Page 488
An. 1688
They have War with the Nicobarians.
hinder them from going with us, Mr. Hall scared one Canoas crew, by firing a shot over them. They all leapt over board, and cried out, but fee- ing us row away, they got into their Canoa again, and came after us.
The firing of that Gun made all the Inhabitants of the Island to be our Enemies. For presently af- ter this we put ashore, at a Bay where were four Houses, and a great many Canoas: but they all went away, and came near us no more, for seve- ral days. We had then a great Loaf of Melory, which was our constant food; and if we had a mind to Coco-nuts, or Toddy, our Malayans of Achin would climb the Trees, and fetch as many Nuts as we would have, and a good pot of Tod- dy every morning. Thus we lived till our Me- lory was almost spent; being still in hopes that the Natives would come to us, and fell it as they had formerly done. But they came not to us; nay, they opposed us where ever we came, and often shaking their Lances at us, made all the shew of hatred that they could invent.
At last, when we saw that they stood in oppo- sition to us, we resolved to use force to get some of their food, if we could not get it other ways. With this resolution, we went in our Canoa to a small Bay, on the North part of the Island; because it was smooth water there and good land- ing, but on the other side, the wind being yet on that quarter, we could not land without jeopardy of oversetting our Canoa, and wetting our Arms, and then we must have lain at the mercy of our Enemies, who stood 2 or 300 men in every Bay, where they saw us coming, to keep us off.
When we set out, we rowed directly to the North end, and presently were followed by 7 or 8 of their Canoas. They keeping at a distance, rowed away faster than we did, and got to the Bay