I was in honour bound to go, as otherwise the men would, in future, have had no opinion of me.  I therefore stated my intention, and taking my musket and ammunition, I slipped down by a rope.  As soon as I was on my legs, I perceived something crawling out of the wood towards the ship.  I could not exactly decipher what it was, so I crept under the counter of the vessel, where it was so dark that I could not be distinguished.  As it approached, I made it out to be one of the islanders with a faggot of wood on his back; he placed it close to the side of the vessel, and then crawled back as before.  I now perceived that there were hundreds of these faggots about the ship, which the islanders had contrived to carry there during the night; for although the moon was up, yet the vessel was so inclosed with trees that the light did not penetrate.  I immediately comprehended that it was their intention to set fire to the vessel, and I was thinking of communicating the information to my companions on board, when two more crawled from the woods, and deposited their bundles so close to me, that we were nearly in contact.  I therefore was obliged to leave those who were on board to make the best of it, and imitating the islanders, I crawled from the vessel into the brushwood, trailing the gun after me.  It was fortunate that I took this precaution, for in the very part of the wood where I crept to, there were dozens of them making up faggots, but it was too thick with underwood, and too dark to distinguish anything, although I heard them close to me breaking off the branches.  I did the same as I went on, to avoid discovery, until I had passed by them, when I continued my route to where the canoes had been left.  I arrived in safety at the outskirts of the wood close to the beach, and perceived the canoes still lying at the rocks, to which they had been taken; but the moon shone bright, and I hesitated to walk out in the light, until I ascertained whether there were any islanders on the beach.  As I waited a short time in the dark shade of the trees, close to one of the springs of fresh water, I heard a moan close to me, and looking in that direction I perceived a body on the ground.  I went towards it, and could distinguish very plainly that it was one of the women who had swam on shore.  She was nearly lifeless, and feeling, as every man must have done, compassion at her unfortunate condition, I knelt down by her to see if I could afford her any assistance.  As she had very little clothes round her body, I discovered, by passing my hand over her, that she was wounded with a musket-ball above the knee, and was exhausted from pain and loss of blood.  I tore my neckcloth and shirt into bandages, and bound up her leg; I then fetched some water from the spring in my hat, which I poured into her mouth, and threw over her face.  She appeared to recover, and I felt happy that I had been of some use, and not being able to descry any of the islanders, was proceeding