negroes to lay down their loads, but they fell to work to build our huts;
and though they were tied as above, yet they did it so nimbly as surprised
us. Here we set some of the negroes quite at liberty, that is to say,
without tying them, having the prince's word passed for their fidelity; and
some of these were ordered to help the carpenters, which they did very
handily, with a little direction, and others were sent to see whether they
could get any provisions near hand; but instead of provisions, three of
them came in with two bows and arrows, and five lances. They could not
easily make us understand how they came by them, only that they had
surprised some negro women, who were in some huts, the men being from home,
and they had found the lances and bows in the huts, or houses, the women
and children flying away at the sight of them, as from robbers. We seemed
very angry at them, and made the prince ask them if they had not killed any
of the women or children, making them believe that, if they had killed
anybody, we would make them kill themselves too; but they protested their
innocence, so we excused them. Then they brought us the bows and arrows and
lances; but, at a motion of their black prince, we gave them back the bows
and arrows, and gave them leave to go out to see what they could kill for
food; and here we gave them the laws of arms, viz., that if any man
appeared to assault them, or shoot at them to offer any violence to them,
they might kill them; but that they should not offer to kill or hurt any
that offered them peace, or laid down their weapons, nor any women or
children, upon any occasion whatsoever. These were our articles of war.

These two fellows had not been gone out above three or four hours, but one
of them came running to us without his bow and arrows, hallooing and
whooping a great while before he came at us, "Okoamo, okoamo!" which, it
seems, was, "Help, help!" The rest of the negroes rose up in a hurry, and
by twos, as they could, ran forward towards their fellows, to know what the
matter was. As for me, I did not understand it, nor any of our people; the