So soon as it began to grow dark, we came creeping out of our hollow tree; and put for it, as fast as our legs could carry us. And then we crossed that great road, which all the day before we did expect to come up with; keeping close by the river side; and going so long, till dark night stopped us.
We kept going the longer, because we heard the voice of men holloaing towards evening; which created in us a fresh disturbance: thinking them to be people that were coming to chase us. But at length; we heard elephants behind us, between us and the voice, which we knew by the noise of the cracking of the boughs and small trees which they brake down and ate. These elephants were a very good guard behind us; and were, methought, like the darkness that came between Israel and the Egyptians. For the people, we knew, would not dare to go forwards; hearing elephants before them.
In this security, we pitched our tents by the river side, and boiled rice and roasted flesh for our supper: for we were very hungry; and so, commending ourselves to God's keeping, we lay down to sleep. The voice which we heard still continued; which lasting so long, we knew what it meant. It was nothing but the holloaing of people that lay to watch the cornfields; to scare away the wild beasts out of their corn.
Thus we passed Monday.
But nevertheless the next morning, so soon as the moon shone out bright; to prevent the worst, we took up our packs, and were gone: being past all the tame inhabitants, with whom we had no more trouble.
But the next day, we feared we should come among the wild ones: for these woods are full of them. Of these, we were as much afraid as of the other: for they [the tame inhabitants] would have carried us back to the King, where we should have been kept prisoners; but these, we feared, would have shot us, not standing to hear us plead for ourselves.
And indeed all along as we went, by the sides of the river, till we came to the Malabar inhabitants; there had been the tents of wild men, made only of boughs of trees. But God be praised, they were all gone: though but very lately before we came; as we perceived by the bones of cattle and shells
