pearance; but after they entered the lagoon and drew near the beach,
we ceased to speak, and gazed with intense interest at the scene before
us.

We now observed that the foremost canoe was being chased by the other,
and that it contained a few women and children as well as men--perhaps
forty souls altogether--while the canoe which pursued it contained only
men. They seemed to be about the same in number, but were better armed,
and had the appearance of being a war-party. Both crews were paddling
with all their might, and it seemed as if the pursuers exerted
themselves to overtake the fugitives ere they could land. In this,
however, they failed. The foremost canoe made for the beach close
beneath the rocks behind which we were concealed. Their short paddles
flashed like meteors in the water, and sent up a constant shower of
spray. The foam curled from the prow, and the eyes of the rowers
glistened in their black faces as they strained every muscle of their
naked bodies. Nor did they relax their efforts till the canoe struck
the beach with a violent shock; then, with a shout of defiance, the
whole party sprang, as if by magic, from the canoe to the shore. Three
women, two of whom carried infants in their arms, rushed into the woods;
and the men crowded to the water's edge, with stones in their hands,
spears levelled, and clubs brandished, to resist the landing of their
enemies.

The distance between the two canoes had been about half-a-mile, and at
the great speed they were going, this was soon passed. As the pursuers
neared the shore, no sign of fear or hesitation was noticeable. On they
came, like a wild charger--received, but recked not of, a shower of
stones. The canoe struck, and with a yell that seemed to issue from the
throats of incarnate fiends, they leaped into the water and drove their
enemies up the beach.

The battle that immediately ensued was frightful to behold. Most of the
men wielded clubs of enormous size and curious shapes, with which they
dashed out each other's brains. As they were almost entirely naked, and
had to bound, stoop, leap, and run in their terrible hand-to-hand
encounters, they looked more like demons than human beings. I felt my
heart grow sick at the sight of this bloody battle, and would fain have
turned away; but a species of fascination seemed to hold me down and
glue my eyes upon the combatants. I observed that the attacking party
was led by a most extraordinary b