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_ And now they had another broil with the three Englishmen; one of
whom, a most turbulent fellow, being in a rage at one of the three
captive slaves, because the fellow had not done something right
which he bade him do, and seemed a little untractable in his
showing him, drew a hatchet out of a frog-belt which he wore by his
side, and fell upon the poor savage, not to correct him, but to
kill him. One of the Spaniards who was by, seeing him give the
fellow a barbarous cut with the hatchet, which he aimed at his
head, but stuck into his shoulder, so that he thought he had cut
the poor creature's arm off, ran to him, and entreating him not to
murder the poor man, placed himself between him and the savage, to
prevent the mischief. The fellow, being enraged the more at this,
struck at the Spaniard with his hatchet, and swore he would serve
him as he intended to serve the savage; which the Spaniard
perceiving, avoided the blow, and with a shovel, which he had in
his hand (for they were all working in the field about their corn
land), knocked the brute down. Another of the Englishmen, running
up at the same time to help his comrade, knocked the Spaniard down;
and then two Spaniards more came in to help their man, and a third
Englishman fell in upon them. They had none of them any firearms
or any other weapons but hatchets and other tools, except this
third Englishman; he had one of my rusty cutlasses, with which he
made at the two last Spaniards, and wounded them both. This fray
set the whole family in an uproar, and more help coming in they
took the three Englishmen prisoners. The next question was, what
should be done with them? They had been so often mutinous, and
were so very furious, so desperate, and so idle withal, they knew
not what course to take with them, for they were mischievous to the
highest degree, and cared not what hurt they did to any man; so
that, in short, it was not safe to live with them.
The Spaniard who was governor told them, in so many words, that if
they had been of his own country he would have hanged them; for all
laws and all governors were to preserve society, and those who were
dangerous to the society ought to be expelled out of it; but as
they were Englishmen, and that it was to the generous kindness of
an Englishman that they all owed their preservation and
deliverance, he would use them with all possible 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
said they desired it might not be left to them. "For," says he, "I
am sure we ought to sentence them to the gallows;" and with that he
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, would you murder us all? What have you to
say to that?" The hardened villain was so far from denying it,
that he said it was true, and swore they would do it still before
they had done with them. "Well, but Seignior Atkins," says the
Spaniard, "what have we done to you that you will kill us? What
would you get by killing us? And what must we do to prevent you
killing us? Must we kill you, or you kill us? Why will you put us
to the necessity of this, Seignior Atkins?" says the Spaniard very
calmly, and smiling. Seignior Atkins was in such a rage at the
Spaniard's making a jest of it, that, had he not been held by three
men, and withal had no weapon near him, it was thought he would
have attempted to kill the Spaniard in the middle of all the
company. This hare-brained carriage obliged them to consider
seriously what was to be done. The two Englishmen and the Spaniard
who saved the poor savage were of the opinion that they should hang
one of the three for an example to the rest, and that particularly
it should be he that had twice attempted to commit murder with his
hatchet; indeed, there was some reason to believe he had done it,
for the poor savage was in such a miserable condition with the
wound he had received that it was thought he could not live. But
the governor Spaniard still said No; it was an Englishman that had
saved all their lives, and he would never consent 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 so positively insisted on by the governor Spaniard, that
there was no gainsaying it; and as merciful counsels are most apt
to prevail where they are so earnestly pressed, so they all came
into it. But then it was to be considered what should be done to
keep them from doing the mischief they designed; for all agreed,
governor and all, that means were to be used for preserving the
society from danger. After a long debate, it was agreed that they
should be disarmed, and not permitted to have either gun, powder,
shot, sword, or any weapon; that they should be turned out of the
society, and left to live where they would and how they would, by
themselves; but that none of the rest, either Spaniards or English,
should hold any kind of converse with them, or have anything to do
with them; that they should be forbid to come within a certain
distance of the place where the rest dwelt; and if they offered to
commit any disorder, so as to spoil, burn, kill, or destroy any of
the corn, plantings, buildings, fences, or cattle belonging to the
society, they should die without mercy, and they would shoot them
wherever they could find them.
The humane governor, musing upon the sentence, considered a little
upon it; and turning to the two honest Englishmen, said, "Hold; you
must 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 provisions." So he caused to be added, that they should
have a proportion of corn given them to last them eight months, and
for seed to sow, by which time they might be supposed to raise some
of their own; that they should have six milch-goats, four he-goats,
and six kids given them, as well for present subsistence as for a
store; and that they should have tools given them for their work in
the fields, but they should have none of these tools or provisions
unless they would swear solemnly that they would not hurt or injure
any of the Spaniards with them, or of their fellow-Englishmen.
