rried also shovels
and pickaxes to dig wells. When we came near the shore we saw three
tall, black, naked men on the sandy bay ahead of us; but as we rowed in,
they went away. When we were landed, I sent the boat with two men in her
to lie a little from the shore at an anchor, to prevent being seized;
while the rest of us went after the three black men, who were now got on
the top of a small hill about a quarter of a mile from us, with eight or
nine men more in their company. They, seeing us coming, ran away. When
we came on the top of the hill where they first stood, we saw a plain
savannah, about half a mile from us, farther in from the sea. There were
several things like hay-cocks standing in the savannah, which at a
distance we thought were houses, looking just like the Hottentots' houses
at the Cape of Good Hope: but we found them to be so many rocks. We
searched about these for water, but could find none, nor any houses, nor
people, for they were all gone. Then we turned again to the place where
we landed, and there we dug for water.

While we were at work there came nine or ten of the natives to a small
hill a little way from us, and stood there menacing and threatening us,
and making a great noise. At last one of them came towards us, and the
rest followed at a distance. I went out to meet him, and came within
fifty yards of him, making to him all the signs of peace and friendship I
could, but then he ran away, neither would they any of them stay for us
to come nigh them, for we tried two or three times. At last I took two
men with me, and went in the afternoon along by the sea-side, purposely
to catch one of them, if I could, of whom I might learn where they got
their fresh water. There were ten or twelve of the natives a little way
off, who, seeing us three going away from the rest of our men, followed
us at a distance. I thought they would follow us, but there being for
awhile a sand-bank between us and them, that they could not then see us,
we made a halt, and hid ourselves in a bending of the sand-bank. They
knew we must be thereabouts, and being three or four times our numbers,
thought to seize us. So they dispersed themselves, some going to the sea-
shore, and others beating about the sand-hills. We knew by what
rencounter we had had with them in the morning that we could easily out-
run them, so a nimble young man that was with me, seeing some of them
near, ran towards them; and they for so