d over the boarding-netting even before the matches had been applied
to the larboard guns. Nothing now could withstand their brute rage.
Our men were borne down at once, overwhelmed, trodden under foot, and
absolutely torn to pieces in an instant.

Seeing this, the savages on the rafts got the better of their fears,
and came up in shoals to the plunder. In five minutes the Jane was a
pitiable scene indeed of havoc and tumultuous outrage. The decks were
split open and ripped up; the cordage, sails, and everything movable on
deck demolished as if by magic, while, by dint of pushing at the stern,
towing with the canoes, and hauling at the sides, as they swam in
thousands around the vessel, the wretches finally forced her on shore
(the cable having been slipped), and delivered her over to the good
offices of Too-wit, who, during the whole of the engagement,
had maintained, like a skilful general, his post of security and
reconnaissance among the hills, but, now that the victory was completed
to his satisfaction, condescended to scamper down with his warriors of
the black skin, and become a partaker in the spoils.

Too-wit's descent left us at liberty to quit our hiding place and
reconnoitre the hill in the vicinity of the chasm. At about fifty yards
from the mouth of it we saw a small spring of water, at which we slaked
the burning thirst that now consumed us. Not far from the spring we
discovered several of the filbert-bushes which I mentioned before. Upon
tasting the nuts we found them palatable, and very nearly resembling
in flavour the common English filbert. We collected our hats full
immediately, deposited them within the ravine, and returned for more.
While we were busily employed in gathering these, a rustling in the
bushes alarmed us, and we were upon the point of stealing back to our
covert, when a large black bird of the bittern species strugglingly and
slowly arose above the shrubs. I was so much startled that I could do
nothing, but Peters had sufficient presence of mind to run up to it
before it could make its escape, and seize it by the neck. Its struggles
and screams were tremendous, and we had thoughts of letting it go, lest
the noise should alarm some of the savages who might be still lurking in
the neighbourhood. A stab with a bowie knife, however, at length brought
it to the ground, and we dragged it into the ravine, congratulating
ourselves that, at all events, we had thus obtained a supply of food
eno