eight months after this, six canoes, with about ten men in each canoe,
came sailing by the north side of the island, which they were never
accustomed to do before, and landed about an hour after sunrise, near a
mile from the dwelling of the two Englishman, who, it seems, had the
good fortune to discover them about a league off: to that it was an hour
before they could come at them. And now being confirmed in this opinion
that they were certainly betrayed, they immediately bound the two slaves
which were left, causing two of the three men, whom they brought with
the women, and who proved very faithful to lead them with their wives,
and other conveniences, into their retired care in the wood, and there
to bind the two fellows hand and foot till they had further orders. They
then opened their fences, where they kept their milch goats, and drove
them all out, giving the goats liberty to ramble in the woods, to make
the savages believe that they were wild ones; but the slave had given a
truer information, which made them come to the very inclosures. The two
frighted men sent the other slave of the three, who had been with them
by accident, to alarm the Spaniards, and desire their assistance; in
the mean time they took their arms and ammunition, and made to the cave
where they had sent their wives, and securing their slaves, seated
themselves in a private place, from whence they might behold all the
actions of the savages. Nor had they gone far, when ascending a rising
ground, they could see a little army of Indians approach to their
beautiful dwelling, and in a few moments more, perceive the same, and
their furniture, to their unspeakable grief, burning in a consuming
flame, and when this war done, they spread here and there, searching
every bush and place for the people, of whom it was very evident, they
had information. Upon which the two Englishmen, not thinking themselves
secure where they stood, retreated about half a mile higher in the
country, rightly concluding, that the farther the savages strolled,
there would be less numbers together: upon which they next took their
stand by the trunk of an old tree, very hollow and large, whence they
resolved to see what would offer: but they had not stood long there,
before two savages came running directly towards them, as though having
knowledge of their being there, who seemed resolved to attack them; a
little farther were three more, and five more behind them again, all
running the same way. It cannot be imagined the perplexity the poor men
were in at this sight, thinking that if assistance did not speedily come
their cave in the wood would be discovered, and consequently all therein
lost; so they resolved to resist them there, and, when overpowered, to
ascend to the top of the trees, where they might defend themselves as
long as their ammunition lasted, and sell their lives as dear as
possible to those devouring savages. Thus fixed in their resolution,
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 first &
the five last would be separated. In this regulation the two savages
also confirmed them, by turning a little to another part of the wood:
but the three, & the five after them, came directly towards the tree.
Hereupon they resolved to take them in a direct line, as they approached
nearer, because perhaps the first shot might hit them all three; and
upon this occasion, the man who was to fire, charged his piece with
three or four bullets. And thus while they were waiting, the savages
came on, one of them was the runaway, who had caused all the mischief;
so they resolved he should not escape, if they both fired at once. But,
however, though they did not fire together, they were ready charged;
when the first that let fly, was too good a marksman to miss his aim;
for he killed the foremost outright, the second (_who was the runaway
Indian_) fell to the ground, being shot through the body, but not dead
and the third was a little wounded in the shoulder, who, sitting down on
the ground, fell a screaming in a most fearful manner. The noise of the
guns, which not only made the most resounding echoes, from one side to
the other, but raised the birds of all sorts, fluttering with the most
confused noise, so much terrified the five savages behind that they
stood still at first, like so many inanimate images. But when all things
were in profound silence, they came to the place where there companions
lay; and here, not being sensible that they were liable to the same
fate, stood over the wounded man, undoubtedly inquiring the occasion of
this sad calamity; and 'tis as reasonable to suppose he told them, that
it came by thunder and lightning from the gods, having never seen or
heard of a gun before, in the whole course of their lives. By this time
the Englishmen, having loaded their pieces, fired both together a second
time, when seeing them all fall immediately on the ground, they thought
they had killed every creature of them. This made them come up boldly
before they had charged their guns, which indeed was a wrong step; for,
when they came to the place, they found four alive, two of them very
little wounded, and one not at all, which obliged them to fall upon them
with their muskets: they first knocked the runaway savage on the head,
and another that was but a little wounded in the arm, & then put the
other languishing wretches out of their pain: while he that was not
hurt, with bended knees and uplifted hands, made piteous moans, and
signs to them to spare his life; nor, indeed, were they unmerciful to
the poor wretch, but pointed to him to sit down at the root of a tree
hard by; and then, one of the Englishmen, with a piece of rope twine he
had in his pocket, by mere chance, tying his two feet fast together, and
his two hands behind him, they left him there, making all the haste they
could after the other two, fearing they should find out their cave; but
though they could not overtake them, they had the satisfaction to
perceive them at a distance, cross a valley towards the sea, a quite
contrary way to their retreat: upon which they returned to the tree, to
look after their prisoner; but when they came there, he was gone,
leaving the piece of rope-yarn, wherewith he was bound, behind him.