Thus they dismissed them the society, and turned them out to shift
for themselves. They went away sullen and refractory, as neither
content to go away nor to stay: but, as there was no remedy, they
went, pretending to go and choose a place where they would settle
themselves; and some provisions were given them, but no weapons.
About four or five days after, they came again for some victuals,
and gave the governor an account where they had pitched their
tents, and marked themselves out a habitation and plantation; and
it was a very convenient place indeed, on the remotest part of the
island, NE., much about the place where I providentially landed in
my first voyage, when I was driven out to sea in my foolish attempt
to sail round the island.
Here they built themselves two handsome huts, and contrived them in
a manner like my first habitation, being close under the side of a
hill, having some trees already growing on three sides of it, so
that by planting others it would be very easily covered from the
sight, unless narrowly searched for. They desired some dried goat-
skins for beds and covering, which were given them; and upon giving
their words that they would not disturb the rest, or injure any of
their plantations, they gave them hatchets, and what other tools
they could spare; some peas, barley, and rice, for sowing; and, in
a word, anything they wanted, except arms and ammunition.
They lived in this separate condition about six months, and had got
in their first harvest, though the quantity was but small, the
parcel of land they had planted being but little. 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 such
things, they were quite out of their element, and could make
nothing of it; therefore when the rainy season 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. This humbled them much: so they
came and begged the Spaniards to help them, which they very readily
did; and in four days worked a great hole in the side of the hill
for them, big enough to secure their corn and other things from the
rain: but it was a poor place at best compared to mine, and
especially as mine was then, for the Spaniards had greatly enlarged
it, and made several new apartments in it.
About three quarters of a year after this separation, a new frolic
took these rogues, which, together with the former villainy they
had committed, brought mischief enough upon them, and had very near
been the ruin of the whole colony. The three new associates 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 savages came, and would try if they could seize upon some
prisoners among the natives there, and bring them home, so as to
make them do the laborious part of the work for them.
The project was not so preposterous, if they had gone no further.
But they did nothing, and proposed nothing, but had either mischief
in the design, or mischief 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 shall
we reconcile the events of things with the 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 they showed not
the least remorse for the crime, but added new villanies to it,
such as the piece of monstrous cruelty of wounding a poor slave
because he did not, or perhaps could not, understand to do what he
was directed, and to wound him in such a manner as made him a
cripple all his life, and in a place where no surgeon or medicine
could be had for his cure; and, what was still worse, the
intentional murder, for such to be sure it was, as was afterwards
the formed design they all laid to murder the Spaniards in cold
blood, and in their sleep.
The three fellows came down to the Spaniards one morning, and in
very humble terms desired 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, and that
they were not handy enough to make the necessaries they wanted, and
that having no help, they found they should be starved; but if the
Spaniards would give them leave to take one of the canoes which
they came over in, and give them arms and ammunition proportioned
to their defence, they would go over to the main, and seek their
fortunes, and so deliver them from the trouble of supplying them
with any other provisions.
The Spaniards were glad enough to get rid of them, but very
honestly represented to them the certain destruction they were
running into; told them they had suffered such hardships upon that
very spot, that they could, without any spirit of prophecy, tell
them they would be starved or murdered, and bade them consider 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 starved 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, insisted importunately upon their demand, declaring
they would go, whether they gave them any arms or not.
The Spaniards told them, with great kindness, that if they were
resolved to go they should not go like naked men, and be in no
condition to defend themselves; and that though they could ill
spare firearms, not having enough for themselves, yet they would
let them have two muskets, a pistol, and a cutlass, and each man a
hatchet, which they thought was sufficient for them. In a word,
they accepted the offer; and having baked bread enough to serve
them a month given them, and as much goats' flesh as they could eat
while it was sweet, with a great basket of dried grapes, a pot of
fresh water, and a young kid alive, they boldly set out in the
canoe for a voyage over the sea, where it was at least forty miles
broad. The boat, indeed, was a large one, and would very well have
carried fifteen or twenty men, and therefore was rather too big for
them to manage; but as they had a fair breeze and flood-tide with
them, they did well enough. They had made a mast of a long pole,
and a sail of four large goat-skins dried, which they had sewed or
laced together; and away they went merrily together. The Spaniards
called after them "Bon voyajo;" and no man ever thought of seeing
them any more.
The Spaniards were often saying to one another, and to the two
honest Englishmen who remained behind, how quietly and comfortably
they lived, now these three turbulent fellows were gone. As for
their coming again, that was the remotest thing from their thoughts
that could be imagined; when, behold, after two-and-twenty days'
absence, one of the Englishmen being abroad upon his planting work,
sees three strange men coming towards him at a distance, with guns
upon their shoulders.
