Spaniard down; and then two Spaniards more came in to help their Man, and a third English Man fell in upon them: They had none of them any Fire Arms, or any other Weapons but Hatchets and other Tools, except this third English Man, he had one of my old rufty Cutlafhes, with which he made at the two laft Spaniards, and wounded them both This Fray fet the whole Family in an Uproar, and more Help coming in, they took the three English Men Prifoners. The next Question was, What fhould be done with them, they had been fo often mutinous, and were fo furious, fo defperate, and fo idle withal, that they knew not what Courfe to take with them; for they were mischievous to the highest Degree, and valued not what Hurt they did to any Man; fo that, in fhort, it was not fafe to live with them,

The Spaniard, who was Governour, told them in fo many Words, That if they had been of his own Country, he would have hang'd them; for all Laws and all Governours was to preferve Society; and those who were dangerous to the Society, ought to be expell'd out of it; but as they were English Men, and that it was to the generous Kindness of an English Man that they all ow'd their Prefervation and Deliverance, he would use them with all poffible Lenity, and would leave them to the Judgment of the other two English Men, who were their Countrymen.

One of the two honeft English Men ftood up, and faid they defir'd it might not be left to them; for, fays he, I am fure we ought to fentence them to the Gallows; and with that he gives an Account how Will. Atkins, one of the three, had propofed to have all the five English Men join together, and mur

ther

ther all the Spaniards when they were in their Sleep.

When the Spanish Governour heard this, he calls to William Atkins, How Seignior Atkins, fays he, would you murther 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--m him they would do it ftill before they had done with them. Well, but Seignior Atkins, fays 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 you killing us? Muft we kill you, or you will kill us? Why will you put us to the Neceffity 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 near him, it was thought he would have attempted to have kill'd the Spaniard in the Middle of all the Company.

This hair-brain'd Carriage oblig'd them to confider feriously what was to be done; the two English Men and the Spaniard who fav'd the poor Savage was of the Opinion, they should hang one of the three for an Example to the rest, and that particularly, it fhould be he that had twice attempted to commit Murther with his Hatchet, and indeed there was fome Reason to believe he had done it, for the poor Savage was in fuch a miferable Condition, with the Wound he had receiv'd, that it was thought he could not live.

But

But the Governor Spaniard ftill faid No, it was an English Man that had fav'd all their Lives, and he would never confent to put an English Man to Death, tho' he had murther'd half of them, nay, he faid, if he had been kill'd himself by an English Man, and had Time left to fpeak, it fhould be, that they should pardon him.

This was fo pofitively infifted on by the Governor Spaniard, that there was no gain-faying it, and as merciful Councils are moft apt to prevail where they are fo earneftly prefs'd, so they all came into it; but then it was to be confider'd, what fhould be done to keep them from doing the Mifchief they defign'd; for all agreed, Governor and all, that Means were to be used for preferving the Society from Danger; after a long Debate it was agreed, Firft, That they fhould be difarm'd, and not permitted to have either Gun, or Powder, or Shot, or Sword, or any Weapon, and should be turn'd out of the Society, and left to live where they would, and how they would, by themfelves; but that none of the reft, either Spaniards or English fhould converfe with them, fpeak with them, or have any thing to do with them; that they fhould be forbid to come within a certain Dillance of the Place where the reft dwelt, and if they offer'd to commit any Disorder, fo as to fpoil, burn, kill, or deftroy any of the Corn, Plantings, Buildings, Fences, or Cattle belonging to the Society, they fhould dye without Mercy, and they would fhoot them wherever they could find them.

The Governor, a Man of great Humanity, mufing upon the Sentence, confider'd a little up

on

on it, and turning to the two honeft English Men faid, Hold, you must reflect, that it will be long e'er they can raife Corn and Cattle of their own, and they must not farve: We must therefore allow them Provifions, fo he caufed to be added, That they fhould have a Proportion of Corn given them to laft them eight Months, and for Seed to fow, by which Time they might be fuppos'd to raise some of their own; that they fhould have fix Milch Goats, four He-Goats, and fix Kids given them, as well for prefent Subfiftence, as for a Store; and that they fhould have Tools given them for their Work in the Fields; fuch as, fix Hatchets, an Axe, a Saw, and the like: But they should have none of thefe Tools, or Provifions, unless they would fwear folemnly, that they would not hurt or injure any of the Spaniards with them, or of their Fellow English Men.

Thus they difmifs'd them the Society, and turn'd them out to fhift for themfelves. 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 would fettle themfelves to plant and live by themfelves, and fome Provifiwere given them, but no Weapons.

About four or five Days after, they came again for fome Victuals, and gave the Governor an Account where they had pitch'd their Tents, and mark'd themfelves out a Habitation and Planation; and it was a very convenient Place indeed, on the remoteft Part of the Ifland, N. E. much about the Place where I landed in my firft Voyage, when I was driven out to Sea, the Lord knows whether, in my Attempt to furround the Inland.

Here

Here they built themselves two handfome Huts, and contriv'd them, in a Manner, like my first Habitation, being clofe under the Side of a Hill, having fome Trees growing already on three Sides of it, fo that by planting others, it would be very eafily cover'd from the Sight, unless narrowly fearch'd for; they defir'd fome dryed GoatsSkins for Beds and Covering, which were given them, and upon 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 Peas, Barley, and Rice, for fowing; and in a Word, any thing they wanted, but Arms and Ammunition.

They liv'd in this feparate Condition about fix, Months, and had gotten in their first Harvest, tho' the Quantity was but fmall, the Quantity of Land they had planted being but litte; 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 Seafon came on, for want of a Cave in the Earth, they could not keep their Grain dry, and it was in great Danger of fpoiling; And this humbled them much; fo they came and begg'd the Spaniards to help them, which they very readily did, and in four Days work'd a great Hole in the Side 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, compar'd to mine; and especially, as mine was then, for the Spaniards had greatly enlarg'd it, and made feveral new Apartments in it.

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