vian repast, they made shift to haul the boat on shore, and turning it upside down, they crept under it to sleep, being thus very well sheltered from the sun, and secured against the wild beasts. Those who know the irresistible power of sleep, after long watching and excessive labour, will not conclude that their first slumber was short, because their situation was incommodious or insecure; they waked, however, before the next morning, and peeping under the edge of the boat, they could discern the feet of several creatures, which by their claws they supposed to be tygers, pass by them to and again. This was a sufficient motive to remain in their resting-place till the morning, when they looked out again, and saw the feet of a man. Upon this discovery they came from under the boat, to the great astonishment of the poor savage, and two other men and a boy, who were at some diftance. When they had got all together, and were a little recovered from their surprise, they made signs to the sailors to go away, which they endeavoured to do, though they were able to move but very slowly. Before they had gone far from the boat, a considerable number of the natives ran down upon them with their launces. It happened that Rosenbury had picked up the mast of the boat and a pistol which had been washed on shore, as he went along; being thus armed, when the Indians came down upon him, and being besides unable to run, he imprudently turned about, and exerting all his strength, advanced towards them in a threatning manner, supposing they would have been seized with a panic and retreated into the woods. It happened, however, that he was mistaken; instead of running away they surrounded him, and began to whet their launces. Taylor thought it was now time to try what could be done by supplication; he therefore threw himself on his knees, and in a piteous tone cried out for mercy; but Rosenbury took refuge in the water. The savages immediately came up to Taylor, and began to strip him; he suffered them quietly to take his shoes and his shirt, but when they attacked his trowsers he made some resistance, and by his gestures, intreated they would not leave him quite naked, upon which they thought fit to desift. They then made signs for Rosenbury to come to them, who was all this while swimming about in the sea; but he refused, and made signs that they would kill him. They then pointed to Taylor, intimating that they had not killed him: upon this he came forward, and having first thrown them his pistol, and all his cloaths but his shirt, he ventured to put himself in their hands. When he came up they offered him no violence, only held the boat's mast and the pistol to him, by way of deriding the folly of his attempt to frighten them. They seemed to be very much pleased with the cloaths, which they divided among them as far as they would go. Then they began to rifle the boat, and having taken all the rope they could find, and the hook by which the rudder hung to the stern-post, they began to knock the stern to pieces, for the iron which they saw about it. Next to knocking the poor wretches on the head, this was the worst thing they could do, and, rough as they were, they burst intotears
Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/309
