I have since taken a great deal of trouble to ascertain what these figures were; for they made me very uneasy. I took particular notice of them at the time, and have searched through all the huts; but never could discover any traces of dresses similar to those worn by the figures.
The club is their principal weapon: with it they endeavor to strike the head; and one blow is generally fatal. Their spears, which they throw with great accuracy, are made of bamboo, with points made of sharpened shells. They also use them in their hand with great dexterity.
Their bows are very dangerous instruments of warfare; as they sometimes poison their arrows. Being naked, they often get a slight scratch from one of these, and as they have no remedy for the poison, they die a painful and lingering death.
I was one afternoon sitting upon one of the hills in the island, when I saw a ship coming round a point of the island. My thoughts now turned upon the possibility of reaching this vessel, which approached nearer and nearer, and appeared as if intending to stop at the island. There was a merry-making in the village on that day: but my desire to leave the savage life, prevented me from taking part in it as usual; in fact, I wanted to draw the attention of those on board to myself before the natives should see her; but could not tell how to do so, the ship being so far off.
I did not attain my object, notwithstanding all my endeavors. As soon as the ship was observed, Dupper, as he usually did when a vessel came in sight, painted my body black, with a streak of red on the bridge of my nose, extending along my forehead, over each of my eye-brows. My ears having been pierced on my arrival at Murray’s Island, his wife and daughters hung tassels, made of plaited grass, to them. They also put ornaments round my neck, body, arms, wrists, and ancles.
When the ship came near enough to us for their glasses to make observations, the natives broke branches off the trees, and waved them. I did the same myself, and, to my unspeakable joy, saw her come near to the shore and drop her anchor. I then thought my deliverance certain; but was sadly disappointed that no boat came off to the shore. I went down to the beach along with Dupper and William, and some of the natives, but still no boat appeared, and I waited till the night set in.
Next morning, soon after sunrise, several canoes went away to the ship, Dupper and myself being in one of them; William was left on the island. We were in the third or fourth that got along-side and we dropped directly under the stern.
A rope was thrown from the vessel into our canoe, and I caught hold of it, and tried to get on board by it. But I had sprained my wrist, by a fall, a day or two before, and waving the branch had made it exceedingly painful, so that I could not climb. One of the crew held out a roll of tobacco to me, but I could not reach it; so I asked him to lower the boat for me to get in.
The captain and officers were at that time bartering with the natives for curiosities and tortoise shell; they had one of the cutters lowered, but put their pistols and naked cutlasses into it. When the natives saw that, they thought mischief was intended to me and to themselves; they immediately let go the rope, and paddled towards the shore. I stood up in the canoe; but Dupper took hold of me and laid me down in the middle of it. The boat rowed a little way after us and then returned to the vessel.
A few hours afterwards, the boat came close to the beach, with, I believe, the captain on board, to shoot birds. One of the natives took little William on his shoulders, and went down to the beach, he walked towards the boat, and beckoned to the crew to come and take him.