Away runs the Englishman, frightened and amazed, as if he was
bewitched, to the governor Spaniard, and tells him they were all
undone, for there were strangers upon the island, but he could not
tell who they were. The Spaniard, pausing a while, says to him,
"How do you mean--you cannot tell who? They are the savages, to be
sure." "No, no," says the Englishman, "they are men in clothes,
with arms." "Nay, then," says the Spaniard, "why are you so
concerned! If they are not savages they must be friends; for there
is no Christian nation upon earth but will do us good rather than
harm." While they were debating thus, came up the three
Englishmen, and standing without the wood, which was new planted,
hallooed to them. They presently knew their voices, and so all the
wonder ceased. But now the admiration was turned upon another
question--What could be the matter, and what made them come back
again?
It was not long before they brought the men in, and inquiring where
they had been, and what they had been doing, they gave them a full
account of their voyage in a few words: that they reached the land
in less than two days, but finding the people alarmed at their
coming, and preparing with bows and arrows to fight them, they
durst not go on, shore, but sailed on to the northward six or seven
hours, till they came to a great opening, by which they perceived
that the land they saw from our island was not the main, but an
island: that upon entering that opening of the sea they saw
another island on the right hand north, and several more west; and
being resolved to land somewhere, they put over to one of the
islands which lay west, and went boldly on shore; that they found
the people very courteous and friendly to them; and they gave them
several roots and some dried fish, and appeared very sociable; and
that the women, as well as the men, were very forward to supply
them with anything they could get for them to eat, and brought it
to them a great way, on their heads. They continued here for four
days, and inquired as well as they could of them by signs, what
nations were this way, and that way, and were told of several
fierce and terrible people that lived almost every way, who, as
they made known by signs to them, used to eat men; but, as for
themselves, they said they never ate men or women, except only such
as they took in the wars; and then they owned they made a great
feast, and ate their prisoners.
The Englishmen inquired when they had had a feast of that kind; and
they told them about two moons ago, pointing to the moon and to two
fingers; and that their great king had two hundred prisoners now,
which he had taken in his war, and they were feeding them to make
them fat for the next feast. The Englishmen seemed mighty desirous
of seeing those prisoners; but the others mistaking them, thought
they were desirous to have some of them to carry away for their own
eating. So they beckoned to them, pointing to the setting of the
sun, and then to the rising; which was to signify that the next
morning at sunrising they would bring some for them; and
accordingly the next morning they brought down five women and
eleven men, and gave them to the Englishmen to carry with them on
their voyage, just as we would bring so many cows and oxen down to
a seaport town to victual a ship.
As brutish and barbarous as these fellows were at home, their
stomachs turned at this sight, and they did not know what to do.
To refuse the prisoners would have been the highest affront to the
savage gentry that could be offered them, and what to do with them
they knew not. However, after some debate, they resolved to accept
of them: and, in return, they gave the savages that brought them
one of their hatchets, an old key, a knife, and six or seven of
their bullets; which, though they did not understand their use,
they seemed particularly pleased with; and then tying the poor
creatures' hands behind them, they dragged the prisoners into the
boat for our men.
The Englishmen were obliged to come away as soon as they had them,
or else they that gave them this noble present would certainly have
expected that they should have gone to work with them, have killed
two or three of them the next morning, and perhaps have invited the
donors to dinner. But having taken their leave, with all the
respect and thanks that could well pass between people, where on
either side they understood not one word they could say, they put
off with their boat, and came back towards the first island; where,
when they arrived, they set eight of their prisoners at liberty,
there being too many of them for their occasion. In their voyage
they endeavoured to have some communication with their prisoners;
but it was impossible to make them understand anything. Nothing
they could say to them, or give them, or do for them, but was
looked upon as going to murder them. They first of all unbound
them; but the poor creatures screamed at that, especially the
women, as if they had just felt the knife at their throats; for
they immediately concluded they were unbound on purpose to be
killed. If they gave them thing to eat, it was the same thing;
they then concluded it was for fear they should sink in flesh, and
so not be fat enough to kill. If they looked at one of them more
particularly, the party presently concluded it was to see whether
he or she was fattest, and fittest to kill first; nay, after they
had brought them quite over, and began to use them kindly, and
treat them well, still they expected every day to make a dinner or
supper for their new masters.
When the three wanderers had give this unaccountable history or
journal of their voyage, the Spaniard asked them where their new
family was; and being told that they had brought them on shore, and
put them into one of their huts, and were come up to beg some
victuals for them, they (the Spaniards) and the other two
Englishmen, that is to say, the whole colony, resolved to go all
down to the place and see them; and did so, and Friday's father
with them. When they came into the hut, there they sat, all bound;
for when they had brought them on shore they bound their hands that
they might not take the boat and make their escape; there, I say,
they sat, all of them stark naked. First, there were three comely
fellows, well shaped, with straight limbs, about thirty to thirty-
five years of age; and five women, whereof two might be from thirty
to forty, two more about four or five and twenty; and the fifth, a
tall, comely maiden, about seventeen. The women were well-
favoured, agreeable persons, both in shape and features, only
tawny; and two of them, had they been perfect white, would have
passed for very handsome women, even in London, having pleasant
countenances, and of a very modest behaviour; especially when they
came afterwards to be clothed and dressed, though that dress was
very indifferent, it must be confessed.
