As We Were
Coming Away We Saw Two Of The Natives; I Showed Them The Things That
We Carried With
Us, and called to them, "Cocos, cocos," to let them
know that I took these things because they had not
Made good what
they had promised by their signs, and by their calling out "Cocos."
While I was thus employed the men in the yawl filled two hogsheads
of water, and all the barrecoes. About one in the afternoon I came
aboard, and found all my officers and men very importunate to go to
that bay where the hogs were said to be. I was loth to yield to it,
fearing they would deal too roughly with the natives. By two
o'clock in the afternoon many black clouds gathered over the land,
which I thought would deter them from their enterprise; but they
solicited me the more to let them go. At last I consented, sending
those commodities I had ashore with me in the morning, and giving
them a strict charge to deal by fair means, and to act cautiously
for their own security. The bay I sent them to was about two miles
from the ship. As soon as they were gone, I got all things ready,
that, if I saw occasion, I might assist them with my great guns.
When they came to land, the natives in great companies stood to
resist them, shaking their lances, and threatening them, and some
were so daring as to wade into the sea, holding a target in one hand
and a lance in the other. Our men held up to them such commodities
as I had sent, and made signs of friendship, but to no purpose, for
the natives waved them off. Seeing, therefore, they could not be
prevailed upon to a friendly commerce, my men, being resolved to
have some provision among them, fired some muskets to scare them
away, which had the desired effect upon all but two or three, who
stood still in a menacing posture, till the boldest dropped his
target and ran away. They supposed he was shot in the arm; he and
some others felt the smart of our bullets, but none were killed, our
design being rather to frighten than to kill them. Our men landed,
and found abundance of tame hogs running among the houses. They
shot down nine, which they brought away, besides many that ran away
wounded. They had but little time, for in less than an hour after
they went from the ship it began to rain; wherefore they got what
they could into the boats, for I had charged them to come away if it
rained. By the time the boat was aboard and the hogs taken in it
cleared up, and my men desired to make another trip thither before
night; this was about five in the evening, and I consented, giving
them orders to repair on board before night. In the close of the
evening they returned accordingly, with eight hogs more, and a
little live pig; and by this time the other hogs were jerked and
salted.
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