pursued it contained only men. They seemed to be about the same in
number, but were better armed, and had the appearance of being a
war party. Both crews were paddling with all their might, and it
seemed as if the pursuers exerted themselves to overtake the
natives ere they could land. In this, however, they failed. The
foremost canoe made for the beach close beneath the rocks behind
which we were concealed. Their short paddles flashed like meteors
in the water, and sent up a constant shower of spray. The foam
curled from the prow, and the eyes of the rowers glistened in their
black faces as they strained every muscle of their naked bodies;
nor did they relax their efforts till the canoe struck the beach
with a violent shock; then, with a shout of defiance, the whole
party sprang, as if by magic, from the canoe to the shore. Three
women, two of whom carried infants in their arms, rushed into the
woods; and the men crowded to the water's edge, with stones in
their hands, spears levelled, and clubs brandished, to resist the
landing of their enemies.

The distance between the two canoes had been about half a mile,
and, at the great speed they were going, this was soon passed. As
the pursuers neared the shore, no sign of fear or hesitation was
noticeable. On they came like a wild charger, - received but
recked not of a shower of stones. The canoe struck, and, with a
yell that seemed to issue from the throats of incarnate fiends,
they leaped into the water, and drove their enemies up the beach.

The battle that immediately ensued was frightful to behold. Most
of the men wielded clubs of enormous size and curious shapes, with
which they dashed out each other's brains. As they were almost
entirely naked, and had to bound, stoop, leap, and run, in their