Besides, We Had Near Two Hundred Men In Proas Close By
Us; And The Bays On The Shore Were Lined With Men From One End To
The Other, Where There Could Not Be Less Than Three Or Four Hundred
More.
What weapons they had, we knew not, nor yet their design;
therefore I had, at their first coming near
Us, got up all our small
arms, and made several put on cartouch boxes, to prevent treachery.
At last I resolved to go out again; which, when the natives in their
proas perceived, they began to fling stones at us as fast as they
could, being provided with engines for that purpose, wherefore I
named this place Slinger's Bay; but at the firing of one gun they
were all amazed, drew off, and flung no more stones. They got
together, as if consulting what to do; for they did not make in
towards the shore, but lay still, though some of them were killed or
wounded; and many more of them had paid for their boldness, but that
I was unwilling to cut off any of them, which, if I had done, I
could not hope afterwards to bring them to treat with me.
The next day we sailed close by an island, where we saw many smokes,
and men in the bays, out of which came two or three canoes, taking
much pains to overtake us, but they could not, though we went with
an easy sail, and I could not now stay for them.
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