'clock in the evening, we were a-breast of a fine
river, and the coast having a better appearance here than in any other
part that we had seen, I determined to stand off and on all night, and
try for anchorage in the morning. As soon as it was dark, we saw a great
number of lights all along the shore. At daybreak, we sent out the boats
to sound, and soon after, they made the signal for twenty fathom. This
produced an universal joy, which it is not easy to describe, and we
immediately ran in, and came to an anchor in seventeen fathom, with a
clear sandy bottom. We lay about a mile distant from the shore, opposite
to a fine run of water; the extremes of the land bearing from E.S.E. to
N.W. by W. As soon as we had secured the ship, I sent the boats to sound
along the coast, and look at the place where we saw the water. At this
time, a considerable number of canoes came off to the ship, and brought
with them hogs, fowls, and fruit in great plenty, which we purchased for
trinkets and nails. But when the boats made towards the shore, the
canoes, most of which were double, and very large, sailed after them. At
first they kept at a distance, but as the boats approached the shore,
they grew bolder, and at last three of the largest ran at the cutter,
staved in her quarter, and carried away her out-rigger, the Indians
preparing at the same time to board her, with their clubs and paddles in
their hands. Our people being thus pressed, were obliged to fire, by
which one of the assailants was killed, and another much wounded. Upon
receiving the shot, they both fell overboard, and all the people who
were in the same canoe, instantly leaped into the sea after them: The
other two canoes dropped a-stern, and our boats went on without any
farther interruption. As soon as the Indians, who were in the water, saw
that the boats stood on without attempting to do them any farther hurt,
they recovered their canoe, and hauled in their wounded companions. They
set them both upon their feet to see if they could stand, and finding
they could not, they tried whether they could sit upright: One of them
could, and him they supported in that posture, but perceiving that the
other was quite dead, they laid the body along at the bottom of the
canoe. After this some of the canoes went ashore, and others returned
again to the ship to traffic, which is a proof that our conduct had
convinced them that while they behaved peaceably they had nothing to
fear, and t