The savages advanced with threatening gestures.  None of them had fire-arms.  We thus felt sure that, if they ventured to attack us, we should make a good fight of it.  Cousin Silas called four of the men to the front, and ordered them to fire over the heads of the savages, to show them the power we possessed.  The savages halted at the sound, and looked about to see what had become of the balls they heard whistling above them.  While they hesitated, Cousin Silas, cutting down a green bough, went to the brow of the hill and waved it over his head--a token of a friendly disposition, understood in all those regions.  To our great satisfaction, we saw the savages tearing down boughs, which they waved in the same manner.  Among the whaler's crew was a Sandwich Islander who spoke the language of many of the people in those regions. He was told to try and see if he could make them understand him.  Waving a bough he went forward to meet them, while the rest of us stood ready to fire should any treachery be practised.  They did not seem, however, to have meditated any, and met him in a perfectly friendly manner. After talking to them for some time, he came back and said he had arranged everything.  He told them that we were voyaging to our own country, and that we had landed here to await the arrival of another ship.  If we were treated well, our friends would return the compliment; but that if otherwise, they would certainly avenge us.  This, undoubtedly, was far from strictly true; but I have no doubt that it had the effect of making the savages disposed to treat us hospitably.  The savages on this put down their arms and advanced towards us with friendly gestures.  Mr Brand, consequently, went to meet them, ordering us, at the same time, to keep our arms ready in case of treachery.  The savages were very dark.  Some of them, whom, we took to be chiefs, wore turbans over their frizzled-out hair, and mantles and kilts of native cloth.  They shook hands with Mr Brand in a very friendly way, and invited us all to their houses; but he replied that he preferred building a house where we had landed, though he would be obliged to them for a supply of food.  The natives replied very politely that the food we should have, and that they hoped we should change our minds regarding the place where we proposed building a house.