Page:Narrativeavoyag01wilsgoog.djvu/342

310 departure last night, was perceived standing on the beach, apart from the multitude, and dressed in his shirt and trowsers. As soon as we approached sufficiently near, his wife having previously assisted in divesting him of all incumbrance, he plunged into the water, swam off to us, and entered the boat without fear: on the contrary, he jumped on the stern-sheets, and, both by gesture and speech, assumed a superiority over the others, who were now, in great numbers, crowding around us. Whether the authority this native assumed was occasioned by our notice of him, we could not ascertain; but his endeavours to preserve the peace certainly tended to check the rude impetuosity and forwardness of the mob.

Barter soon commenced, but was not carried on so briskly as it was yesterday, in consequence of the natives preferring axes and tomahawks to old iron hoops, and our not being well supplied with the former articles. The natives, however, had entirely laid aside suspicion, and they freely permitted us to examine the articles which they wished to exchange, without requiring prior possession of the desired equivalent.

Having obtained all that I wished to possess, I went on shore with the native (Madiēa), who had, apparently, from the beginning of our intercourse, taken me under his protection, and accompanied him to the village, where he formally introduced me to another native, who, after a speech of considerable length, which I did not understand, but judged to be friendly, advanced towards me, and touched my nose with his. I therefore concluded, that this ceremony was in token of mutual amity, and explained to them that our mode of expressing friendship was by shaking hands, which they then did very heartily.

These two natives were well made men, considerably above the middle size, in whose fine open, but resolute countenances, I could not perceive the least indications of treachery. I therefore sat down beside them, and was not long in making an attempt to obtain some knowledge of their language. I had much trouble in making them understand my meaning; but, after this difficulty was removed, I obtained a pretty large