Armed warriors then rushed upon each
other in mimic warfare, and the sound of their bare feet, as they
stamped in unison upon the hard sand, came to us with measured cadence
across the sea. When the dance was ended, the captives were made to lie
flat, one behind the other, till they formed a black patch upon the
beach. Then appeared a number of men pushing from above high-water mark
a war canoe, the prow of which, elaborately carved, and upstanding to
the height of thirty feet, was decorated with shells and bunches of
feathers. On came the canoe, slowly at first, and then with increasing
speed, until it reached the row of victims, over whom it crunched,
taking the water reddened with their blood amid an uproar of shrieks
and groans most dreadful to listen to.
Not wishing to engage these savages, Hartog stood out to sea, but so
fearless were they that when they saw us they came in pursuit of us.
Over twenty canoes crowded with natives put off from the shore, but we
greeted them with shots from our brass cannon, which sent them back
quicker than they came, many being observed to fall after each
discharge of grapeshot and canister amongst them.
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