He Likewise Brought His Engines To Bear Upon Them, (For Such It
Appears He Had On Board,) And Then Directed His Light-Armed Troops, With
Those Who Were The Most Active And The Best Swimmers, To Be Ready For
Commencing The Attack.
On a signal given, they were to plunge into the sea:
the first man who touched ground was to be the point at which the line was
to be formed, and was not to advance till joined by the others, and the
file could be ranged three deep.
These orders were exactly obeyed; the men
threw themselves out of the ships, swam forward, and formed themselves in
the water, under cover of the engines. As soon as they were in order, they
advanced upon the enemy with a shout, which was repeated from the ships.
Little opposition was experienced; for the natives, struck with the novelty
of the attack, and the glittering of the armour, fled without resistance.
Some escaped to the mountains, a few were killed, and a considerable number
made prisoners. They were a savage race, shaggy on the body as well as the
head, and with nails so long and of such strength, that they served them as
instruments to divide their food, (which consisted, indeed, almost wholly
of fish,) and to separate even wood of the softer kind. Whether this
circumstance originated from design, or want of implements to pare their
nails, did not appear; but if there was occasion, to divide harder
substances, they substituted stones sharpened, instead of iron, for iron
they had none.
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