Believing That Those Who Were Left Behind Would Fire
At Him, He Attempted To Dive, At Which He Was Known
To be very expert:
but this was attended with a difficulty which he had not foreseen:
his clothes proved so
Buoyant, that he was unable to get more than his head
under water: a boat was immediately dispatched after him, and picked him up,
though not without struggles and resistance on his side. When brought
on board, he appeared neither afraid or ashamed of what he had done,
but sat apart, melancholy and dispirited, and continued so until he saw
the governor and his other friends descend into a boat, and heard himself
called upon to accompany them: he sprang forward, and his cheerfulness
and alacrity of temper immediately returned, and lasted during the remainder
of the day. The dread of being carried away, on an element of whose boundary
he could form no conception, joined to the uncertainty of our intention
towards him, unquestionably caused him to act as he did.
One of the principal effects which we had supposed the seizure and captivity
of Arabanoo would produce, seemed yet at as great a distance as ever;
the natives neither manifested signs of increased hostility on his account,
or attempted to ask any explanation of our conduct through the medium
of their countryman who was in our possession, and who they knew was treated
with no farther harshness than in being detained among us. Their forbearance
of open and determined attack upon can be accounted for only by recollecting
their knowledge of our numbers, and their dread of our fire-arms:
that they wanted not sufficient provocation to do so, will appear from what
I am about to relate.
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