habitants in the Place, or to have fallen upon them fo effectually, as that not a Man of them fhould have efcap'd, which could only have been by getting in between them and their Boats; but this Prefence of Mind was wanting to them, which was the Ruin of their Tranquillity for a great while.

We need not doubt, but that the Governour and the Man with him, furpriz'd with this Sight, run back immediately, and rais'd their Fellows, giving them an Account of the iminent Danger they were all in; and they again as readily took the Alarm, but it was impoffible to perfuade them to stay clofe within where they were, but that they must run all out to fee how things ftood,

While it was dark indeed, they were well enough, and they had Opportunity enough for fome Hours to view them by the Light of three Fires they had made at a Distance from one another; what they were doing they knew not, and what to do themfelves they knew not. For, first, the Enemy were too many; and fecondly, they did not keep together, but were divided into feveral Parties, and were on Shore in feveral Places.

The Spaniards were in no fmall Confternation at this Sight, and as they found that the Fellows ran ftraggling all over the Shore, they made no doubt, but firft or laft, fome of them would chop in upon their Habitation, or upon fome other Place, where they would fee the Token of Inhabitants, and thev were in great perplexity alfo for fear of their Flock of Goats,

which would have been little lefs than ftarving them, if they thould have been destroy'd; fo the first Thing they refolv'd upon, was to difpatch three Men away before it was Light, (viz.) two Spaniards and one English Man to drive all the Goats away to the great Valley, were the Cave was, and if Need were, to drive them into the very Cave it felf.

Could they have feen the Savages all toge ther in one Body, and at any Distance. from their Canoes, they refolv'd, if they had been an Hundred of them, to have attack'd them; but that could not be obtain'd, for they were fome of them two Miles off from the other, and as it appear'd afterwards, were of two dif ferent Nations.

After having mufed a great while on the Course they thould take, and beaten their Brains in confidering their prefent Circumftances, they refolv'd at laft, while it was ftill dark, to fend the old Savage, Friday's Father, out as a Spy, to learn if poffible, fomething concerning them, what they came for, and what they intended to do; the old Man readily undertook it, and stripping himself quite Naked, as most of the Savages were, away he went; after he had been gone an Hour or two, he brings word, that he had been among them undifcover'd, that he found they were two Parties, and of two feveral Nations who had War with one another; and had had a great Battle in their own Country, and that both Sides having had feveral Prifoners taken in the Fight, they were by meer Chance landed all in the fame Ifland, for the devouring their Prifoners and

making Merry; but their coming fo by Chance to the fame Place had fpoil'd all their Mirth; that they were in a great Rage, at one another, and that they were fo near, that he believed they would fight again as foon as Day-light began to appear, but he did not perceive that they had any Notion of any Body's being on the Ifland but themselves. He had hardly made an End of telling his Story, when they could perceive by the unufual Noife they made, that the two lit tle Armies were engaged in a bloody Fight.

Friday's Father ufed all the Arguments he could to perfuade our People to lie close, and not be feen; he told them their Safety confifted in it, and that they had nothing to do but lie ftill, and the Savages would kill one another to their Hands, and then the reft would go away; and it was fo to a tittle. But it was impoffible to prevail, efpecially upon the English Men, their Curiofity was fo importunate upon their Prudentials, that they must run out and fee the Battle: However, they used fome Caution too, (viz.) they did not go openly, juft by their own Dwelling, but went farther into the Woods, and plac'd 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 Savages did fee them, as we fhall find hereafter.

The Battle was very fierce, and if I might believe the English Men, one of them faid, 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 faid, held two Hours, before they could

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guess which Party would be beaten; but then that Party which was neareft our Peoples Habi tation, began to appear weakest, and after fome Time more, fome of them began to fly; and this put out Men again into a great Confternation, leaft any of thole that fled fhould run into the Grove before their Dwelling for fhelter, and thereby involuntarily difcover the Place; and that by Confequence the Purfuers fhould do the like in fearch for them. Upon this, they relolv'd that they would ftand Arm'd 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 ordred alfo, that it fhould be done with their Swords, or by knocking them down with the Stock of the Musket, but not by fhooting them, for fear of the Noile.

As they expected, it fell out; three of the routed Army fled for Life, and crofing the Creek, ran directly into the Place, not in the leaft knowing whether 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 Mens great Satisfaction (viz.) That the Conquerors had not purfued them, or feen which Way they were gone; upon this, the Spaniard Governour, a Man of Humanity, would not fuffer them to kill the three Fugatives, but fending three Men out by the Top of the Hill, ordred them to go round and come in behind them, furprize and take them Prifoners, which was done; the refidue of the conquer'd People fled to their Canoes and got off to Sea; the Victors retir'd, made no Pur

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Purfuit or very little, but drawing themfelves into a Body together, gave two great skreaming Shouts, which they fuppofed was by way of Triumph, and fo the Fight ended: And the fame Day, about three a Clock in the Afternoon, they alfo march'd to their Canoes, and thus the Spaniards had their Inland again free to themfelves, their Fright was over, and they faw no Savages 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 kill'd with great long Arrows, fome of which were found ficking in their Bodies; but most of them were killed with their great Wooden Swords, fixteen or feventeen of which they found in the Field of Battle; and as many Bows, with a great many Arrows: Thefe Swords were ftrange great unweildy Things, and they must be very ftrong Men that us'd them: Moft of thofe Men that were kill'd with them, had their Heads mafh'd to pieces, as we may fay, or as we call it in English, their Brains knock'd out, and feveral their Arms and Legs broken; fo that it's evident they fight with inexpreffible Rage and Fury. We found not one wounded Man that was not stone dead; for either they ftay by their Enemy till they have quite kill'd him, or they carry all the wounded Men, that are not quite dead, away with them.

This Deliverance tam'd our English Men for a great while; the Sight had fill'd them with Horror, and the Confequences appear'd terrible to the laft Degree, even to them, if ever they fhould fall into the Hauds of thofe Creatures, who would not

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