as usual, were sent to the bottom.
We were not always so successful. Three canoes, one day, were coming off to us, and were nearly up to the schooner, when they took alarm. As the captain did not wish to lose them, he ordered the guns to be fired, which sank two of them, when the boats which were ready pulled away and picked up most of the people, excepting two or three who had been killed by the shot. The third canoe escaped, and we knew after this, there was not much chance of getting any more canoes to come off to us from that island.
From this place we sailed away for several days, till we sighted a large coral island, with a lagoon in the centre, and numerous cocoa-nut trees growing along the shore. We judged from this that it was inhabited. We stood close in on the lee side, till we could distinguish some low huts scattered about under the trees, and a considerable number of natives scampering along the shore. They were a savage-looking people, without a stitch of clothing, except belts round their waists, and bracelets and shells on their arms and legs, their hair, as they ran, streaming in the wind, while they shook their long thin lances at us. As they had no canoes, we could not get them to come off to the vessel. It was therefore necessary for us to land and try and catch some of them. They looked so fierce and determined that we expected they would give us more trouble than the inhabitants of Easter Island had done. Two boats well armed were, however, sent on shore to make the attempt. We were to proceed by fair means and to offer them trinkets, knives, and glasses, and handkerchiefs. If they would not be induced to trust us, we were to surround their village, and catch as many alive as we could.
As we pulled in for the shore, a party of the savages, led by an old chief, came leaping, shouting, and shrieking, and brandishing their spears towards us. The chief was a terrible-looking old fellow, taller than any of the rest, with high cheek bones, his hair and beard of long grey hair plaited and twisted together, hanging from his head and around his mouth like so many rats tails. His companions imitated his example, and there seemed but little chance of our being able to get hold of any of them by peaceable means. We had our muskets ready to bring them down should they come too near us. We held up the trinkets, and handkerchiefs, and looking-glasses to try to make them understand that we wished to be friendly, but it was of no use; they only shrieked the louder and leapt the higher, and told us to be off, as they did not want us or our goods. However, we remained steady, and they did not venture nearer.
As our object was to catch them alive, dead savages being of no use to us, we persevered. Having placed several of the articles on the ground, we quietly retired to a distance, and at last we saw two or three of the younger men approach and take the things up. They seemed well pleased with them, and showed them to the rest. On this, we put some more on the ground and again retired, then three of our men putting their muskets on the ground advanced towards the savages, being well covered by the rest of us, and putting out their hands, we presented at the same time several more articles. By these means we began to gain their confidence. We then made them understand that all we wanted was a few cocoa-nuts, and that every man who brought one should be amply paid. In this way after we had waited quietly on the beach, twenty young fellows were persuaded to put themselves within our reach, and to sit down in a circle near the boats. The old chief all the time kept shouting to them, but they did not appear to heed him. While one party with loaded muskets advanced towards the rest of the natives, we suddenly set upon the lads who had brought us the cocoa-nuts, knocked them over, had their arms pinioned, and they were carried to the boats before even their astonished countrymen could attempt to come to the rescue. At last, led by the old chief, the former made a dash at our men who remained, when several were of necessity shot down, the rest taking to flight, and we shoved off well content with having captured twenty stout young fellows, who were likely to prove serviceable labourers at the mines.
Having at length got a full cargo, we returned to Easter Island, where we landed our captives. There they were to remain under a strong guard till carried away by smaller vessels and landed on different parts of the coast of Peru. We meantime sailed for the westward.
During the trip we occasionally fell in with our former consorts, engaged in the same business, and we found that they had succeeded in capturing a number of natives from different islands much in the same way that we had done. Some were enticed on board by stratagem, others taken by force. No one engaged in the
business was particular as to what means were employed, provided they could succeed in the enterprise. One vessel had taken a whole cargo off one single island, known as High Island, the crew having landed and surrounded the villages one after another, shooting down all who resisted.