Page images
PDF
EPUB

would go away; and it was fo to a tittle. But it was impoffible to prevail, especially upon the Englifhmen; their curiofity was fo importunate upon their prudentials, that they must run out and see the battle: however, they used fome caution, viz. they did not go openly juft by their own dwelling, but went farther into the woods, and placed themselves to advantage, where they might fecurely fee them manage the fight, and, as they thought, not to be feen by them; but it feems the favages did fee them, as we shall find hereafter.

The battle was very fierce, and if I might believe the Englishmen, one of them said, he could perceive, that fome of them were men of great bravery, of invincible spirits, and of great policy in guiding the fight. The battle, they said, held two hours, before they could guess which party would be beaten; but then that party which was nearest our people's habitation began to appear weakeft, and after fome time more, fome of them began to fly; and this put our men again into a great confternation, left any of those that fled should run into the grove, before their dwelling, for shelter, and thereby involuntarily difcover the place; and that by confequence the purfuers fhould do the like in fearch for them. Upon this they refolved, that they would stand armed within the wall, and whoever came into the grove, they fhould fally out over the wall, and kill them; fo that, if poffible, not one fhould return to give an account of it; they ordered also, that it fhould be done with their fwords, or by knocking them down

VOL. II.

F

with

with the stock of the mufquet, not by fhooting them, for fear of raising an alarm by the noise.

As they expected, it fell out; three of the routed army fled for life, and croffing the creek, ran directly into the place, not in the least knowing whither they went, but running as into a thick wood for fhelter; the scout they kept to look abroad gave notice of this within, with this addition, to our men's great fatisfaction, viz. That the conquerors had not pursued them, or seen which way they were gone. Upon this the Spaniard governor, a man of humanity, would not fuffer them to kill the three fugitives; but, fending three men out by the top of the hill, ordered them to go round, and come in behind them, surprise and take them prisoners, which was done; the refidue of the conquered people fled to their canoes, and got off to fea; the victors retired, and made no purfuit, or very little; but, drawing themselves into a body together, gave two great fcreaming fhouts, which they fuppofed were by way of triumph, and fo the fight ended: and the fame day, about three o'clock in the afternoon, they alfo marched to their canoes. And thus the Spaniards had their island again free to themselves, their fright was over, and they faw no favages in feveral years after.

After they were all gone, the Spaniards came out of their den; and, viewing the field of battle, they found about two-and-thirty dead men upon the spot; fome were killed with great long arrows, feveral of which were found sticking in their bodies; but most of them were killed with their great wooden fwords,

fixteen

fixteen or feventeen of which they found in the field of battle, and as many bows, with a great many arrows: these swords were great unwieldly things, and they must be very strong men that used them: moft of those men that were killed with them had their heads mashed to pieces, as we may fay, or, as we call it in English, their brains knocked out, and feveral of their arms and legs broken; fo that it is evident they fight with inexpreffible rage and fury; they found not one wounded man that was not stone dead; for either they ftay by their enemy till they have quite killed them, or they carry all the wounded men, that are not quite dead, away with them.

This deliverance tamed our Englishmen for a great while the fight had filled them with horror, and the confequence appeared terrible to the last degree, efpecially upon fuppofing that fome time or other they should fall into the hands of those creatures, who would not only kill them as enemies, but kill them for food, as we kill our cattle. And they profeffed to me, that the thoughts of being eaten up like beef or mutton, though it was fuppofed it was not to be till they were dead, had fome-. thing in it fo horrible, that it naufeated their very ftomachs, made them fick when they thought of it, and filled their minds with unufual terror, that they were not themselves for fome weeks after.

This, as I faid, tamed even the three English brutes I have been fpeaking of; and, for a great while after, they were very tractable, and went about the common business of the whole fociety well enough;

F 2

enough; planted, fowed, reaped, and began to be all naturalized to the country; but some time after this, they fell all into such simple measures again as brought them into a great deal of trouble.

They had taken three prisoners, as I had obferved; and these three being lufty ftout young fellows, they made them fervants, and taught them to work for them; and, as flaves, they did well enough; but they did not take their measures with them as I did by my man Friday, viz. to begin with them upon the principle of having faved their lives, and then inftructed them in the rational principles of life, much lefs of religion, civilizing and reducing them by kind ufage, and affectionate arguings; but, as they gave them their food every day, so they gave them their work too, and kept them fully employed in drudgery enough; but they failed in this by it, that they never had them to affift them and fight for them, as I had my man Friday, who was as true to me as the very flesh upon my bones.

But to come to the family part: Being all now good friends (for common danger, as I faid above, had effectually reconciled them), they began to confider their general circumftances; and the first thing that came under their confideration was, whether, seeing the favages particularly haunted that fide of the ifland, and that there were more remote and retired parts of it equally adapted to their way of living, and manifeftly to their advantage, they should not rather remove their habitation, and plant in fome more proper place for their fafety, and especially for the fecurity of their cattle and corn.

Upon

Upon this, after long debate, it was conceived, that they fhould not remove their habitation; because that fome time or other they thought they might hear from their governor again, meaning me: and if I fhould fend any one to seek them, I would be fure to direct them on that fide, where, if they fhould find the place demolished, they would conclude the favages had killed us all, and we were gone, and fo our supply would go away too.

But as to their corn and cattle, they agreed to remove them into the valley where my cave was, where the land was as proper to both, and where indeed there was land enough: however, upon fecond thoughts, they altered one part of that refolution too, and refolved only to remove part of their cattle thither, and plant part of their corn there; and fo, if one part was deftroyed, the other might be faved: and one piece of prudence they used, which it was very well they did; viz. That they never trusted these three favages, which they had taken prisoners, with knowing any thing of the plantation they had made in that valley, or of any cattle they had there; much lefs of the cave there, which they kept in cafe of neceflity, as a fafe retreat; and thither they carried alfo the two barrels of powder which I had left them at my coming away.

But, however, they refolved not to change their habitation; yet they agreed, that as I had carefully covered it first with a wall and fortification, and then with a grove of trees; fo, feeing their fafety confifted entirely in their being concealed, of which they were now fully convinced, they fet to work to cover and conceal the place yet more effectually than

[blocks in formation]
« PreviousContinue »