This Was What I Expected, And Indeed What I Was Not
Sorry For, As I Wanted An Opportunity To Shew The Multitude On Shore, The
Effect Of Our Fire Arms, Without Materially Hurting Any Of Them.
Having a
fowling-piece loaded with small shot (No.
3) I gave the fellow the
contents; and, when they were above musquet-shot off, I ordered some of the
musquetoons, or wall-pieces, to be fired, which made them leap out of the
canoe, keep under her offside, and swim with her ashore. This transaction
seemed to make little or no impression on the people there. On the
contrary, they began to halloo, and to make sport of it.[1]
After mooring the ship, by four anchors, with her broadside to the landing-
place, hardly musquet-shot off, and placing our artillery in such a manner
as to command the whole harbour, I embarked with the marines, and a party
of seamen, in three boats, and rowed in for the shore. It hath been already
mentioned, that the two divisions of the natives were drawn up on each side
the landing-place. They had left a space between them of about thirty or
forty yards, in which were laid, to the most advantage, a few small bunches
of plantains, a yam, and two or three roots. Between these and the water
were stuck upright in the sand, for what purpose I never could learn, four
small reeds, about two feet from each other, in a line at right angles to
the shore, where they remained for two or three days after.
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