now what you are about," said he. "You wish to escape to the
white people, to tell them what we are going to do. I suspected you.
That cannot be. You will see that it would be wiser for you not to join
them. Come with me to-morrow, and you will see."

My first plan was thus defeated. Still I hoped that I might meet some
of the white crew of the vessel and warn them of their danger. I
determined to try.

The next morning the chief and his warriors collected, and all their
canoes were launched and paddled off to a point which concealed them
from the stranger vessel. The smaller canoes were loaded with fruits
and vegetables of all sorts, and about twenty men and boys without arms
and in the most peaceable garb, paddled off to her.

On getting up, I found that the chief had appointed two men to attend on
me and watch my movements. Everything conspired, therefore, to defeat
all my hopes of warning the strangers of the fate intended for them.

I was allowed to proceed to a high hill, whence I could look down on the
vessel, which lay in a bay at my feet. I longed to have the wings of a
bird, to fly down and tell the crew of the intentions of the savages,
whose small canoes now began to flock about her. Several of the chiefs
reached her deck, and began offering presents of fruit and vegetables to
the officers, and pointing to the shore, as if to indicate that if they
would come there they would be received with a hearty welcome. I
guessed, from the build of the vessel, that she was not English. At
last I saw a boat lowered into the water, and a French flag flying over
her stern. Though I had often been engaged in deadly strife with those
fighting under that ensign, I was nevertheless anxious to save the lives
of those I saw. Yet I could not speak a word of French, and probably
they would not have understood my warning even if I could have given
them one.

Not only one, but two boats were lowered; and, as far as I could see, no
one was armed. What could have thus so speedily enticed them on shore?
Looking along the beach, I saw it lined with a number of people, mostly
women and children. There were young girls with baskets of fruit, and
older women with vegetables, and little boys with sucking pigs and other
dainties, and children running about and playing on the sands. As this
was not the usual custom of the savages, I guessed too well that it was
an artful device of the chief to entrap the unwary strangers