that not without good caufe indeed, that if this fellow got fafe home among his comrades, he would certainly give them an account that there were people in the island, as also how weak and few they were; for this favage, as I obferved before, had never been told, as it was very happy he had not, how many they were, or where they lived, nor had he ever seen or heard the fire of any of their guns, much lefs had they fhewn him any other of their retired places, fuch as the cave in the valley, or the new retreat which the two Englishmen had made, and the like.

The first teftimony they had, that this fellow had given intelligence of them was, that about two months after this, fix canoes of favages, with about feven or eight, or ten men in a canoe, came rowing along the north-fide of the island, where they never ufed to come before, and landed about an hour after fun-rife, at a convenient place, about a mile from the habitation of the two Englishmen, where this efcaped man had been kept: as the Spaniard governor faid, had they been all there, the damage would not have been fo much, for not a man of them would have escaped: but the cafe differed now very much; for two men to fifty were too much odds: the two men had the happiness to discover them about a league off, fo that it was above an hour before they landed; and as they landed about a mile from their huts, it was fome time before they could come at them. Now having great reafon to believe that they were betrayed, the first thing they did was to bind the flaves which were left, and caufe two of the three men, whom they brought with the women,

who,

who, it seems, proved very faithful to them, to lead them with their two wives, and whatever they could carry away with them, to their retired place in the woods, which I have spoken of above, and there to bind the two fellows hand and foot till they heard farther.

In the next place, feeing the favages were all come on fhore, and that they bent their courfe directly that way, they opened the fences where their milch-goats were kept, and drove them all out, leaving their goats to ftraggle into the wood, whither they pleased, that the favages might think they were all bred wild; but the rogue who came with them was too cunning for that, and gave them an account of it all; for they went directly to the place.

When the poor frighted men had fecured their wives and goods, they fent the other flave they had of the three, who came with the women, and who was at their place by accident, away to the Spaniards with all fpeed, to give them the alarm, and · defire speedy help; and in the mean time they took their arms, and what ammunition they had, and retreated towards the place in the wood where their wives were fent, keeping at a distance; yet so that they might fee, if poffible, which way the favages took.

They had not gone far, but that, from a rifing ground, they could fee the little army of their enemies come on directly to their habitation, and in a moment more could fee all their huts and household. ftuff flaming up together, to their great grief and mortification; for they had a very great lofs, and to them irretrievable, at least for fome time. They

kept

kept their ftation for awhile, till they found the favages, like wild beafts, fpread themfelves all over the place, rummaging every way, and every place they could think of, in fearch for prey; and, in particular, for the people, of whom it plainly appeared they had intelligence.

The two Englifhmen feeing this, thinking themfelves not fecure where they stood, as it was likely fome of the wild people might come that way, fo they might come too many together, thought it proper to make another retreat about half a mile farther, believing, as it afterwards happened, that the farther they strolled, the fewer would be together.

The next halt was at the entrance into a very thick grown part of the woods, and where an old trunk of a tree stood, which was hollow, and vastly large; and in this tree they both took their standing, refolving to fee what might offer.

They had not stood there long, but two of the favages appeared running directly that way, as if they had already notice where they stood, and were coming up to attack them; and a little way farther they efpied three more coming after them, and five more beyond them, all coming the fame way; befides which, they faw feven or eight more at a diftance, running another way; for, in a word, they ran every way, like fportfmen beating for their game.

The poor men were now in great perplexity, whether they fhould ftand, and keep their pofture, or fly; but after a very fhort debate with themfelves, they confidered, that if the favages ranged the country thus, before help came, they might, perhaps, VOL. II.

H

find

find out their retreat in the woods, and then all would be loft; fo they refolved to stand them there; and if there were too many to deal with, then they would get to the top of the tree, from whence they doubted not to defend themfelves, fire excepted, as long as their ammunition lafted, though all the favages that were landed, which were near fifty, were to attack them.

Having refolved upon this, they next confidered whether they should fire at the two first, or wait for the three, and so take the middle party; by which the two and the five that followed would be feparated; at length they refolved to let the two first pafs by, unless they should spy them in the tree, and come to attack them. The two first favages alfo confirmed them in this refolution, by turning a little from them towards another part of the wood; but the three, and the five after them, came forwards directly to the tree, as if they had known the Eng

lishmen were there.

Seeing them come so straight towards them, they refolved to take them in a line as they came; and as they refolved to fire but one at a time, perhaps the firft fhot might hit them all three; to which purpose, the man who was to fire, put three or four bullets into his piece, and having a fair loophole, as it were, from a broken hole in the tree, he took a fure aim, without being feen, waiting till they were within about thirty yards of the tree, fo that he could not mifs.

While they were thus waiting, and the favages came on, they plainly faw, that one of the three was the run-away favage that had efcaped from

them,

them, and they both knew him diftinctly, and refolved, that, if poffible, he should not escape, though they should both fire; fo the other stood ready with his piece, that if he did not drop at the first shot, he fhould be fure to have a fecond.

But the first was too good a marksman to miss his aim; for, as the favages kept near one another, a little behind in a line, in a word, he fired, and hit two of them directly: the foremost was killed outright, being fhot in the head; the fecond, which was the run-away Indian, was fhot through the body, and fell, but was not quite dead; and the third had a little scratch in the fhoulder, perhaps by the fame ball that went through the body of the fecond; and being dreadfully frighted, though not much hurt, fat down upon the ground, fcreaming and yelling in a hideous manner.

The five that were behind, more frighted with the noise than sensible of their danger, stood still at first; for the woods made the found a thousand times bigger than it really was; the echoes rattling from one fide to another, and the fowls rifing from all parts, screaming and making, every fort, a feveral kind of noise, according to their kind, just as it was when I fired the firft gun that, perhaps, was ever fhot off in that place fince it was an island.

However, all being filent again, and they not knowing what the matter was, came on unconcerned, till they came to that place where their companions lay, in a condition miferable enough; and here the poor ignorant creatures, not fenfible that they were within reach of the fame mischief, stood all of a huddle over the wounded man, talking, and, as may