before to this purpofe, as I had planted trees (or rather thrust in stakes, which in time all grew to be trees) for fome good distance before the entrance into my apartment, they went on in the fame manner, and filled up the reft of that whole fpace of ground, from the trees I had fet, quite down to the fide of the creek, where, as I faid, I landed my floats, and even into the very ouze where the tide flowed, not so much as leaving any place to land, or any fign that there had been any landing thereabout: these stakes alfo, being of a wood very forward to grow, as I had noted formerly, they took care to have generally very much larger and taller than those which I had planted, and placed them fo very thick, and clofe, that when they had been three or four years grown, there was no piercing with the eye any confiderable way into the plantation: as for that part which I had planted, the trees were grown as thick as a man's thigh; and among them they placed fo many other fhort ones, and fo thick, that, in a word, it stood like a palifado a quarter of a mile thick, and it was next to impoffible to penetrate it, but with a little army, to cut it all down; for a little dog could hardly get between the trees, they stood fo clofe.

But this was not all; for they did the fame by all the ground to the right hand, and to the left, and round even to the top of the hill; leaving no way, not fo much as for themselves to come out, but by the ladder placed up to the fide of the hill, and then lifted up, and placed again from the first ftage up to the top; which ladder, when it was taken down, nothing but what had wings or witchcraft to affift it, could come at them.

This was excellently well contrived: nor was it lefs than what they afterwards found occafion for; which ferved to convince me, that as human prudence has authority of Providence to justify it, fo it has, doubtlefs, the direction of Providence to fet it to work; and, would we listen carefully to the voice of it, I am fully perfuaded we might prevent many of the disasters which our lives are now, by our own negligence, fubjected to. But this by the

way.

I return to the ftory: they lived two years after this in perfect retirement, and had no more vifits from the favages; they had indeed an alarm given them one morning, which put them in a great confternation; for, fome of the Spaniards being out early one morning on the weft fide, or rather end of the island, which, by the way, was that end where I never went, for fear of being discovered, they were surprised with seeing above twenty canoes of Indians juft coming on fhore.

They made the best of their way home, in hurry enough; and giving the alarm to their comrades, they kept clofe all that day and the next, going out only at night, to make obfervation: but they had the good luck to be mistaken; for wherever the favages went, they did not land at that time on the island, but purfued fome other defign.

And now they had another broil with the three Englifhmen; one of which, a moft turbulent fellow, being in a rage at one of the three flaves, which I mentioned they had taken, because the fellow had not done fomething right which he bid him do, and feemed

F 4

feemed a little untractable in his fhewing him, drew a hatchet out of a frog-belt, in which he bore it by his fide, and fell upon him, the poor favage, not to correct him, but to kill him. One of the Spaniards, who was by, feeing him give the fellow a barbarous cut with the hatchet, which he aimed at his head, but ftruck into his fhoulder, fo that he thought he had cut the poor creature's arm off, ran to him, and intreating him not to murder the poor man, clapt in between him and the favage, to prevent the mischief.

The fellow, being enraged the more at this, ftruck at the Spaniard with his hatchet, and fwore he would serve him as he intended to ferve the favage; which the Spaniard perceiving, avoided the blow, and with a fhovel, which he had in his hand (for they were working in the field about the corn-land,) knocked the brute down: another of the Englishmen, running at the fame time to help his comrade, knocked the Spaniard down; and then two Spaniards more came to help their man, and a third Englishman fell upon them. They had none of them any firearms, or any other weapons but hatchets and other tools, except the third Englishman; he had one of my old rusty cutlaffes, with which he made at the laft Spaniards, and wounded them both: this fray fet the whole family in an uproar, and more help coming in, they took the three Englishmen prisoners. The next queftion was, What should be done with them? They had been so often mutinous, and were fo furious, so desperate, and so idle withal, that they knew not what courfe to take with them, for they

were

were mischievous to the highest degree, and valued not what hurt they did any man; fo that, in fhort, it was not fafe to live with them.

The Spaniard who was governor, told them in fo many words, that if they had been his own countrymen, he would have hanged them all; for all laws, and all governors, were to preferve fociety; and those who were dangerous to the fociety ought to be expelled out of it; but as they were Englishmen, and that it was to the generous kindness of an Englifhman that they all owed their prefervation and deliverance, he would use them with all poffible lenity, and would leave them to the judgment of the other two Englishmen, who were their countrymen.

One of the two honest Englishmen stood up, and faid, they defired it might not be left to them: for, fays he, I am fure we ought to fentence them to the gallows; and with that gives an account how Will Atkins, one of the three, had proposed to have all the five Englishmen join together, and murder all the Spaniards, when they were in their sleep.

When the Spanish governor heard this, he calls to Will Atkins: How, Seignior Atkins, fays he, Will you murder us all? What have you to fay to that? That hardened villain was fo far from denying it, that he said it was true, and G-d d-mn him they would do it still before they had done with them. Well, but Seignior Atkins, faid the Spaniard, What have we done to you that you will kill us? And what would you get by killing us? And what must we do to prevent your killing us? Muft we kill you, or will you kill us? Why will you put us to the ne

ceflity

ceflity of this, Seignior Atkins? fays the Spaniard very calmly, and fmiling.

Seignior Atkins was in fuch a rage at the Spaniard's making a jeft of it, that, had he not been held by three men, and withal had no weapons with him, it was thought he would have attempted to have killed the Spaniard in the middle of all the

company. This hare-brained carriage obliged them to confider feriously what was to be done. The two Englishmen and the Spaniard, who faved the poor favage, were of the opinion, That they fhould hang one of the three for an example to the reft; and that particularly it should be he that had twice attempted to commit murder with his hatchet; and indeed there was fome reafon to believe he had done it, for the poor favage was in fuch a miferable condition with the wound he had received, that it was thought he could not live.

But the governor Spaniard ftill faid; No, it was an Englishman that had faved all their lives, and he would never confent to put an Englishman to death, though he had murdered half of them; nay, he said, if he had been killed himself by an Englishman, and had time left to speak, it should be, that they should pardon him.

This was fo pofitively infifted on by the governor Spaniard, that there was no gainsaying it; and, as merciful counfels are most apt to prevail, where they are fo earnestly preffed, fo they all came into it; but then it was to be confidered, what fhould be done to keep them from the mischief they defigned; for all agreed, governor and all, that means were to be

ufed