Page:Early voyages to Terra Australis.djvu/315

Rh what rencounter we had had with them in the morning that we could easily outrun them; so a nimble young man that was with me, seeing some of them near, ran towards them, and they for some time ran away before him. But he soon overtaking them, they faced about and fought him. He had a cutlass and they had wooden lances, with which, being many of them, they were too hard for him. When he first ran towards them, I chas'd two more that were by the shore; but fearing how it might be with my young man, I turn'd back quickly and went up to the top of a sandhill, whence I saw him near me closely engaged with them. Upon their seeing me one of them threw a lance at me, that narrowly miss'd me. I discharg'd my gun to scare them, but avoided shooting any of them; till finding the young man in great danger from them, and myself in some; and that tho' the gun had a little frighted them at first, yet they had soon learnt to despise it, tossing up their heads and crying "Pooh, pooh, pooh," and coming on afresh with a great noise; I thought it high time to charge again and shoot one of them, which I did. The rest seeing him fall made a stand again, and my young man took the opportunity to disengage himself and come off to me; my other man also was with me, who had done nothing all this while, having come out unarm'd; and I returned back with my men, designing to attempt the natives no farther, being very sorry for what had happened already. They took up their wounded companion, and my young man, who had been struck through the cheek by one of their lances, was afraid it had been poison'd, but I did not think that likely. His wound was very painful to him, being made with a blunt weapon; but he soon recover'd of it.

Among the N. Hollanders whom we were thus engaged with, there was one who by his appearance and carriage, as well in the morning as this afternoon, seem'd to be the chief of them, and a kind of prince or captain among them. He