"Well, now they were as much concerned as ever, as not knowing how near
their enemies might be, or in what numbers. Immediately they repaired to
the cave, to see if all was well there, and found every thing safe,
except the women, who were frightened upon their husbands account, whom
they now loved entirely. They had not been long here, before seven of my
Spaniards came to assist them; while the other ten, their servants, and
Friday's father, were gone to defend their bower, corn, and cattle, in
case the savages should have rambled so far. There accompanied the seven
Spaniards, one of the three savages that had formerly been taken
prisoner; and with them also that very Indian whom the Englishmen had,
a little before, left under the tree; for it seems, they passed by that
way where the slaughter was made, and so carried along with them that
poor wretch that was left bound. But so many prisoners now becoming a
burthen to us, and fearing the dreadful consequence of their escaping,
most of the Spaniards and English urged the absolute necessity there was
of killing them for our common preservation; but, Sir, the authority I
bore, as a governor, over-ruled that piece of cruelty; and then I
ordered them to be sent prisoners to the old cave in the valley, bound
hands and feet, with two Spaniards to guard them.
"So much encouraged were the Englishmen at the approach of the
Spaniards, and so great was their fury against the savages for
destroying their habitations, that they had not patience to stay any
longer; but, taking five Spaniards along with them, armed with four
muskets, a pistol, and a quarter staff, away they went in pursuit of
their enemies. As they passed by the place where the savages were slain,
it was very easy to be perceived that more of them had been there,
having attempted to carry off their dead bodies, but found it
impracticable. From a rising ground our party had the mortification to
see the smoke that proceeded from their ruins; when coming farther in
flight of the shore, they plainly perceived that the savages had
embarked in their canoes, and were putting out to sea. This they were
very sorry for, there being no coming at them to give them a parting
salute, but however, they were glad enough to get clear of such
unwelcome guests.
"Thus the two honest, but unfortunate Englishmen, being ruined a second
time, and their improvements quite destroyed, most of my good natured
Spaniards helped them to rebuild, and we all assisted them with needful
supplies; nay, what is more remarkable, their three mischievous
countrymen, when they heard of it _(which was after all these disasters
were over, they living more remote eastward)_ very friendly sympathised
with them, and worked for them several days; so that, in a little, their
habitations were rebuilt, their necessities supplied, and themselves
restored to their former tranquility.
"Though the savages had nothing to boast of in this adventure, _(several
canoes being driven ashore, followed by two drowned creatures, having
undoubtedly met with a storm at sea that very night they departed)_ yet
it was natural to be supposed, that those whose better fortune it was to
attain their native shore, would inflame their nation to another ruinous
attempt, with a greater force, to carry all before them. And, indeed, so
it happened: for about seven months after, our island was invaded with a
most formidable navy, no less than eight and twenty canoes full of
savages, armed with wooden swords, monstrous clubs, bows and arrows, and
such like instruments of war, landing at the east end of the island.
