Three women,
two of whom carried infants in their arms, rushed into the woods; and
the men crowded to the water's edge, with stones in their hands, spears
levelled, and clubs brandished, to resist the landing of their enemies.
The distance between the two canoes had been about half a mile, and, at
the great speed they were going, this was soon passed. As the pursuers
neared the shore, no sign of fear or hesitation was noticeable. On they
came like a wild charger--received but recked not of a shower of
stones. The canoe struck, and with a yell that seemed to issue from the
throats of incarnate fiends, they leaped into the water, and drove
their enemies up the beach.
The battle that immediately ensued was frightful to behold. Most of the
men wielded clubs of enormous size and curious shapes, with which they
dashed out each other's brains. As they were almost entirely naked, and
had to bound, stoop, leap, and run in their terrible hand-to-hand
encounters, they looked more like demons than human beings. I felt my
heart grow sick at the sight of this bloody battle, and would fain have
turned away, but a species of fascination seemed to hold me down and
glue my eyes upon the combatants. I observed that the attacking party
was led by a most extraordinary being, who, from his size and
peculiarity, I concluded was a chief. His hair was frizzed out to an
enormous extent, so that it resembled a large turban.
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