On The 12th The Savages Came Again In Their Canoes, Laden With Cocoas,
Bananas, Ubes-Roots, Hogs, And Fresh Water, Contending Violently Who
Should Get First On Board.
Those who were behind, being unable to get
over the throng of canoes and men before them, leapt into
The sea, and
diving under the canoes, swam to the ship with bunches of cocoas in
their mouths, and climbed up the side like so many rats, and in such
swarms that the Dutch had to keep them off with cudgels. The Dutch
bartered with them that day for so many cocoas, as to produce twelve for
each of their men, being eighty-five in number. The natives wondered
much at the size and strength of the Dutch ship; and some of them even
dived under her bottom, knocking it with stones, as if to try how strong
it was. The king of these savages sent a black hog on board as a
present, charging the messenger to take no reward. Shortly after he came
in person, in a large ship of their fashion, attended by thirty-five
single canoes; and when at a small distance from the ship, he and all
his people began to bawl out as loud as they could, being their manner
of welcoming strangers. The Dutch received him with drums and trumpets,
which pleased him much; and he and his attendants shewed their sense of
this honourable reception by bowing and clapping their hands. The king
gave them a present after his fashion, which they requited with an old
hatchet, some rusty nails and glass beads, and a piece of linen, with
all which he seemed much pleased. This king was not distinguished from
his subjects by any external mark of dignity, but merely by the
reverence they shewed him, as he was equally naked with all the rest;
but he could not be prevailed on to come on board the Unity.
At noon on the 13th, the Dutch ship was surrounded by twenty-three large
double canoes, or ships of their fashion, and forty-five single canoes,
in all of which there could not be less than seven or eight hundred men.
At first they pretended to come for the purpose of trade, making signs
of friendship, and endeavouring to prevail upon the Dutch to remove
their ship to the other island, where they would be better accommodated.
Yet, in spite of all these fair pretences, the Dutch suspected that some
mischief was intended by the savages, who now began to environ the ship
all around, and then, with a great outcry, made a sudden attack. The
king's ship was the foremost in the action, and rushed with such
violence against the Unity, that the heads of the two canoes composing
it were both dashed to pieces. The rest came on as well as they could,
throwing repeated showers of great stones on board; but the Dutch,
having been on their guard, so galled them with musquetry, and with
three great guns loaded with musket-balls and nails, that all the
savages were fain to quit their canoes, and seek for safety in the
water.
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