forward and stayed his arm.  At that instant the Landers stood before him, and immediately held forth their hands; all of them trembling like aspen leaves; the chief looked up full in their faces, kneeling on the ground; light seemed to flash from his dark rolling eyes; his body was convulsed all over, as though he was enduring the utmost torture, and with a timorous, yet indefinable expression of countenance, in which all the passions of human nature were strangely blended, he drooped his head, eagerly grasped their proffered hands, and burst into tears.  This was a sign of friendship, harmony followed, and war and bloodshed were thought of no more.  Peace and friendship now reigned amongst them, and the first thing that they did was, to lift the old chief from the ground, and convey him to their encampment.

The behaviour of their men afforded them no little amusement, now that the danger was past.  Pascoe was firm to his post, and stood still with his musket pointed at the chief’s breast during the whole of the time.  He was a brave fellow, and he said to his masters, as they passed him to their encampment with the old man, “If the black rascals had fired at either of you, I would have brought the old chief down like a guinea fowl.”  As for their two brave fellows, Sam and Antonio, they took to their heels, and scampered off as fast as they could, directly they saw the natives approaching them over the long grass, nor did they make their appearance again, until the chief and all his people were sitting round them.

All the armed villagers had now gathered round their leader, and anxiously watched his looks and gestures.  The result of the meeting delighted them, every eye sparkled with pleasure; they uttered a shout of joy; they thrust their bloodless arrows into their quivers; they ran about as though they were possessed of evil spirits; they twanged their bowstrings, fired off their muskets; shook their spears; clattered their quivers; danced, put their bodies into all manner of ridiculous positions; laughed, cried, and sung in rapid succession; they were like a troop of maniacs.  Never was a spectacle more wild and terrific.  When this sally of passion to which they had worked themselves, had subsided into calmer and more reasonable behaviour, the Landers presented each of the war-men with a number of needles, as a farther token of their friendly intentions.  The chief sat himself down on the turf, with one of the Landers on each side of him, while the men were leaning on their weapons on his right and left.  At first, no one could understand what the Landers said, but shortly after an old man made his appearance, who understood the Houssa language.  Him the chief employed as an interpreter, and every one listened with anxiety to the following explanation given by the chief.