 too late for the salvation of our devoted people.
The canoe party were already on board the schooner to the number of more than a
hundred and fifty, the most of them having succeeded in scrambling up the chains
and over the boarding-nettings even before the matches had been applied to the
larboard guns. Nothing now could withstand their brute rage. Our men were borne
down at once, overwhelmed, trodden under foot, and absolutely torn to pieces in
an instant.
    Seeing this, the savages on the rafts got the better of their fears, and
came up in shoals to the plunder. In five minutes the Jane was a pitiable scene
indeed of havoc and tumultuous outrage. The decks were split open and ripped up;
the cordage, sails, and every thing movable on deck demolished as if by magic;
while, by dint of pushing at the stern, towing with the canoes, and hauling at
the sides, as they swam in thousands around the vessel, the wretches finally
forced her on shore (the cable having been slipped), and delivered her over to
the good offices of Too-wit, who, during the whole of the engagement, had
maintained, like a skilful general, his post of security and reconnoissance
among the hills, but, now that the victory was completed to his satisfaction,
condescended to scamper down with his warriors of the black skin, and become a
partaker in the spoils.
    Too-wit's descent left us at liberty to quit our hiding-place and
reconnoitre the hill in the vicinity of the chasm. At about fifty yards from the
mouth of it we saw a small spring of water, at which we slaked the burning
thirst that now consumed us. Not far from the spring we discovered several of
the filbert-bushes which I mentioned before. Upon tasting the nuts we found them
palatable, and very nearly resembling in flavor the common English filbert. We
collected our hats full immediately, deposited them within the ravine, and
returned for more. While we were busily employed in gathering these, a rustling
in the bushes alarmed us, and we were upon the point of stealing back to our
covert, when a large black bird of the bittern species strugglingly and slowly
arose above the shrubs. I was so much startled that I could do nothing, but
Peters had sufficient presence of mind to run up to it before it could make its
escape, and seize it by the neck. Its struggles and screams were tremendous, and
we had thoughts of letting it go, lest the noise should alarm some of the
savages who might be still lurking in
