As soon as we got near them, I gave word to furl all sails and
stop the ship, and as there was nought to fear from them but
fire, to get the boats out and man them both well, and so wait
for them to come up.

In this way we lay by for them, and in a short time they came up
with us; but as I thought they would try to row round and so
close us in, I told the men in the boats not to let them come too
near. This, though we did not mean it, brought us to a fight with
them, and they shot a cloud of darts at our boats. We did not
fire at them, yet in half an hour they went back out to sea, and
then came straight to us, till we were so near that they could
hear us speak.

I bade my men keep close, so as to be safe from their darts if
they should shoot, and get out the guns. I then sent Friday on
deck, to call out to them in their own tongue and ask what they
meant. It may be that they did not know what he said, but as soon
as he spoke to them I heard him cry out that they would shoot.
This was too true, for they let fly a thick cloud of darts, and
to my great grief poor Friday fell dead, for there was no one
else in their sight. He was shot with three darts, and three more
fell quite near him, so good was their aim.

I was so mad with rage at the loss of my dear Friday, that I bade
the men load five guns with small shot, and four with large, and
we gave them such a fierce fire that in all their lives they
could not have seen one like it. Then a rare scene met our eyes:
dread and fear came on them all, for their boats, which were