differing conduct prefently. When the three came back, like furious creatures, flushed with the rage which the work they had been about put them into, they came up to the Spaniards, and told them what they had done, by way of fcoff and bravado; and one of them stepping up to one of the Spaniards, as if they had been a couple of boys at play, takes hold of his hat, as it was upon his head, and giving it a twirl about, fleering in his face, fays he to him, And you, Seignior Jack Spaniard, fhall have the fame fauce, if you do not mend your manners. The Spaniard who, though quite a civil man, was as brave as a man could defire to be, and withal a strong well-made man, looked fteadily at him for a good while; and then, having no weapon in his hand, ftept gravely up to him, and with one blow of his fift, knocked him down, as an ox is felled with a pole-axe, at which one of the rogues, infolent as the firft, fired his piftol at the Spaniard immediately: he miffed his body indeed, for the bullets went through his hair, but one of them touched the tip of his ear, and he bled pretty much. The blood made the Spaniard believe he was more hurt than he really was, and that put him into fome heat, for before he acted all in a perfect calm; but now refolving to go through with his work, he stooped and took the fellow's mufquet whom he had knocked down, and was just going to fhoot the man who had fired at him; when the rest of the Spaniards, being in the cave, came out, and calling to him not to fhoot, they stept in, fecured the other two, and took their arms from them.

When they were thus difarmed, and found they had made all the Spaniards their enemies, as well as their own countrymen, they began to cool; and giving the Spaniards better words, would have had their arms again; but the Spaniards, confidering the feud that was between them and the other two Englishmen, and that it would be the beft method they could take to keep them from one another, told them they would do them no harm; and if they would live peaceably they would be very willing to aflift and afsociate with them, as they did before; but that they could not think of giving them their arms again, while they appeared fo refolved to do mifchief with them to their own countrymen, and had even threatened them all to make them their fervants.

The rogues were now more capable to hear reafon than to act reafon; but being refufed their arms, they went raving away, and raging like madmen, threatening what they would do, though they had no fire-arms: but the Spaniards defpifing their threatening, told them they fhould take care how they offered any injury to their plantation or cattle; for if they did, they would fhoot them, as they would do ravenous beafts, wherever they found them; and if they fell into their hands alive, they would certainly be hanged. However, this was far from cooling them; but away they went, fwearing and raging like furies of hell. As foon as they were gone, came back the two men in paffion and rage enough also, though of another kind; for, having been at their plantation, and finding it all demolished and destroy, ed, as above, it will eafily be fuppofed they had proVocation

vocation enough; they could fcarce have room to tell their tale, the Spaniards were fo eager to tell them theirs; and it was ftrange enough to find, that three men fhould thus bully nineteen, and receive no punishment at all.

The Spaniards indeed despised them, and especially having thus difarmed them, made light of their threatenings; but the two Englishmen refolved to have their remedy against them, what pains foever it coft to find them out.

But the Spaniards interpofed here too, and told them, that they were already disarmed: they could not consent that they (the two) should pursue them with fire-arms, and perhaps kill them: but, faid the grave Spaniard, who was their governor, we will endeavour to make them do you justice, if you will leave it to us, for, as there is no doubt but they will come to us again when their paffion is over, being not able to fubfift without our affiftance, we promise you to make no peace with them, without having a full fatisfaction for you; and upon this condition we hope you will promise to use no violence with them, other than in your defence.

The two Englishmen yielded to this very awkwardly, and with great reluctance; but the Spaniards protefted, they did it only to keep them from bloodshed, and to make all eafy at last; for, faid they, we are not fo many of us; here is room enough for us all, and it is great pity we should not be all good friends. At length they did confent, and waited for the iffue of the thing, living for fome days with the Spaniards; for their own habitation was destroyed.

In about five days time the three vagrants, tired with wandering, and almoft ftarved with hunger, having chiefly lived on turtles eggs all that while, came back to the grove; and finding my Spaniard, who, as I have faid, was the governor, and two more with him, walking by the fide of the creek; they came up in a very fubmiffive humble manner, and begged to be received again into the family. The Spaniards ufed them civilly, but told them, they had acted fo unnaturally by their countrymen, and fo very grofsly by them (the Spaniards), that they could not come to any conclufion without confulting the two Englifhmen, and the reft; but however they would go to them, and discourse about it, and they fhould know in half an hour. It may be gueffed that they were very hard put to it; for it seems, as they were to wait this half-hour for an answer, they begged he would fend them out fome bread in the mean time; which he did, and fent them at the fame time a large piece of goat's flesh, and a broiled parrot; which they eat very heartily, for they were hungry enough.

After half an hour's confultation they were called in, and a long debate had about them, their two countrymen charging them with the ruin of all their labour, and a defign to murder them; all which they owned before, and therefore could not deny now; upon the whole, the Spaniards acted the moderators between them; and as they had obliged the two Englishmen not to hurt the three, while they were naked and unarmed, fo they now obliged the three to go and rebuild their fellows two huts, one to be

of

of the fame dimenfions, and the other larger than they were before; alfo to fence their ground again, where they had pulled up the fences, plant trees in the room of those pulled up, dig up the land again for planting corn, where they had spoiled it; and, in a word, to reftore every thing in the fame state as they found it, as near as they could; for entirely it could not be, the feafon for the corn, and the growth of the trees and hedges, not being poffible to be recovered.

Well, they all fubmitted to this; and as they had plenty of provifions given them all the while, they grew very orderly, and the whole fociety began to live pleasantly and agreeably together again; only that these three fellows could never be perfuaded to work; I mean, not for themfelves, except now and then a little, juft as they pleased; however, the Spaniards told them plainly, that if they would but live fociably and friendly together, and ftudy in the whole the good of the plantation, they would be content to work for them, and let them walk about and be as idle as they pleased; and thus having lived pretty well together for a month or two, the Spaniards gave them their arms again, and gave them liberty to go abroad with them as before.

It was not above a week after they had these arms, and went abroad, but the ungrateful creatures began to be as infolent and troublesome as before; but however, an accident happened prefently upon this, which endangered the fafety of them all; they were obliged to lay by all private refentments, and look to the prefervation of their lives.