Having acquainted him respecting the war, I proposed to buy a gun and ammunition, if he had one to spare; he brought forward one, and I think the only one he had on board, and very poor at that, which he offered to sell me for hogs. I left him to consult the king, who stoutly refused to buy it; I labored much with him, telling him how many of the Cohaphas I could kill, and at a great distance too, which I measured off to him; at this he was greatly astonished, and immediately consented to have me purchase it. He sent men off to procure the hogs and fruit, which were taken to the beach the next morning; the captain was again brought on shore; I offered him three hogs for the gun itself, and four for a quantity of ammunition. This he readily accepted. Taking the gun we thought ourselves well equipped for action.
During the time the ship remained in the harbor, we were catching hogs, and gathering fruit which we bartered away with the ship's company for such articles as we might desire.
At the expiration of ten days, the captain signified to me his intention to leave the harbor, expressing a strong desire to assist us in getting away; this was altogether impossible, for we were most strictly watched. When the hour of their departure came, we with heart ready for bursting, bade them a cheerful farewell; apparently well pleased with the idea of remaining behind; this tended much towards insuring the confidence of the natives, which was now our principal object, so that at the arrival of the next ship, less vigilance would be observed, and we at length would be enabled to effect our escape. To this end we now used our whole endeavors, and strove as far as possible, to adopt their customs and notions as our own, and set about building huts for ourselves; in this we were assisted very much by the natives, who joyously received the idea of our building them, considering the act an indication of contentedness.
The hut being finished, I went out in search of a wife, knowing thereby that we would also enjoy greater security as well as gain their confidence. Finding a group of six or eight chewing carver I chatted with them awhile; when taking one of them, a girl of about sixteen, by the ear slightly, I signified to her my wish of her becoming my wife. She instantly left her business, and accompanied me to my hut. That was all the required ceremony.
A man at any time getting dissatisfied with his wife, has only to lead her from the house, bid her go elsewhere, and take to himself another more suited to his fancy. Finding the one I had first chosen differing entirely from what I supposed, I made use of this prerogative, drove her from the house, and chose for myself a daughter of one of the chiefs, a girl of only thirteen years of age, with whom I lived during my residence on the island.
Great was the astonishment of the natives when they saw us kill a hog, or any other animal at a distance, with our gun; and such was their fear of the pobohe, as they termed it, that they would scarcely come near it, much less touch it; this was a very happy circumstance for us, and we indulged them in their fear, hoping that by so doing, to retain the exclusive control of it ourselves, and thereby gain notoriety among them as warriors.
Each day we went to the battle field, but seldom would the enemy meet us there. One morning taking a quantity of junk lead, which we brought instead of balls, we cut it into small pieces, or slugs, intending to use two or three at a time; we proceeded to the battle field with only a few of the warriors. On our arrival we gave one yell or whoop, to apprise the enemy of our presence in the field. From the eminence we occupied, we could overlook the valley of the Cohaphas. They wishing to appear as not at all fearful of us, commenced dancing, and singing loudly, still they dare not meet us in the field.
Noyce being the best marksman, took charge of the gun, while I carried the ammunition; as before remarked, the gun was a very poor one, and would have been under other circumstances condemned as unfit for use. Oftentimes it could not be made to go off except I applied a torch to it while Noyce took aim. I usually carried fire with me in the husks of the cocoa-nut. We stole cautiously down the hill, until we were within reach of them. Secreting ourselves behind a bunch of reeds, we opened our fire upon them, gave them two or three charges, which made them dance still more lively. On the first discharge we wounded one man in the leg, who fell upon the ground, rolling and kicking around most violently, at the same time yelling loud enough to be heard half a mile; the others, altogether ignorant of the cause, gathered around to learn it if possible; this we demonstrated to them by the two succeeding shots, in a most lively manner, which caused them to yell still louder than before. Throwing the wounded upon their shoulders they fled with the greatest precipitancy; we followed closely with a few of our slugs, but were unable to reach them.
On gaining the eminence occupied by our warriors, they were overjoyed at our success, falling at our feet in token of reverence, and on our return to the bay, most loudly were our efforts extolled by them.
Many days now passed without our seeing an enemy, though we visited the field nearly every day. At length they ventured to make another attack upon our bay on a bright moonlight night, at a late hour, probably supposing us all asleep, but Noyce being on watch, saw them cautiously approaching our shores, gave the alarm, and the whole tribe secreted themselves in the groves, and waited their approach; when near enough, and in the right position, we gave them what is termed a raking shot; finding themselves foiled in their attempt, they instantly turned and fled the harbor. So near were they, we could plainly see the destruction we had made; three were wounded, one of them desperately. So heavily was the gun loaded, that it came near killing Noyce, who was thrown with a great force upon the ground, by its violent kicking. This attempt though unsuccessful, altogether called out the power of the tribe, and they immediately set about preparing for a grand attack upon the Cohaphas. The preparation for the attack occupied several days; spears and clubs were brought forward, and examined; those unfit for use were broken and thrown aside, and others made to supply their place. The warriors decorated themselves with feathers, and other things in a most gaudy manner. All who were able to bear arms were called to prepare for the attack. When collected, they presented a sight truly imposing. "Their lofty head-dresses made of feathers, gleaming like helmets in the brightness of the sun, and tossing proudly in the wind, with the motion of their bold gait,—their naked and brawny limbs,—their savage trappings, converted them for the moment into seeming giants."