The sight, you may be sure, was something uncouth to our Spaniards,
who were, to give them a just character, men of the most calm,
sedate tempers, and perfect good humour, that ever I met with:
and, in particular, of the utmost modesty: I say, the sight was
very uncouth, to see three naked men and five naked women, all
together bound, and in the most miserable circumstances that human
nature could be supposed to be, viz. to be expecting every moment
to be dragged out and have their brains knocked out, and then to be
eaten up like a calf that is killed for a dainty.
The first thing they did was to cause the old Indian, Friday's
father, to go in, and see first if he knew any of them, and then if
he understood any of their speech. As soon as the old man came in,
he looked seriously at them, but knew none of them; neither could
any of them understand a word he said, or a sign he could make,
except one of the women. However, this was enough to answer the
end, which was to satisfy them that the men into whose hands they
were fallen were Christians; that they abhorred eating men or
women; and that they might be sure they would not be killed. As
soon as they were assured of this, they discovered such a joy, and
by such awkward gestures, several ways, as is hard to describe; for
it seems they were of several nations. The woman who was their
interpreter was bid, in the next place, to ask them if they were
willing to be servants, and to work for the men who had brought
them away, to save their lives; at which they all fell a-dancing;
and presently one fell to taking up this, and another that,
anything that lay next, to carry on their shoulders, to intimate
they were willing to work.
The governor, who found that the having women among them would
presently be attended with some inconvenience, and might occasion
some strife, and perhaps blood, asked the three men what they
intended to do with these women, and how they intended to use them,
whether as servants or as wives? One of the Englishmen answered,
very boldly and readily, that they would use them as both; to which
the governor said: "I am not going to restrain you from it--you
are your own masters as to that; but this I think is but just, for
avoiding disorders and quarrels among you, and I desire it of you
for that reason only, viz. that you will all engage, that if any of
you take any of these women as a wife, he shall take but one; and
that having taken one, none else shall touch her; for though we
cannot marry any one of you, yet it is but reasonable that, while
you stay here, the woman any of you takes shall be maintained by
the man that takes her, and should be his wife--I mean," says he,
"while he continues here, and that none else shall have anything to
do with her." All this appeared so just, that every one agreed to
it without any difficulty.
Then the Englishmen asked the Spaniards if they designed to take
any of them? But every one of them answered "No." Some of them
said they had wives in Spain, and the others did not like women
that were not Christians; and all together declared that they would
not touch one of them, which was an instance of such virtue as I
have not met with in all my travels. On the other hand, the five
Englishmen took them every one a wife, that is to say, a temporary
wife; and so they set up a new form of living; for the Spaniards
and Friday's father lived in my old habitation, which they had
enlarged exceedingly within. The three servants which were taken
in the last battle of the savages lived with them; and these
carried on the main part of the colony, supplied all the rest with
food, and assisted them in anything as they could, or as they found
necessity required.
But the wonder of the story was, how five such refractory, ill-
matched fellows should agree about these women, and that some two
of them should not choose the same woman, especially seeing two or
three of them were, without comparison, more agreeable than the
others; but they took a good way enough to prevent quarrelling
among themselves, for they set the five women by themselves in one
of their huts, and they went all into the other hut, and drew lots
among them who should choose first.
Him that drew to choose first went away by himself to the hut where
the poor naked creatures were, and fetched out her he chose; and it
was worth observing, that he that chose first took her that was
reckoned the homeliest and oldest of the five, which made mirth
enough amongst the rest; and even the Spaniards laughed at it; but
the fellow considered better than any of them, that it was
application and business they were to expect assistance in, as much
as in anything else; and she proved the best wife of all the
parcel.
When the poor women saw themselves set in a row thus, and fetched
out one by one, the terrors of their condition returned upon them
again, and they firmly believed they were now going to be devoured.
Accordingly, when the English sailor came in and fetched out one of
them, the rest set up a most lamentable cry, and hung about her,
and took their leave of her with such agonies and affection as
would have grieved the hardest heart in the world: nor was it
possible for the Englishmen to satisfy them that they were not to
be immediately murdered, till they fetched the old man, Friday's
father, who immediately let them know that the five men, who were
to fetch them out one by one, had chosen them for their wives.
