Part 25 (1/2)
This harebrained carriage obliged thelishe, 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; and indeed there was soe 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 Englishh he had murdered half of thelishman, and had time left to speak, it should be that they should pardon hiovernor 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 theovernor and all, that er After a long debate it was agreed, first, that they should be disarun, or powder, or shot, or sword, or any weapon, and should be turned out of the society, and left to live where they would, and how they could by thelish, should converse with the to do with them; that they should be forbid to come within a certain distance of the place where the rest dwelt; and that 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, that they should die without mercy, and would shoot theovernor, aupon the sentence, considered a little upon it, and turning to the two honest English 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 theht ht be supposed to raise sooats, 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 field; such as six hatchets, an axe, a saw, and the like: 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 thelishmen
Thus they dismissed them the society, and turned them out to shi+ft for themselves They went away sullen and refractory, as neither contented to go away or to stay; but as there was no reo and choose a place where they should settle themselves, to plant and live by theiven, but no weapons
About four or five days after they caovernor an account where they had pitched their tents, and marked themselves out an habitation or plantation: it was a very convenient place indeed, on the remotest part of the island, NE much about the place where I providentially landed in e when I was driven out to sea, the Lord alone knohither, in my foolish attempt to surround the island
Here they built themselves two handsome huts, and contrived the close under the side of a hill, having so already to the three sides of it; so that by planting others it would be very easily covered froht, unless narrowly searched for They desired soiven the 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; so, and, in a word, any thing they wanted but arms and ammunition
They lived in this separate condition about six h the quantity was but s but little; for indeed having all their plantation to forreat deal of work upon their hands; and when they cas, they were quite out of their ele of it; and 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: and this hued the Spaniards to help thereat hole in the side of the hill for thes from the rain: but it was but a poor place at best compared to reatly 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 forh 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 circue to the continent froes came, and would try if they could not seize upon so them home, so as to make them do the laborious part of the work for theone no farther; but they did nothing and proposed nothing but had either n or ive my opinion, they seemed to be under a blast from Heaven; for if ill not allow a visible curse to pursue visible cris with divine justice? It was certainly an apparent vengeance on their criht them to the state they were in; and as they shewed not the least remorse for the crime, but added new villanies to it, such as particularly that piece ofa 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, no question, eon or medicine could be had for his cure; and as still worse, the murderous intent, or, to do justice to the crime, the intentional murder, for such to be sure it was, as was afterwards the forn they all laid to murder the Spaniards in cold blood, and in their sleep
But I leave observing, and return to the story: The three fellows ca, 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 h tono help, they found they should be starved; but if the Spaniards would give them leave to take one of the canoes which they caive them aro over to the main, and seek their fortune, and so deliver the thelad enough to be rid of them; but yet very honestly represented to the into; told them they had suffered such hardshi+ps upon that very spot, that they could, without any spirit of prophecy, tell them that 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 io, whether they would give thereat kindness, that if they were resolved to go, they should not go like naked men, and be in no condition to defend theh they could ill spare their fire-arh for themselves, yet they would let them have two muskets, a pistol, and a cutlass, and each ht sufficient for the baked theoat's flesh as they could eat while it eet, and a great basket full of dried grapes, a pot full of fresh water, and a young kid alive to kill, they boldly set out in a canoe for a voyage over the sea, where it was at least forty e one, and would have very well carried fifteen or twenty e; but as they had a fair breeze and the flood-tide with the pole, and a sail of four large goat-skins dried, which they had sewed or laced together; and away they went h; the Spaniards called after the them any more
The Spaniards would often say to one another, and the two honest Englishmen who remained behind, how quietly and coone; as for their ever cohts could be iined; when, behold, after twenty-two days absence, one of the Englishe uns upon their shoulders
Away runs the Englishhted and aovernor Spaniard, and tells hiers landed upon the island, he could not tell who The Spaniard pausing a while, says to hies to be sure”--”No, no,” says the Englishman, ”they are men in clothes, with arms”--”Nay then,” says the Spaniard, ”why are you 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 harlish without the hich was new-planted, hallooed to them; they presently knew their voices, and so all the wonder of that kind ceased But now the admiration was turned upon another question, viz What could be the ain?
It was not long before they brought thewhere they had been, and what they had been doing? they gave thee in a feords, viz that they reached the land in two days, or so, and preparing with bows and arrows to fight theo on shore, but sailed on to the northward six or seven hours, till they ca, by which they perceived that the land they saw fro that opening of the sea, they saw another island on the right hand north, and severalresolved to land somewhere, they put over to one of the islands which lay west, and went boldly on shore; that they found the people were courteous and friendly to theave them several roots, and some dried fish, and appeared very sociable: and the women, as well as thethey could get for thereat way upon their heads
They continued here four days, and inquired, as well as they could of thens, what nations were this way, and that way; and were told of several fierce and terrible people, that lived alns to them, used to eat men; but as for themselves, they said, that they never ate men or women, except only such as they took in the wars; and then they owned that they lishmen inquired when they had a feast of that kind, and they told theers; and that their great king had two hundred prisoners nohich he had taken in his war, and they were feeding thelishhty desirous to see those prisoners, but the others ht they were desirous to have so So they beckoned to the; which was to signify, that the nextsoht down five wolish so many cows and oxen down to a sea-port town to victual a shi+p
As brutish and barbarous as these felloere at hoht, and they did not knohat to do; to refuse the prisoners would have been the highest affront to the savage gentry that offered them; and what to do with them they knew not; however, upon some debate, they resolved to accept of theht them one of their hatchets, an old key, a knife, and six or seven of their bullets, which, though they did not understand, they see the poor creatures' hands behind theed the prisoners into the boat for our ed to coave them his noble present would certainly have expected that they should have gone to ith the, 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 e they endeavoured to have some communication with their prisoners, but it was i they could say to the about 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 the; then they 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 thean to use them kindly and treat them well, still they expected every day to make a dinner or supper for their new iven this unaccountable history or journal of their voyage, the Spaniard asked the told that they had brought them on shore, and put the some victuals for thelisho 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 theht not take the boat and make their escape; there, I say, they sat all of them stark naked First, there were three ht and fair lie, and five woht be from thirty to forty, two more not above twenty-four or twenty-five, and the fifth, a tall, comely maiden, about sixteen or seventeen The woreeable persons, both in shape and features, only tawny; and two of them, had they been perfect white, would have passed for handsoreeable countenances, and of a very modest behaviour, especially when they came afterwards to be clothed, and dressed, as they called it, though that dress was very indifferent it ht, youuncouth to our Spaniards, ere (to give them a just character) men of the best behaviour, of the ood humour that ever I met with; and, in particular, of the ht was very uncouth, to see three naked ether bound, and in the most miserable circumstances that hu every ed out, and have their brains knocked out, and then to be eaten up like a calf that is killed for a dainty