to Bluefields, sold a few goods, cancelled some
old debts, and procured a pilot for the coast of St. Blas, for which we
soon after sailed.

I obtained information at Corn Island, at the Lagoon, and at Bluefields,
of the English traders having heard that I intended to extend my trade
to that coast. They had employed an agent whom they had supplied with
the necessary articles of trade, and told the inhabitants that if they
traded with that Yankee captain they would withdraw from them; and also
told them that the Yankee captain might sell them some articles a little
cheaper at first, but that he was a worthless fellow, and could not
continue the trade long, when they would be left destitute, as no
Englishman would supply them. The English traders urged the Indians to
put myself and crew to death, and burn our vessel. My friends who gave
me the information, strongly remonstrated against my going to St. Blas,
saying that my life would be sacrificed in so doing. In a conversation
afterwards with one of the English traders, I spoke of the cold-blooded
murder they wished the St. Blas Indians to be guilty off, which he
denied, but admitted that they told the Indians to destroy our goods.

However the minds of the Indians might have been operated upon at the
time of hearing their murderous proposals, they made no attempt to harm
me.

[Illustration: Captain Dunham landing at St. Blas.]

On our arrival on the coast of St. Blas, not knowing the channel, we
came to anchor near an island, where we discovered a number of canoes,
and thirty or forty Indians on the shore. Being short of water, I
concluded to take a small water-keg into my canoe and land among the
Indians for the purpose of procuring some, and also to get a pilot, if
possible, to take the vessel into the harbor. Before leaving the vessel
I told the mate that the Indians had such an inveterate hatred against
the Spaniards, that if any of their vessels were cast away on this coast
they would massacre every person on board; that I thought they had never
seen the American flag, and bade him keep a good look-out with the
spy-glass, and not hoist our colors until he saw me safe among the
Indians, fearing they might suppose it to be Spanish, or some enemy's
flag. My mulatto pilot and sailor, and myself, then proceeded toward the
island where we had seen the Indians. When within about one hundred rods
of the shore there were about thirty bows and arrows pointed towards us.
O