When they had done, and the fright the women were in was a little
over, the men went to work, and the Spaniards came and helped them:
and in a few hours they had built them every one a new hut or tent
for their lodging apart; for those they had already were crowded
with their tools, household stuff, and provisions. The three
wicked ones had pitched farthest off, and the two honest ones
nearer, but both on the north shore of the island, so that they
continued separated as before; and thus my island was peopled in
three places, and, as I might say, three towns were begun to be
built.
And here it is very well worth observing that, as it often happens
in the world (what the wise ends in God's providence are, in such a
disposition of things, I cannot say), the two honest fellows had
the two worst wives; and the three reprobates, that were scarce
worth hanging, that were fit for nothing, and neither seemed born
to do themselves good nor any one else, had three clever, careful,
and ingenious wives; not that the first two were bad wives as to
their temper or humour, for all the five were most willing, quiet,
passive, and subjected creatures, rather like slaves than wives;
but my meaning is, they were not alike capable, ingenious, or
industrious, or alike cleanly and neat. Another observation I must
make, to the honour of a diligent application on one hand, and to
the disgrace of a slothful, negligent, idle temper on the other,
that when I came to the place, and viewed the several improvements,
plantings, and management of the several little colonies, the two
men had so far out-gone the three, that there was no comparison.
They had, indeed, both of them as much ground laid out for corn as
they wanted, and the reason was, because, according to my rule,
nature dictated that it was to no purpose to sow more corn than
they wanted; but the difference of the cultivation, of the
planting, of the fences, and indeed, of everything else, was easy
to be seen at first view.
The two men had innumerable young trees planted about their huts,
so that, when you came to the place, nothing was to be seen but a
wood; and though they had twice had their plantation demolished,
once by their own countrymen, and once by the enemy, as shall be
shown in its place, yet they had restored all again, and everything
was thriving and flourishing about them; they had grapes planted in
order, and managed like a vineyard, though they had themselves
never seen anything of that kind; and by their good ordering their
vines, their grapes were as good again as any of the others. They
had also found themselves out a retreat in the thickest part of the
woods, where, though there was not a natural cave, as I had found,
yet they made one with incessant labour of their hands, and where,
when the mischief which followed happened, they secured their wives
and children so as they could never be found; they having, by
sticking innumerable stakes and poles of the wood which, as I said,
grew so readily, made the grove impassable, except in some places,
when they climbed up to get over the outside part, and then went on
by ways of their own leaving.
As to the three reprobates, as I justly call them, though they were
much civilised by their settlement compared to what they were
before, and were not so quarrelsome, having not the same
opportunity; yet one of the certain companions of a profligate mind
never left them, and that was their idleness. It is true, they
planted corn and made fences; but Solomon's words were never better
verified than in them, "I went by the vineyard of the slothful, and
it was all overgrown with thorns": for when the Spaniards came to
view their crop they could not see it in some places for weeds, the
hedge had several gaps in it, where the wild goats had got in and
eaten up the corn; perhaps here and there a dead bush was crammed
in, to stop them out for the present, but it was only shutting the
stable-door after the steed was stolen. Whereas, when they looked
on the colony of the other two, there was the very face of industry
and success upon all they did; there was not a weed to be seen in
all their corn, or a gap in any of their hedges; and they, on the
other hand, verified Solomon's words in another place, "that the
diligent hand maketh rich"; for everything grew and thrived, and
they had plenty within and without; they had more tame cattle than
the others, more utensils and necessaries within doors, and yet
more pleasure and diversion too.
It is true, the wives of the three were very handy and cleanly
within doors; and having learned the English ways of dressing, and
cooking from one of the other Englishmen, who, as I said, was a
cook's mate on board the ship, they dressed their husbands'
victuals very nicely and well; whereas the others could not be
brought to understand it; but then the husband, who, as I say, had
been cook's mate, did it himself. But as for the husbands of the
three wives, they loitered about, fetched turtles' eggs, and caught
fish and birds: in a word, anything but labour; and they fared
accordingly. The diligent lived well and comfortably, and the
slothful hard and beggarly; and so, I believe, generally speaking,
it is all over the world.
But I now come to a scene different from all that had happened
before, either to them or to me; and the origin of the story was
this: Early one morning there came on shore five or six canoes of
Indians or savages, call them which you please, and there is no
room to doubt they came upon the old errand of feeding upon their
slaves; but that part was now so familiar to the Spaniards, and to
our men too, that they did not concern themselves about it, as I
did: but having been made sensible, by their experience, that
their only business was to lie concealed, and that if they were not
seen by any of the savages they would go off again quietly, when
their business was done, having as yet not the least notion of
there being any inhabitants in the island; I say, having been made
sensible of this, they had nothing to do but to give notice to all
the three plantations to keep within doors, and not show
themselves, only placing a scout in a proper place, to give notice
when the boats went to sea again.
