nant had not a
sufficient force to oppose them, he immediately made towards the ship,
and the canoes chaced him till they came within sight of her, and being
then overmatched in their turn, they thought fit to go back. Being thus
disappointed in my search of Dampier's Bay and Savannah, I would have
anchored off this town, notwithstanding these hostile appearances, if it
had not been necessary first to get up some guns from the hold, and make
a few necessary repairs in the rigging; this however being the case, I
ran a little to the eastward, where, on the 3d of November, I came to an
anchor in a little bay, having a bottom of soft mud, and seven fathom of
water, at the distance of a cable's length from the shore. The
westermost point of the bay bore W.S.W. distant about three miles; the
easier-most point E. by S. distant about one mile; a river, which
empties itself into the bay, about N.W. and the peak of an island,
called Hummock Island, S. 7 deg. E. distant about five leagues. Before it
was dark the same day, our two boats went to the river, and brought off
their loads of water: They saw no signs of inhabitants where they were
on shore, but we observed a canoe come round the westermost point of the
bay, which we supposed had been dispatched from the town, to learn what
we were, or at least to see what we were doing. As soon as I discovered
this canoe, I hoisted English colours, and was not without hope that she
would come on board: but after viewing us some time, she returned. As we
had seen no inhabitants, nor any signs of inhabitants where we got our
water, I intended to procure a further supply the next day from the same
place, and endeavour also to recruit our wood; but about nine o'clock at
night, we were suddenly surprised by a loud noise on that part of the
shore which was a-breast of the ship: It was made by a great number of
human voices, and very much resembled the war-whoop of the American
savages; a hideous shout which they give at the moment of their attack,
and in which all who have heard it agree there is something
inexpressibly terrifying and horrid.

[Footnote 60: For some particulars respecting this island, see vol. X.
p. 275, &c. Playfair's and Pinkerton's Geography also may be
advantageously consulted as to Mindanao and the other eastern islands
spoken of in this voyage. Some account will be given of them when we
come to treat of Cook's discoveries.]

As I was now farther convinced that it was nec