"You may well, Sir, imagine what consternation our men were in upon
this account, and how speedy they were to execute their resolution,
having only that night's time allowed them. They knew that since they
could not withstand their enemies, concealment was the only way to
procure their safety; and, therefore, they took down the huts that were
built for the two Englishmen, and drove their flocks of goats together
with their own at the bower, to the old cave in the valley, leaving as
little appearance of inhabitants as possible; and then posted
themselves, with all their force, at the plantation of the two men. As
they expected, so it happened: for early the next morning, the Indians,
leaving their canoes at the east-end of the island, came running along
the shore, about two hundred and fifty in number, as near as could be
guessed. Our army was but little indeed; and what was our greatest
misfortune, we had not arms sufficient for them. The account, as to the
men, Sir, is an follows: viz. 17 _Spaniards_, 5 _Englishmen, Old Friday,
the three savages, taken with the five women, who proved faithful
servants, and three other slaves, living with the Spaniards. To arm
these they had_ 11 _muskets_, 5 _pistols_, 3 _fowling-pieces_, 2
_swords_, 3 _old halberts_, 5 _muskets, or fowling-pieces, taken from
the sailors whom you reduced. As to the slaves, we gave three of them
halberts, and the other three long staves, with great iron spikes at the
end of them, with hatchets by their sides; we also had hatchets sticking
in our girdles, besides the fire-arms: nay, two of the women, inspired
with Amazonian fortitude, could not be dissuaded from fighting along
with their dear husbands, and if they died, to die with them, Seeing
their resolution, we gave them hatchets likewise; but what pleased them
best, were the bows and arrows (which they dexterously knew how to use)
that the Indians had left behind them, after their memorable battle one
against another_.
"Over this army, which though little, was of great intrepidity, I was
constituted chief general and commander: and knowing Will Atkins, though
exceedingly wicked, yet a man of invincible courage, I gave him the
power of commanding under me: he had six men with their muskets loaded
with six or seven bullets a-piece, and were planted just behind a small
thicket of bushes, as an advanced guard, having orders to let the first
pass by; and then, when he fired into the middle of them, making a
nimble retreat round a part of the wood, and so come in the rear of the
Spaniards, who were shaded by a thicket of trees: for though the savages
came on with the fierceness of lions, yet they wanted the subtility of
foxes, being out of all manner of order, and straggling in heaps every
way: and, indeed, when Will Atkins, after fifty of the savages had
passed by, had ordered three of his men to give fire, so great was their
consternation, to see so many men killed and wounded, and hear such a
dreadful noise, and yet knew not whence it came, that they were
frightened to the highest degree: and when the second volley was given,
they concluded no less but that their companions were slain by thunder
and lightning from Heaven. In this notion they would have continued, had
Will Atkins and his men retired, as soon as they fired, according to
order: or had the rest been near them, to pour in their shot
continually, their might have been a complete victory obtained: but
staying to load their pieces again, discovered the whole matter. They
were perceived by some of the scattering savages at a distance, who let
fly their arrows among them, wounded Atkins himself, and killed his
fellow Englishman, and one of the Indians taken with the women. Our
party did not fail to answer them, and in their retreat killed about
twenty savages. Here I cannot but take notice of our poor dying slave,
who, tho' stopt from his retreat by a fatal arrow, yet with his staff
and hatchet, desperately and gallantly assailed his pursuers, and killed
five of the savages, before his life submitted to a multiplicity of
wounds. Nor is the cruelty or malice of the Indians to be less remarked,
in breaking the arms, legs, and heads of the two dead bodies, with their
clubs and wooden swords, after a most wretched manner. As Atkins
retreated our party advanced, to interpose between him and the savages:
but after three vollies, we were obliged to retreat also: for they were
so numerous and desperate, that they came up to our very teeth, shot
their arrows like a cloud, and their wounded men, enraged with cruel
pain, fought like madmen. They did not, however, think fit to follow us,
but drawing themselves up in a circle, they gave two triumphant shouts
in token of victory, though they had the grief to see several of their
wounded men bleed to death before them.
"After I had, Sir, drawn up our little army together, upon a rising
ground, Atkins, wounded as he was, would have had us attack the whole
body of the savages at once, I was extremely well pleased with the
gallantry of the man: but, upon consideration, I replied, _You perceive,
Seignor Atkins, how their wounded men fight; let them alone till
morning, when they will be faint, stiff, and sore, and then we shall
have fewer to combat with_. To which Atkins, smiling, replied, _That's
very true, Seignor, so shall I too; and that's the reason I would fight
them now I am warm_. We all answered, _Seignor Atkins for your part you
have behaved very gallantly; and, if you are not able to approach the
enemy in the morning, we will fight for you, till then we think it
convenient to wait_, and so we tarried.