This was, without doubt, very right; but a disaster spoiled all
these measures, and made it known among the savages that there were
inhabitants there; which was, in the end, the desolation of almost
the whole colony. After the canoes with the savages were gone off,
the Spaniards peeped abroad again; and some of them had the
curiosity to go to the place where they had been, to see what they
had been doing. Here, to their great surprise, they found three
savages left behind, and lying fast asleep upon the ground. It was
supposed they had either been so gorged with their inhuman feast,
that, like beasts, they were fallen asleep, and would not stir when
the others went, or they had wandered into the woods, and did not
come back in time to be taken in.
The Spaniards were greatly surprised at this sight and perfectly at
a loss what to do. The Spaniard governor, as it happened, was with
them, and his advice was asked, but he professed he knew not what
to do. As for slaves, they had enough already; and as to killing
them, there were none of them inclined to do that: the Spaniard
governor told me they could not think of shedding innocent blood;
for as to them, the poor creatures had done them no wrong, invaded
none of their property, and they thought they had no just quarrel
against them, to take away their lives. And here I must, in
justice to these Spaniards, observe that, let the accounts of
Spanish cruelty in Mexico and Peru be what they will, I never met
with seventeen men of any nation whatsoever, in any foreign
country, who were so universally modest, temperate, virtuous, so
very good-humoured, and so courteous, as these Spaniards: and as
to cruelty, they had nothing of it in their very nature; no
inhumanity, no barbarity, no outrageous passions; and yet all of
them men of great courage and spirit. Their temper and calmness
had appeared in their bearing the insufferable usage of the three
Englishmen; and their justice and humanity appeared now in the case
of the savages above. After some consultation they resolved upon
this; that they would lie still a while longer, till, if possible,
these three men might be gone. But then the governor recollected
that the three savages had no boat; and if they were left to rove
about the island, they would certainly discover that there were
inhabitants in it; and so they should be undone that way. Upon
this, they went back again, and there lay the fellows fast asleep
still, and so they resolved to awaken them, and take them
prisoners; and they did so. The poor fellows were strangely
frightened when they were seized upon and bound; and afraid, like
the women, that they should be murdered and eaten: for it seems
those people think all the world does as they do, in eating men's
flesh; but they were soon made easy as to that, and away they
carried them.
It was very happy for them that they did not carry them home to the
castle, I mean to my palace under the hill; but they carried them
first to the bower, where was the chief of their country work, such
as the keeping the goats, the planting the corn, &c.; and afterward
they carried them to the habitation of the two Englishmen. Here
they were set to work, though it was not much they had for them to
do; and whether it was by negligence in guarding them, or that they
thought the fellows could not mend themselves, I know not, but one
of them ran away, and, taking to the woods, they could never hear
of him any more. They had good reason to believe he got home again
soon after in some other boats or canoes of savages who came on
shore three or four weeks afterwards, and who, carrying on their
revels as usual, went off in two days' time. This thought
terrified them exceedingly; for they concluded, and that not
without good cause indeed, that if this fellow came home safe among
his comrades, he would certainly give them an account that there
were people in the island, and also how few and weak they were; for
this savage, as observed before, had never been told, and it was
very happy he had not, how many there were or where they lived; nor
had he ever seen or heard the fire of any of their guns, much less
had they shown him any of their other retired places; such as the
cave in the valley, or the new retreat which the two Englishmen had
made, and the like.
The first testimony they had that this fellow had given
intelligence of them was, that about two mouths after this six
canoes of savages, with about seven, eight, or ten men in a canoe,
came rowing along the north side of the island, where they never
used to come before, and landed, about an hour after sunrise, at a
convenient place, about a mile from the habitation of the two
Englishmen, where this escaped man had been kept. As the chief
Spaniard said, had they been all there the damage would not have
been so much, for not a man of them would have escaped; but the
case differed now very much, for two men to fifty was too much
odds. The two men had the happiness to discover them about a
league off, so that it was above an hour before they landed; and as
they landed a mile from their huts, it was some time before they
could come at them. Now, having great reason to believe that they
were betrayed, the first thing they did was to bind the two slaves
which were left, and cause two of the three men whom they brought
with the women (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 places 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, seeing the savages
were all come on shore, and that they had bent their course
directly that way, they opened the fences where the milch cows were
kept, and drove them all out; leaving their goats to straggle in
the woods, whither they pleased, that the savages 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 two poor frightened men had secured their wives and goods,
they sent the other slave they had of the three who came with the
women, and who was at their place by accident, away to the
Spaniards with all speed, to give them the alarm, and desire speedy
help, and, in the meantime, they took their arms and what
ammunition they had, and retreated towards the place in the wood
where their wives were sent; keeping at a distance, yet so that
they might see, if possible, which way the savages took. They had
not gone far but that from a rising ground they could see the
little army of their enemies come on directly to their habitation,
and, in a moment more, could see all their huts and household stuff
flaming up together, to their great grief and mortification; for
this was a great loss to them, irretrievable, indeed, for some
time. They kept their station for a while, till they found the
savages, like wild beasts, spread themselves all over the place,
rummaging every way, and every place they could think of, in search
of prey; and in particular for the people, of whom now it plainly
appeared they had intelligence.
