At Length, About Three O'clock In The Afternoon, We Found Ourselves In A
Sort Of Natural Funnel In The Rock, The End Of Which Grew Narrower And
Narrower As It Wound About In Curious Curves.
"Close up now," said Lizzie, "water sit down along of other side; baal
black fellow get away."
We halted for a few minutes to get breath, and to steady ourselves, and
then, keeping close together, stepped out of the gloomy passage into the
broad daylight. It was a beautiful sight. The "bora ground" had been
selected in a miniature bay, of about three acres in extent, closed in by
perpendicular rocks, and attainable only by boat, or by the passage through
which we had just arrived. In this secluded spot a quantity of coca-nut
palms were growing, waifs, carried there by the ocean from the distant
South Sea Islands, fructifying and multiplying on the hospitable shore, and
shielded from the tomahawk of the native, on account of the shelter they
afforded his mysterious retreat. Under the palms stood several conical
huts, or lodges, of considerable dimensions, used, I presume, on state
occasions for the deliberations of the elder warriors. But the thing most
pleasing to our eyes, was the sight of some two hundred natives, of both
sexes, and all ages, who now started to their feet, with wild cries of
alarm, and motions expressive of the utmost terror, at this sudden invasion
of their retreat by the dreaded white man.
Some of the blacks flew to arms at once, and stood with poised spears in a
menacing attitude, whilst the gins and piccaninnies cowered together on the
beach. We had our carbines in hand, cocked, and prepared to defend
ourselves in the event of hostilities, which we earnestly hoped to avoid.
Lizzie, who had at last begun to understand that slaughter was not our
object, and who had been reconciled to our tame proceedings by the promise
of much finery, now advanced towards the threatening natives and made a
speech in their own language, to the effect that we wished to do them no
harm, beyond ascertaining whether there were any whites among them, though,
if we found murder had been committed, we should discover the perpetrators,
hold them answerable, and punish them. Rewards were offered for any
information that would lead to a knowledge of the real fate of the
shipwrecked crew, and an exaggerated estimate of our strength, and the
capability of our firearms, was given by our interpreter, on her own
account, and was perfectly intelligible to us from the signs and
gesticulations she made, and the scorn with which she pointed to the rude
weapons of her country-men; for the intrepid little girl had marched
fearlessly up to the group of warriors.
After delivering her speech, Lizzie withdrew to us, and we waited, rather
anxiously, the turn that affairs would take; for a peaceful solution would
be far preferable to a fight, in which, though we must ultimately be the
victors, yet success would only be achieved at considerable loss of life,
probably on both sides.
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