Arms and ammunition were served to the crew, and our brass
cannon was loaded to the muzzle with grape and canister.
During the early part of the night we could see lights on the shore,
whilst the beating of war drums and the sound of wooden horns continued
to a late hour. At last all was still, when we slipped our anchor, and
began the arduous task of towing the ship out of the lagoon through the
opening in the reef which marked a break in the line of white surf.
During the night we laboured at the oars, and when morning broke we had
succeeded in towing the ship into the open sea for some distance from
the land. But our peril was by no means at an end. An absolute calm
prevailed, and unless a breeze came in time we feared the savages would
put off in their war canoes to attack us. Nor in this were we mistaken,
for we presently heard a great beating of drums and blowing of horns,
while we could see the savages crowding on to the reef, from which they
watched us lying becalmed. Ten canoes then came through the opening in
the reef, each containing some one hundred savages, and were paddled
rapidly toward us.
When the canoes came within range our brass cannon accounted for one of
them, on board of which I hoped was the traitor Vale Vulu, but the
others came on, and there is little doubt that by force of numbers we
must have been overpowered had not the breeze, which we could now see
approaching, come in time to save us.
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