I Found That
We Were Surrounded By Enemies, And A Party Of Chiboque Lay Near The Gateway,
After Having Preferred
The demand of "a man, an ox, a gun, or a tusk."
My men had prepared for defense in case
Of a night attack,
and when the Chiboque wished to be shown where I lay sick, they very properly
refused to point me out. In the morning I went out to the Chiboque,
and found that they answered me civilly regarding my intentions
in opening the country, teaching them, etc., etc. They admitted
that their chiefs would be pleased with the prospect of friendship,
and now only wished to exchange tokens of good-will with me,
and offered three pigs, which they hoped I would accept. The people here
are in the habit of making a present, and then demanding whatever they choose
in return. We had been forewarned of this by our guides, so I tried
to decline, by asking if they would eat one of the pigs in company with us.
To this proposition they said that they durst not accede. I then
accepted the present in the hope that the blame of deficient friendly feeling
might not rest with me, and presented a razor, two bunches of beads,
and twelve copper rings, contributed by my men from their arms.
They went off to report to their chief; and as I was quite unable to move
from excessive giddiness, we continued in the same spot on Tuesday evening,
when they returned with a message couched in very plain terms,
that a man, tusk, gun, or even an ox, alone would be acceptable;
that he had every thing else in his possession but oxen, and that,
whatever I should please to demand from him, he would gladly give it.
As this was all said civilly, and there was no help for it if we refused
but bloodshed, I gave a tired riding-ox.
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