We waited for them to come up, and, as
      they moved with great rapidity, they were soon within hail. Captain Guy now held up a white handkerchief on the blade of an
      oar, when the strangers made a full stop, and commenced a loud
      jabbering all at once, intermingled with occasional shouts, in
      which we could distinguish the words Anamoo-moo! and Lama-Lama! They continued this for at least half an hour, during which we
      had a good opportunity of observing their appearance. In the four canoes, which might have been fifty feet long and
      five broad, there were a hundred and ten savages in all. They
      were about the ordinary stature of Europeans, but of a more
      muscular and brawny frame. Their complexion a jet black, with
      thick and long woolly hair. They were clothed in skins of an
      unknown black animal, shaggy and silky, and made to fit the body
      with some degree of skill, the hair being inside, except where
      turned out about the neck, wrists, and ankles. Their arms
      consisted principally of clubs, of a dark, and apparently very
      heavy wood. Some spears, however, were observed among them,
      headed with flint, and a few slings. The bottoms of the canoes
      were full of black stones about the size of a large egg. When they had concluded their harangue (for it was clear they
      intended their jabbering for such), one of them who seemed to be
      the chief stood up in the prow of his canoe, and made signs for
      us to bring our boats alongside of him. This hint we pretended
      not to understand, thinking it the wiser plan to maintain, if
      possible, the interval between us, as their number more than
      quadrupled our own. Finding this to be the case, the chief
      ordered the three other canoes to hold back, while he advanced
      toward us with his own. As soon as he came up with us he leaped
      on board the largest of our boats, and seated himself by the side
      of Captain Guy, pointing at the same time to the schooner, and
      repeating the word Anamoo-moo! and Lama-Lama! We now put back to
      the vessel, the four canoes following at a little distance. Upon getting alongside, the chief evinced symptoms of extreme
      surprise and delight, clapping his hands, slapping his thighs and
      breast, and laughing obstreperously. His followers behind joined
      in his merriment, and for some minutes the din was so excessive
      as to be absolutely deafening. Quiet being at length restored,
      Captain Guy ordered the boats to be hoisted up, as a necessary
      precaution, and gave the chief (whose name we soon found to be
      Too-wit) to understand that we could admit no more than twenty of
      his men on deck at one time. With this arrangement he appeared
      perfectly satisfied, and gave some directions to the canoes, when
      one of them approached, the rest remaining about fifty yards off. Twenty of the savages now got on board, and proceeded to ramble
      over every part of the deck, and scramble about among the
      rigging, making themselves much at home, and examining every
      article with great inquisitiveness. It was quite evident that they had never before seen any of the
      white race—from whose complexion, indeed, they appeared to
      recoil. They believed the Jane to be a living creature, and
      seemed to be afraid of hurting it with the points of their
      spears, carefully turning them up. Our crew were much amused with
      the conduct of Too-wit in one instance. The cook was splitting
      some wood near the galley, and, by accident, struck his axe into
      the deck, making a gash of considerable depth. The chief
      immediately ran up, and pushing the cook on one side rather
      roughly, commenced a half whine, half howl, strongly indicative
      of sympathy in what he considered the sufferings of the schooner,
      patting and smoothing the gash with his hand, and washing it from
      a bucket of seawater which stood by. This was a degree of
      ignorance for which we were not prepared, and for my part I could
      not help thinking some of it affected. When the visitors had satisfied, as well as they could, their
      curiosity in regard to our upper works, they were admitted below,
      when their amazement exceeded all bounds. Their astonishment now
      appeared to be far too deep for words, for they roamed about in
      silence, broken only by low ejaculations. The arms afforded them
      much food for speculation, and they were suffered to handle and
      examine them at leisure. I do not believe that they had the least
      suspicion of their actual use, but rather took them for idols,
      seeing the care we had of them, and the attention with which we
      watched their movements while handling them. At the great guns
      their wonder was redoubled. They approached them with every mark
      of the profoundest reverence and awe, but forbore to examine them
      minutely. There were two large mirrors in the cabin, and here was
      the acme of their amazement. Too-wit was the first to approach
      them, and he had got in the middle of the cabin, with his face to
      one and his back to the other, before he fairly perceived them. Upon raising his eyes and seeing his reflected self in the glass,
      I thought the savage would go mad; but, upon turning short round
      to make a retreat, and beholding himself a second time in the
      opposite direction, I was afraid he would expire upon the spot. No persuasion could prevail upon him to take another look;
      throwing himself upon the floor, with his face buried in his
      hands, he remained thus until we were obliged to drag him upon
      deck. The whole of the savages were admitted on board in this manner,
      twenty at a time, Too-wit being suffered to remain during the
      entire period. We saw no disposition to thievery among them, nor
      did we miss a single article after their departure. Throughout
      the whole of their visit they evinced the most friendly manner. There were, however, some points in their demeanour which we
      found it impossible to understand; for example, we could not get
      them to approach several very harmless objects—such as the
      schooner’s sails, an egg, an open book, or a pan of flour. We
      endeavoured to ascertain if they had among them any articles
      which might be turned to account in the way of traffic, but found
      great difficulty in being comprehended. We made out,
      nevertheless, what greatly astonished us, that the islands
      abounded in the large tortoise of the Gallipagos, one of which we
      saw in the canoe of Too-wit. We saw also some biche de mer in the
      hands of one of the savages, who was greedily devouring it in its
      natural state.