s (we knew not what to call them) of many
sorts, come down to the sea-shore and run into the water, wallowing and
washing themselves for the pleasure of cooling themselves; and they made
such hideous howlings and yellings, that I never indeed heard the like.

Xury was dreadfully frighted, and indeed so was I too; but we were both
more frighted when we heard one of these mighty creatures come swimming
towards our boat; we could not see him, but we might hear him by his
blowing to be a monstrous huge and furious beast. Xury said it was a
lion, and it might be so for aught I know; but poor Xury cried to me to
weigh the anchor and row away; "No," says I, "Xury; we can slip our
cable, with the buoy to it, and go off to sea; they cannot follow us
far." I had no sooner said so, but I perceived the creature (whatever it
was) within two oars' length, which something surprised me; however, I
immediately stepped to the cabin door, and taking up my gun, fired at
him; upon which he immediately turned about and swam towards the shore
again.

But it is impossible to describe the horrid noises, and hideous cries and
howlings that were raised, as well upon the edge of the shore as higher
within the country, upon the noise or report of the gun, a thing I have
some reason to believe those creatures had never heard before: this
convinced me that there was no going on shore for us in the night on that
coast, and how to venture on shore in the day was another question too;
for to have fallen into the hands of any of the savages had been as bad
as to have fallen into the hands of the lions and tigers; at least we
were equally apprehensive of the danger of it.

Be that as it would, we were obliged to go on shore somewhere or other
for water, for we had not a pint left in the boat; when and where to get
to it was the point. Xury said, if I would let him go on shore with one
of the jars, he would find if there was any water, and bring some to me.
I asked him why he would go? why I should not go, and he stay in the
boat? The boy answered with so much affection as made me love him ever
after. Says he, "If wild mans come, they eat me, you go wey." "Well,
Xury," said I, "we will both go and if the wild mans come, we will kill
them, they shall eat neither of us." So I gave Xury a piece of rusk
bread to eat, and a dram out of our patron's case of bottles which I
mentioned before; and we hauled the boat in as near the shore as we
thought was p