ufed for preferving the fociety from danger: After a long debate it was agreed, first, That they should be difarmed, and not permitted to have either gun, or powder, or fhot, or fword, or any weapon, and fhould be turned out of the fociety, and left to live where they would, and how they could, by themfelves; but that none of the reft, either Spaniards or English, fhould converse with them, fpeak with them, or have any thing to do with them; that they fhould be forbid to come within a certain distance of the place where the reft dwelt; and that if they offered to commit any diforder, fo as to fpoil, burn, kill, or deftroy any of the corn, plantings, buildings, fences, or cattle belonging to the fociety, that they fhould die without mercy, and would fhoot them wherever they could find them.

The governor, a man of great humanity, mufing upon the fentence, confidered a little upon it; and, turning to the two honeft Englishmen, faid, Hold; you muft reflect, that it will be long ere they can raise corn and cattle of their own, and they must not starve; we must therefore allow them provifions. So he caufed to be added, That they fhould have a proportion of corn given them to laft them eight months, and for feed to fow, by which time they might be fuppofed to raife fome of their own; that they fhould have fix milch-goats, four he-goats, and fix kids given them, as well for prefent fubfiftence, as for a ftore; and that they fhould have tools given them for their work in the field; fuch as, fix hatchets, an axe, a faw, and the like: But they fhould have none of thefe tools or provifions, unless they would fwear folemnly

folemnly, that they would not hurt or injure any of the Spaniards with them, or of their fellow Englishmen.

Thus they difmiffed them the fociety, and turned them out to shift for themselves. They went away fullen and refractory, as neither contented to go away, or to ftay; but, as there was no remedy, they went, pretending to go and choose a place where they fhould fettle themselves, to plant and live by themfelves; and fome provifions were given, but no wea pons.

About four or five days after, they came again for fome victuals, and gave the governor an account where they had pitched their tents, and marked themfelves out an habitation or plantation; it was a very convenient place indeed, on the remoteft part of the ifland, N. E. much about the place where I providentially landed in my firft voyage, when I was driven out to fea, the Lord alone knows whither, in my foolish attempt to furround the island.

Here they built themfelves two handfome huts, and contrived them in a manner like my firft habitation, being close under the fide of a hill, having fome trees growing already to the three fides of it; fo that by planting others, it would be very eafily covered from the fight, unless narrowly fearched for; they desired some dry goat fkins for beds and covering, which were given them; and upon their giving their words that they would not disturb the reft, or injure any of their plantations, they gave them hatchets, and what other tools they could fpare; fome peafe, barley, and rice, for fowing, and, in a word, any thing they wanted but arms and ammunition.

They lived in this feparate condition about fix months, and had got in their first harvest, though the quantity was but fmall, the parcel of land they had planted being but little; for indeed, having all their plantation to form, they had a great deal of work upon their hands; and when they came to make boards, and pots, and fuch things, they were quite out of their element, and could make nothing of it; and when the rainy feafon came on, for want of a cave in the earth, they could not keep their grain dry, and it was in great danger of spoiling: and this humbled them much; fo they came and begged the Spaniards to help them, which they very readily did; and in four days worked a great hole in the fide of the hill for them, big enough to fecure their corn, and other things from the rain; but it was but a poor place at beft, compared to mine; and especially as mine was then; for the Spaniards had greatly enlarged it, and made feveral new apartments in it.

About three quarters of a year after this feparation, a new frolick took thefe rogues, which, together with the former villainy they had committed, brought mifchief enough upon them, and had very near been the ruin of the whole colony: the three new affociates began, it seems, to be weary of the laborious life they led, and that without hope of bettering their circumstances; and a whim took them, that they would make a voyage to the continent from whence the favages came, and would try if they could not feize upon fome prifoners among the natives there and bring them home, fo as to make them do the laborious part of the work for them.

The

The project was not fo prepofterous, if they had gone no farther; but they did nothing, and proposed nothing, but had either mischief in the defign, or mifchief in the event: and, if I may give my opinion, they seemed to be under a blast from Heaven; for if we will not allow a visible curse to pursue visible crimes, how fhall we reconcile the events of things with divine justice? It was certainly an apparent vengeance on their crime of mutiny and piracy, that brought them to the state they were in; and, as they fhewed not the leaft remorfe for the crime, but added new villainies to it, fuch as, particularly, that piece of monstrous cruelty of wounding a poor flave, becaufe he did not, or perhaps could not, understand to do what he was directed; and to wound him in fuch a manner, as, no queftion, made him a cripple all his life, and in a place where no furgeon or medicine could be had for his cure: and, what was still worse, the murderous intent; or, to do juftice to the crime, the intentional murder, for fuch to be fure it was, as was afterwards the formed design they all laid, to murder the Spaniards in cold blood, and in their fleep.

But I leave obferving, and return to the story: The three fellows came down to the Spaniards one morning, and, in very humble terms, defired to be admitted to speak with them: the Spaniards very readily heard what they had to say, which was this: that they were tired of living in the manner they did; that they were not handy enough to make the neceffaries they wanted; and that, having no help, they found they should be ftarved; but if the Spaniards would give them leave to take one of the canoes which

they

they came over in, and give them arms and ammunition, proportioned for their defence, they would go over to the main, and feek their fortune, and fo deliver them from the trouble of fupplying them with any other provifions.

The Spaniards were glad enough to be rid of them; but yet very honeftly reprefented to them the certain deftruction they were running into; told them, they had fuffered fuch hardships upon that very spot, that they could, without any spirit of prophecy, tell them, that they would be ftarved or murdered; and bade them confider of it.

The men replied audaciously, they should be starved if they stayed here, for they could not work, and would not work; and they could but be ftarved abroad; and if they were murdered, there was an end of them, they had no wives or children to cry after them; and, in short, infisted importunately upon their demand, declaring that they would go, whether they would give them any arms or no.

The Spaniards told them, with great kindness, that if they were refolved to go, they should not go like naked men, and be in no condition to defend themselves; and that though they could ill fpare their fire-arms, having not enough for themselves, yet they would let them have two mufquets, a pistol, and a cutlafs, and each man a hatchet, which they thought fufficient for them.

In a word, they accepted the offer; and having baked them bread enough to ferve them a month, and given them as much goat's flesh as they could eat while it was sweet, and a great basket full of dried grapes, a pot full of fresh water, and a young kid