemed by refiftance
«to provoke his deftiny, upon which one of thé natives
« haftily fnatched my bayonet from my fide, and plunged
« it into his body : though the poor fellow was a confider-
« able time bleeding to death, yet he never uttered a Angle
« groan, or figh.
« Mr. Ben g er alfo reported, that he had by his intreaties
& for two hours faved a wounded prifooer, when one of the
- «King’s
« K in g ’S, people, who had been himfelf wounded by the 1783.
' . SEPTEMBER»
« enemy, happening toffee« him, fnatfchejl ».SpQGLE’s Ma-
« lay Cr/ejf^fy and llabbed him inftantly, before Mr. Ben-
« gek perceived the b low ;„This-man, a native ».of Artin-
« g A*LE,i wfio • bad; no w for the tirneTeen a white perforr,
« filbmittfed;t;undauntedly to his fate expiring, hf
« fixed his ,0^ionsther^sij’/^\and Teemed to die impreffed
“ withinothingTo ,much,as ihe colourrof,his new enemy.
« A bba Th.ui.le in his return to Pelew Hopped, and
« went-oh fotqre ifi feveral fmali iflands, which I underftood
if either fiubje& to him, or his. allies ;^expofing .publicly
« the deadrbOdifes dfrhis prifoneESj; and the people at all thefe
« places* if^epied to. rejoice much at his victory, bringing, dut
« fweet drink, and.oth’er refrefliments.— We. could not
« learn what number the enemy? lofty , but were- confident
:“ it mult have befen, confiderable. Not a fingle perfon
« of the Kinglsp party was killed, though there were a few .
“..wounded* i.
: It was - dark before, we reached Pelew;. qacqmiag near
«.it, the" conch was founded to notify the King’s approach.--;
« When we landed at the wharf from whence we had de-
-<‘i parted, avaft 1 lepncourfe of people were" ready to receive ,
« bringing with them a quantity of refrefhnaents. Here
« we Hopped till all were landed and got together (having
* A kind of dagger ufed by the Malays.
dropped