The two Englishmen seeing this, thinking themselves not secure
where they stood, because it was likely some of the wild people
might come that way, and 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 further they
strolled, the fewer would be together. Their 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 very large; and in
this tree they both took their standing, resolving to see there
what might offer. They had not stood there long before two of the
savages appeared running directly that way, as if they had already
had notice where they stood, and were coming up to attack them; and
a little way farther they espied three more coming after them, and
five more beyond them, all coming the same way; besides which, they
saw seven or eight more at a distance, running another way; for in
a word, they ran every way, like sportsmen beating for their game.
The poor men were now in great perplexity whether they should stand
and keep their posture or fly; but after a very short debate with
themselves, they considered that if the savages ranged the country
thus before help came, they might perhaps find their retreat in the
woods, and then all would be lost; so they resolved to stand them
there, and if they were too many to deal with, then they would get
up to the top of the tree, from whence they doubted not to defend
themselves, fire excepted, as long as their ammunition lasted,
though all the savages that were landed, which was near fifty, were
to attack them.
Having resolved upon this, they next considered whether they should
fire at the first two, or wait for the three, and so take the
middle party, by which the two and the five that followed would be
separated; at length they resolved to let the first two pass by,
unless they should spy them the tree, and come to attack them. The
first two savages confirmed them also in this resolution, by
turning a little from them towards another part of the wood; but
the three, and the five after them, came forward directly to the
tree, as if they had known the Englishmen were there. Seeing them
come so straight towards them, they resolved to take them in a line
as they came: and as they resolved to fire but one at a time,
perhaps the first shot might hit them all three; for which purpose
the man who was to fire put three or four small bullets into his
piece; and having a fair loophole, as it were, from a broken hole
in the tree, he took a sure aim, without being seen, waiting till
they were within about thirty yards of the tree, so that he could
not miss.
While they were thus waiting, and the savages came on, they plainly
saw that one of the three was the runaway savage that had escaped
from them; and they both knew him distinctly, and resolved that, if
possible, he should not escape, though they should both fire; so
the other stood ready with his piece, that if he did not drop at
the first shot, he should be sure to have a second. But the first
was too good a marksman to miss his aim; for as the savages kept
near one another, a little behind in a line, he fired, and hit two
of them directly; the foremost was killed outright, being shot in
the head; the second, which was the runaway Indian, was shot
through the body, and fell, but was not quite dead; and the third
had a little scratch in the shoulder, perhaps by the same ball that
went through the body of the second; and being dreadfully
frightened, though not so much hurt, sat down upon the ground,
screaming and yelling in a hideous manner.
The five that were behind, more frightened with the noise than
sensible of the danger, stood still at first; for the woods made
the sound a thousand times bigger than it really was, the echoes
rattling from one side to another, and the fowls rising from all
parts, screaming, and every sort making a different noise,
according to their kind; just as it was when I fired the first gun
that perhaps was ever shot off in the island.
However, all being silent again, and they not knowing what the
matter was, came on unconcerned, till they came to the place where
their companions lay in a condition miserable enough. Here the
poor ignorant creatures, not sensible that they were within reach
of the same mischief, stood all together over the wounded man,
talking, and, as may be supposed, inquiring of him how he came to
be hurt; and who, it is very rational to believe, told them that a
flash of fire first, and immediately after that thunder from their
gods, had killed those two and wounded him. This, I say, is
rational; for nothing is more certain than that, as they saw no man
near them, so they had never heard a gun in all their lives, nor so
much as heard of a gun; neither knew they anything of killing and
wounding at a distance with fire and bullets: if they had, one
might reasonably believe they would not have stood so unconcerned
to view the fate of their fellows, without some apprehensions of
their own.
Our two men, as they confessed to me, were grieved to be obliged to
kill so many poor creatures, who had no notion of their danger;
yet, having them all thus in their power, and the first having
loaded his piece again, resolved to let fly both together among
them; and singling out, by agreement, which to aim at, they shot
together, and killed, or very much wounded, four of them; the
fifth, frightened even to death, though not hurt, fell with the
rest; so that our men, seeing them all fall together, thought they
had killed them all.
