that the Dutch were
by no means welcome visitors, and that they were not to expect being
permitted to land peaceably. As the boat approached the shore, the
natives seemed to become frantic with despair, made frightful faces,
tore their hair, and howled in a horrible manner; and at length, as
borrowing courage from the increase of danger, they hurried into
their canoes and put off from the shore, as if to meet that danger the
sooner which was evidently unavoidable. As the Dutch continued their
way towards the land, the natives discharged a flight of arrows at the
boat, which they followed by throwing their spears or javelins,
after which they threw in a shower of stones discharged from slings.
Convinced now that there was nothing to be trusted to but force, the
Dutch opened their fire, and kept it up with such effect, that many of
the natives were slain, and the rest so terrified, that great numbers
of them leapt into the water to swim ashore, and at last all the
survivors followed the example, by turning their canoes towards the
land. But such was their confusion and dismay, that they were now
unable to distinguish the proper channels by which to get back to the
coast, but ran them on the rocks and shoals. This circumstance almost
deprived the Dutch of all hopes of being able to attain the coast.

While thus embarrassed, there arose a violent storm, of that kind
which the Dutch call _traffat_, and which in the east is named a
_tuffoon_, which usually arises suddenly in the midst of a calm, and
when the air is perfectly clear and serene, and which, by its extreme
violence, often brings the masts by the board, and whirls the sails
into the air, if they are not furled in an instant. By this sudden
tempest, the two ships were forced out to sea, and the poor people in
the boat were left without relief, and almost devoid of hope. The boat
was forced on a sand-bank, where she was for some time so beaten by
the winds and waves, that there seemed no chance of escaping almost
instant destruction. But despair often lends strength and spirits to
men beyond their usual powers; and, by dint of great exertions, they
dragged their boat clear of the bank, and got to land, where all got
safe on shore without hurt, but almost exhausted by fatigue. The first
thing they did was to look out for some place of retreat, where they
might be safe from any sudden assault of the natives; but night came
on before any such could be found, so that the