Hereupon, We Presently Made To The Shoar,
And Went All Up The Bank (Except Four To Guide The Boat)
To Look For The Indian, But Could Not Find Him:
At last,
we heard some sing, farther in the Woods, which we look'd upon
as a Challenge to us, to come and fight them.
We went towards them
with all Speed; but before we came in Sight of them, heard two Guns go off
from our Boat; whereupon we retreated, as fast as we could,
to secure our Boat and Men. When we came to them, we found all well,
and demanded the Reason of their firing the Guns: They told us,
that an Indian came creeping along the Bank, as they suppos'd,
to shoot at them; and therefore they shot at him at a great distance,
with small Shot, but thought they did him no Hurt; for they saw him run away.
Presently after our Return to the Boat, and while we were thus talking,
came two Indians to us, with their Bows and Arrows, crying `Bonny, Bonny'.
We took their Bows and Arrows from them, and gave them Beads,
to their Content; then we led them, by the Hand, to the Boat,
and shew'd them the Arrow-head sticking in her Side, and related to them
the whole Passage; which when they understood, both of them shew'd
a great Concern, and signify'd to us, by Signs, that they knew nothing of it;
so we let them go, and mark'd a Tree on the Top of the Bank,
calling the Place Mount-Skerry. We look'd up the River,
as far as we could discern, and saw that it widen'd, and came running
directly down the Country: So we return'd, viewing the Land
on both sides the River, and finding the Banks steep in some places,
but very high in others. The Bank-sides are generally Clay,
and as some of our Company did affirm, some Marl. The Land and Timber
up this River is no way inferiour to the best in the other, which we call
the main River. So far as we could discern, this seem'd as fair,
if not fairer, than the former, and we think runs farther into the Country,
because a strong Current comes down, and a great deal more Drift-Wood.
But, to return to the Business of the Land and Timber: We saw
several Plots of Ground clear'd by the Indians, after their weak manner,
compass'd round with great Timber Trees, which they are no-wise able to fell,
and so keep the Sun from Corn-Fields very much; yet nevertheless,
we saw as large Corn-stalks, or larger, than we have seen any where else:
So we proceeded down the River, till we found the Canoe the Indian was in,
who shot at us. In the Morning, we went on Shoar, and cut the same in pieces.
The Indians perceiving us coming towards them, ran away.
Going to his Hutt, we pull'd it down, broke his Pots, Platters, and Spoons,
tore the Deer-Skins and Matts in pieces, and took away a Basket of Acorns;
and afterwards proceeded down the River 2 Leagues, or thereabouts,
and came to another Place of Indians, bought Acorns and some Corn of them,
and went downwards 2 Leagues more. At last, espying an Indian
peeping over a high Bank, we held up a Gun at him; and calling to him,
`Skerry', presently several Indians came in Sight of us,
and made great Signs of Friendship, saying `Bonny, Bonny'.
Then running before us, they endeavour'd to persuade us to come on shoar;
but we answer'd them with stern Countenances, and call'd out, `Skerry',
taking up our Guns, and threatning to shoot at them,
but they still cry'd `Bonny, Bonny': And when they saw
they could not prevail, nor persuade us to come on shoar,
two of them came off to us in a Canoe, one paddling with a great Cane,
the other with his Hand. As soon as they overtook us,
they laid hold of our Boat, sweating and blowing, and told us,
it was `Bonny' on shoar, and at last persuaded us to go on shoar with them.
As soon as we landed, several Indians, to the Number of near 40 lusty Men,
came to us, all in a great Sweat, and told us `Bonny':
We shew'd 'em the Arrow-Head in the Boat-Side, and a Piece of the Canoe
we had cut in Pieces: Whereupon, the chief Man amongst them
made a long Speech, threw Beads into our Boat, which is
a Sign of great Love and Friendship, and gave us to understand,
that when he heard of the Affront which we had receiv'd,
it caus'd him to cry; and that he and his Men were come
to make Peace with us, assuring us, by Signs, that they would tye the Arms,
and cut off the Head, of the Fellow who had done us that Wrong;
And for a farther Testimony of their Love and Good-Will towards us,
they presented us with two very handsome, proper, young Indian Women,
the tallest that ever we saw in this Country; which we suppos'd to be
the King's Daughters, or Persons of Distinction amongst them.
Those young Women were so ready to come into our Boat;
that one of them crowded in, and would hardly be persuaded to go out again.
We presented the King with a Hatchet and several Beads,
and made Presents of Beads also to the young Women, the chief Men,
and the rest of the Indians, as far as our Beads would go.
They promis'd us, in four Days, to come on board our Ship,
and so departed from us. When we left the Place, which was soon after,
we call'd it Mount-Bonny, because we had there concluded a firm Peace.
Proceeding down the River 2 or 3 Leagues farther, we came to a Place
where were 9 or 10 Canoes all together.
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