The belief that the savages were all killed made our two men come
boldly out from the tree before they had charged their guns, which
was a wrong step; and they were under some surprise when they came
to the place, and found no less than four of them alive, and of
them two very little hurt, and one not at all. This obliged them
to fall upon them with the stocks of their muskets; and first they
made sure of the runaway savage, that had been the cause of all the
mischief, and of another that was hurt in the knee, and put them
out of their pain; then the man that was not hurt at all came and
kneeled down to them, with his two hands held up, and made piteous
moans to them, by gestures and signs, for his life, but could not
say one word to them that they could understand. However, they
made signs to him to sit down at the foot of a tree hard by; and
one of the Englishmen, with a piece of rope-yarn, which he had by
great chance in his pocket, tied his two hands behind him, and
there they left him; and with what speed they could made after the
other two, which were gone before, fearing they, or any more of
them, should find way to their covered place in the woods, where
their wives, and the few goods they had left, lay. They came once
in sight of the two men, but it was at a great distance; however,
they had the satisfaction to see them cross over a valley towards
the sea, quite the contrary way from that which led to their
retreat, which they were afraid of; and being satisfied with that,
they went back to the tree where they left their prisoner, who, as
they supposed, was delivered by his comrades, for he was gone, and
the two pieces of rope-yarn with which they had bound him lay just
at the foot of the tree.
They were now in as great concern as before, not knowing what
course to take, or how near the enemy might be, or in what number;
so they resolved to go away to the place where their wives were, to
see if all was well there, and to make them easy. These were in
fright enough, to be sure; for though the savages were their own
countrymen, yet they were most terribly afraid of them, and perhaps
the more for the knowledge they had of them. When they came there,
they found the savages had been in the wood, and very near that
place, but had not found it; for it was indeed inaccessible, from
the trees standing so thick, unless the persons seeking it had been
directed by those that knew it, which these did not: they found,
therefore, everything very safe, only the women in a terrible
fright. While they were here they had the comfort to have seven of
the Spaniards come to their assistance; the other ten, with their
servants, and Friday's father, were gone in a body to defend their
bower, and the corn and cattle that were kept there, in case the
savages should have roved over to that side of the country, but
they did not spread so far. With the seven Spaniards came one of
the three savages, who, as I said, were their prisoners formerly;
and with them also came the savage whom the Englishmen had left
bound hand and foot at the tree; for it seems they came that way,
saw the slaughter of the seven men, and unbound the eighth, and
brought him along with them; where, however, they were obliged to
bind again, as they had the two others who were left when the third
ran away.
The prisoners now began to be a burden to them; and they were so
afraid of their escaping, that they were once resolving to kill
them all, believing they were under an absolute necessity to do so
for their own preservation. However, the chief of the Spaniards
would not consent to it, but ordered, for the present, that they
should be sent out of the way to my old cave in the valley, and be
kept there, with two Spaniards to guard them, and have food for
their subsistence, which was done; and they were bound there hand
and foot for that night.
When the Spaniards came, the two Englishmen were so encouraged,
that they could not satisfy themselves to stay any longer there;
but taking five of the Spaniards, and themselves, with four muskets
and a pistol among them, and two stout quarter-staves, away they
went in quest of the savages. And first they came to the tree
where the men lay that had been killed; but it was easy to see that
some more of the savages had been there, for they had attempted to
carry their dead men away, and had dragged two of them a good way,
but had given it over. From thence they advanced to the first
rising ground, where they had stood and seen their camp destroyed,
and where they had the mortification still to see some of the
smoke; but neither could they here see any of the savages. They
then resolved, though with all possible caution, to go forward
towards their ruined plantation; but, a little before they came
thither, coming in sight of the sea-shore, they saw plainly the
savages all embarked again in their canoes, in order to be gone.
They seemed sorry at first that there was no way to come at them,
to give them a parting blow; but, upon the whole, they were very
well satisfied to be rid of them.
The poor Englishmen being now twice ruined, and all their
improvements destroyed, the rest all agreed to come and help them
to rebuild, and assist them with needful supplies. Their three
countrymen, who were not yet noted for having the least inclination
to do any good, yet as soon as they heard of it (for they, living
remote eastward, knew nothing of the matter till all was over),
came and offered their help and assistance, and did, very friendly,
work for several days to restore their habitation and make
necessaries for them. And thus in a little time they were set upon
their legs again.
About two days after this they had the farther satisfaction of
seeing three of the savages' canoes come driving on shore, and, at
some distance from them, two drowned men, by which they had reason
to believe that they had met with a storm at sea, which had overset
some of them; for it had blown very hard the night after they went
off. However, as some might miscarry, so, on the other hand,
enough of them escaped to inform the rest, as well of what they had
done as of what had happened to them; and to whet them on to
another enterprise of the same nature, which they, it seems,
resolved to attempt, with sufficient force to carry all before
them; for except what the first man had told them of inhabitants,
they could say little of it of their own knowledge, for they never
saw one man; and the fellow being killed that had affirmed it, they
had no other witness to confirm it to, them. _
Read next: CHAPTER V -A GREAT VICTORY
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