"By the brightness of the moon that night, we perceived the savages in
great disorder about their dead and wounded men. This made us change our
resolution, and resolve to fall upon them in the night, if we could
give them one volley undiscovered. This we had a fair opportunity to do,
by one of the two Englishmen leading us round, between the woods and the
sea-side westward, and turning short south, came privately to a place
where the thickest of them were. Unheard and unperceived, eight of us
fired among them, and did dreadful execution; and in half a minute
after, eight more of us let fly, killing and wounding abundance of them;
and then dividing ourselves into three bodies, eight persons in each
body we marched from among the trees, to the very teeth of the enemy,
sending forth the greatest shouts and acclamations. The savages hearing
a different noise from three quarters at once, stood in the utmost
confusion; but coming in sight of us, let fly a volley of arrows, which
wounded poor old Friday, yet happily it did not prove mortal. We did
not, however, give them a second opportunity; but rushing in among them,
we fired three several ways, and then fell to work with our swords,
staves, hatchets, and the butt-end of our muskets, with a fury not to be
resisted; so that with the most dismal screaming and howling they had
recourse to their feet, to save their lives by a speedy flight. Nor must
we forget the valour of the two women; for they exposed themselves to
the greatest dangers, killed many with their arrows, and valiantly
destroyed several more with their hatchets.
"In fighting these two battles, we were so much tired, that we did not
then trouble ourselves to pursue them to their canoes, in which we
thought they would presently put to the ocean; but their happening a
dreadful storm at sea, which continuing all that night, it not only
prevented their voyage, but dashed several of their boats to pieces
against the beach, and drove the rest so high upon the shore, that it
required infinite labour to get them off. After our men had taken some
refreshment and a little repose, they resolved early in the morning to
go towards the place of their landing, and see whether they were gone
off, or in what posture they remained. This necessarily led them to the
place of battle, where several of the savages were expiring, a sight no
way pleasing to generous minds, to delight in misery, though obliged to
conquer them by the law of arms; but our own Indian slaves put them out
of their pain, by dispatching them with their hatchets. At length,
coming in view of the remainder of the army, we found them leaning upon
their knees, which were bended towards their mouth, and the head between
the two hands. Hereupon, coming within musket shot of them, I ordered
two pieces to be fired without ball, in order to alarm them, that we
might plainly know, whether they had the courage to venture another
battle, or were utterly dispirited from such an attempt, that so we
might accordingly manage them. And indeed, the prospect took very well;
for, no sooner did the savages hear the first gun, and perceive the
flash of the second, but they suddenly started upon their feet in the
greatest consternation; and when we approached towards them, they ran
howling and screaming away up the hill into the country.
"We could rather, at first, have wished, that the weather had permitted
them to have gone off to the sea; but when we considered, that their
escape might occasion the approach of multitudes, to our utter ruin and
dissolution; we were very well pleased the contrary happened; and Will
Atkins (who, tho' wounded, would not part from us all this while)
advised us not to let slip this advantage, but clapping between them and
their boats, deprive them of the capacity of ever returning to plague
the island: _I know_, said he, _there is but on objection you can make,
which is, that these creatures, living like beasts in the wood, may make
excursions, rifle the plantations, and destroy the tame goats; but then,
consider, we had better to do with an hundred men whom we can kill, or
make slaves of at leisure, than with an hundred nations, whom it is
impossible we should save ourselves from, much less subdue_. This
advice, and these arguments being approved of, we set fire to their
boats; and though they were so wet that we could not burn them entirely,
yet we made them incapable for swimming in the seas. As soon as the
Indians perceived what we were doing, many of them ran out of the woods,
in fight of us, and kneeling down, piteously cried out, _Oa, Oa!
Waramakoa_. Intimating, I suppose, that, if we would but spare their
canoes, they would never trouble us again.
