to see that they all ran away with great agility.  As I was not disposed forcibly to invade this country, either to gratify our appetites or our curiosity, and perceived that nothing was to be done upon friendly terms, we improved this interval, in which the destruction of the natives was no longer necessary to our own defence, and with all expedition returned towards our boat.  As we were advancing along the shore, we perceived that the two men on board made signals that more Indians were coming down; and before we got into the water we saw several of them coming round a point at the distance of about five hundred yards:  It is probable that they had met with the three who first attacked as; for as soon as they saw us they halted, and seemed to wait till their main body should come up.  We entered the water and waded towards the boat, and they remained at their station, without giving us any interruption.  As soon as we were aboard we rowed abreast of them, and their number then appeared to be between sixty and a hundred.  We now took a view of them at our leisure; they made much the same appearance as the New Hollanders, being nearly of the same stature, and having their hair short cropped:  Like them also, they were all stark naked, but we thought the colour of their skin was not quite so dark; this however might perhaps be merely the effect of their not being quite so dirty.  All this while they were shouting defiance, and letting off their fires by four or five at a time.  What these fires were, or for what purpose intended, we could not imagine:  Those who discharged them had in their hands a short piece of stick, possibly a hollow cane, which they swung sideways from them, and we immediately saw fire and smoke, exactly resembling those of a musket, and of no longer duration.  This wonderful phenomenon was observed from the ship, and the deception was so great that the people on board thought they had fire-arms; and in the boat, if we had not been so near as that we must have heard the report, we should have thought they had been firing volleys.[99] After we had looked at them attentively some time, without taking any notice of their flashing and vociferation, we fired some muskets over their heads:  Upon hearing the balls rattle among the trees, they walked leisurely away, and we returned to the ship.  Upon examining the weapons they had thrown at us, we found them to be light darts, about four feet long, very ill made, of a reed or bamboo cane, and pointed with hard wood, in which there were many barbs.  They were discharged with great force; for though we were at sixty yards distance, they went beyond us, but in what manner we could not exactly see; possibly they might be shot with a bow, but we saw no bows among them when we surveyed them from the boat, and we were in general of opinion that they were thrown, with a stick, in the manner practised by the New Hollanders.

[Footnote 99:  So far as the writer recollects, no satisfactory account of this singular fact has been given.  He has long borne it in remembrance, and sought for further information respecting it, but hitherto has failed.  He can conjecture, it is true, two or three modes of explanation; but he does not chuse to be wise abase what is written.—­E.]