AN ATTACK FROM SAVAGES. 509

I was a little surprised then, indeed, and so was my nephew the
captain ; for he had heard such terrible stories of them in the island,
and having never been in those seas before, that he could not tell
what to think of it, but said two or three times we should all be
devoured. I must confess, considering we were becalmed, and the
current set strong towards the shore, I liked it the worse. How-
ever, I bade him not be afraid, but bring the ship to an anchor as
soon as we came so near to know that we must engage them.

The weather continued calm, and they came on apace towards
us; so I gave order to come to an anchor, and furl all our sails.
As for the savages, I told them they had nothing to fear but fire;
and therefore they should get their boats out and fasten them, one
close by the head, and the other by the stern, and man them both
well, and wait the issue in that posture. This I did, that the men
in the boats might be ready with skeets and buckets to put out
any fire these savages might endeavour to fix to the outside of the
ship.

In this posture we lay by for them, and in a little while they
came up with us; but never was such a horrid sight seen by Chris-
tians. My mate was much mistaken in his calculation of their
number, I mean of a thousand canoes; the most we could make of
them, when they came up, being about a hundred and six and twenty :
and a great many of them too; for some of them had sixteen or
seventeen men in them, and some more, and the least six or seven.

When they came nearer to us they seemed to be struck with
wonder and astonishment, as at a sight which they had doubtless
never seen before; nor could they at first, as we afterwards under-
stood, know what to make of us. They came boldly up, however,
very near to us, and seemed to go about to row round us; but we
called to our men in the boats not to let them come too near them.

This very order brought us to an engagement with them with-
out our designing it; for five or six of their large canoes came so
near our longboat, that our men beckoned with their hands to.
them to keep back, which they understood very well, and went
back; but at their retreat about fifty arrows came on board us
from those boats, and one of our men in the longboat was very
much wounded. ;