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formidable fleet, of no less than twenty-eight canoes, full of favages, armed with bows and arrows, great clubs, wooden fwords, and fuch like engines of war; and they brought fuch numbers with them, that, in fhort, it put all our people into the utmost confternation.

As they came on fhore in the evening, and at the eaftermoft fide of the island, our men had that night to confult and confider what to do; and, in the first place, knowing that their being entirely concealed was their only fafety before, and would much more be fo now, while the number of their enemies was fo great, they therefore refolved, first of all, to take down the huts which were built for the two Englishmen, and drive away their goats to the old cave; because they fuppofed the favages would go directly thither, as soon as it was day, to play the old game over again, though they did not now land within two leagues of it.

In the next place, they drove away all the flock of goats they had at the old bower, as I called it, which belonged to the Spaniards; and, in fhort, left as little appearance of inhabitants any where as poffible; and the next morning early they pofted themselves with all their force, at the plantation of the two men, waiting for their coming. As they gueffed, fo it happened; these new invaders, leaving their canoes at the east end of the island, came ranging along the fhore, directly towards the place, to the number of two hundred and fifty, as near as our men could judge. Our army was but fmall indeed; but, that which was worfe, they had not arms for all their

number

number neither: The whole account, it seems, stood thus: First, as to men:

17 Spaniards.

5 Englishmen.

1 Old Friday, or Friday's father.

3 Slaves, taken with the women, who proved very faithful.

3 Other flaves who lived with the Spaniards.

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To arm these they had:

11 Mufquets.

5 Pistols.

3 Fowling pieces.

5 Mufquets, or fowling pieces, which were taken by me from the mutinous feamen whom I reduced.

2 Swords.

3 Old halberts.

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;

To their flaves they did not give either mufquet or fufil, but they had every one an halbert, or a long staff, like a quarter ftaff, with a great spike of iron fastened into each end of it, and by his fide a hatchet alfo every one of our men had hatchets. Two of the women could not be prevailed upon, but they would come into the fight; and they had bows and arrows, which the Spaniards had taken from the favages, when the first action happened, which I have

spoken

spoken of, where the Indians fought with one another, and the women had hatchets too.

The Spaniard governor, whom I have defcribed fo often, commanded the whole; and William Atkins, who, though a dreadful fellow for wickednefs, was a moft daring bold fellow, commanded under him. The favages came forward like lions, and our men, which was the worst of their fate, had no advantage in their fituation; only that Will Atkins, who now proved a most useful fellow, with fix men, was planted just behind a small thicket of bushes, as an advanced guard, with orders to let the first of them pass by, and then fire into the middle of them; and, as foon as he had fired, to make his retreat, as nimbly as he could, round a part of the wood, and fo come in behind the Spaniards where they ftood, having a thicket of trees all before them.

When the favages came on, they ran ftraggling about every way in heaps, out of all manner of order; and Will Atkins let about fifty of them pafs by him; then, feeing the reft come in a very thick throng, he orders three of his men to fire, having loaded their mufquets with fix or feven bullets apiece, about as big as large piftol bullets. How many they killed or wounded, they knew not; but the confternation and surprise was inexpreffible among the favages, who were frighted to the last degree, to hear fuch a dreadful noife, and fee their men killed, and others hurt, but fee nobody that did it; when in the middle of their fright, William Atkins, and his other three, let fly again among the thickeft of them; and in lefs than a minute, the first three, being loaded again, gave them a third volley.

Had

Had William Atkins and his men retired immediately, as foon as they had fired, as they were ordered to do; or had the rest of the body been at hand, to have poured in their fhot continually, the favages had been effectually routed; for the terror that was among them came principally from this; viz. That they were killed by the Gods with thunder and lightning, and could fee nobody that hurt them; but William Atkins, ftaying to load again, difcovered the cheat; fome of the favages, who were at a distance, fpying them, came upon them behind; and though Atkins and his men fired at them also, two or three times, and killed above twenty, retiring as fast as they could, yet they wounded Atkins himfelf, and killed one of his fellow Englishmen with their arrows, as they did afterwards one Spaniard, and one of the Indian flaves who came with the women; this flave was a moft gallant fellow, and fought most desperately, killing five of them with his own hand, having no weapon but one of the armed flaves, and an hatchet.

Our men being thus hard laid at, Atkins wounded, and two other men killed, retreated to a rifing ground in the wood; and the Spaniards, after firing three vollies upon them, retreated alfo; for their number was fo great, and they were fo defperate, that though above fifty of them were killed, and more than fo many wounded, yet they came on in the teeth of our men, fearlefs of danger, and fhot their arrows like a cloud; and it was obferved, that their wounded men, who were not quite difabled, were made outrageous by their wounds, and fought like madmen.

When

When our men retreated, they left the Spaniard and the Englishman, that were killed, behind them; and the favages, when they came up to them, killed them over again in a wretched manner, breaking their arms, legs, and heads, with their clubs, and wooden fwords, like true favages: But, finding our men were gone, they did not feem inclined to purfue them, but drew themselves up in a kind of a ring, which is, it seems, their custom; and fhouted twice, in token of their victory; after which, they had the mortification to fee feveral of their wounded men fall, dying with the mere lofs of blood.

The Spaniard governor having drawn his little body up together, upon a rifing ground, Atkins, though he was wounded, would have had him marched, and charged them again all together at once; but the Spaniard replied, Seignior Atkins, you fee how their wounded men fight; let them alone till morning; all thefe wounded men will be ftiff and fore with their wounds, and faint with the lofs of blood; and fo we fhall have the fewer to engage.

The advice was good; but Will Atkins replied merrily, That's true, Seignior, and fo fhall I too; and that's the reafon I would go on, while I am warm. Well, Scignior Atkins, fays the Spaniard, you have behaved gallantly, and done your part; we will fight for you, if you cannot come on; but I think it beft to ftay till morning: fo they waited.

But as it was a clear moon-light night, and they found the favages in great diforder about their dead and wounded men, and a great hurry and noise among them where they lay, they afterwards refolved to fall upon them in the night, efpecially if they could

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