"But all their complaints, submissions, and entreaties, were in vain;
for self-preservation obliging us to the contrary, we destroyed every
one of them that had escaped the fury of the ocean. When the Indians
perceived this, they raised a lamentable cry, and ran into the woods,
where they continued ranging about; making the woods ring with their
lamentation. Here we should have considered, that making these
creatures, thus desperate, we ought, at the same time to have set a
sufficient guard upon the plantations: for the savages, in their ranging
about, found out the bower, destroyed the fences, trod the corn down
under their feet, and tore up the vines and grapes. It is true, we were
always able to fight these creatures; but, as they were too swift for
us, and very numerous, we durst not go out single, for fear of them;
though that too was needless, they having no weapons, nor any materials
to make them; and, indeed, their extremity appeared in a little
time after.
[ILLUSTRATION: The Spaniard, &c. burning the Indian canoes. _Dr. & Eng.
by A. Carse, Edin._]
"Though the savages, as already mentioned, had destroyed our bower, and
all our corns, grapes, &c. yet we had still left our flock of cattle in
the valley, by the cave, with some little corn that grew there, and the
plantation of Will Atkins and his companions, one of whom being killed
by an arrow, they were now reduced to two: it is remarkable that this
was the fellow who cut the poor Indian with his hatchet, and had design
to murder me and my countrymen the Spaniards. As our condition was low,
we came to the resolution to drive the savages up to the farther part of
the island, where no Indians landed, to kill as many of them as we
could, till we had reduced their number; and then to give the remainder
some corn to plant, and to teach them how to live by their daily labour,
accordingly we pursued them with our guns, at the hearing of which they
were so terrified, that they would fall to the ground. Every day we
killed and wounded some of them, and many were found starved to death,
so that our hearts began to relent at the sight of such miserable
objects. At last, with great difficulty, taking one of them alive, and
using him with kindness, & tenderness, we brought him to Old Friday, who
talked to him, & told him how good we would be to them all, giving them
corn and land to plant and live in, and present nourishment, provided
they should keep within such bounds as should be allotted them, and not
do prejudice to others: _Go then_, said he, _and inform your countrymen
of this; which, if they will not agree to, every one of them shall
be slain_.
"The poor creatures, thoroughly humbled, being reduced to about
thirty-seven, joyfully accepted the offer, and earnestly begged for
food; hereupon we sent twelve Spaniards and two Englishmen well armed,
together with Old Friday, and three Indian slaves were loaded with a
large quantity of bread and rice cakes, with three live goats: and the
poor Indians being ordered to sit down on the side of the hill, they ate
the victuals very thankfully, and have proved faithful to the last,
never trespassing beyond their bounds, where at this day they quietly
and happily remain, and where we now and then visit them. They are
confined to a neck of land about a mile and a half broad, and three or
four in length, on the south-east corner of the island, the sea being
before, and lofty mountains behind them, free from the appearance of
canoes; and indeed their countrymen never made any inquiry after them.
We gave them twelve hatchets, and three or four knives; have taught them
to build huts, make wooden spades, plant corn, make bread, breed tame
goats and milk them, as likewise to make wicker work, in which I must
ingenuously confess, they infinitely out do us, having made themselves
several pretty necessaries and fancies, as baskets, sieves, bird-cages,
and cupboards, as also stools, beds and couches, no less useful than
delightful; and now they live the most innocent and inoffensive
creatures that ever were subdued in the world, wanting nothing but wives
to make them a nation.
"Thus, kind Sir, have I given you, according to my ability, an
impartial account of the various transactions that have happened, in the
island since your departure to this day; and we have great reason to
acknowledge the kind providence of Heaven in our merciful deliverance.
When you inspect your little kingdom, you will find in it some little
improvement, your flocks increased, and your subjects augmented, so that
from a desolate island, as this was before your wonderful deliverance
upon it, here is a visible prospect of its becoming a populous and well
governed little kingdom, to your immortal fame and glory."
There is no doubt to suppose but that the preceeding relation of my
faithful Spaniard was very agreeable and no less surprising to me, to
the young priest, and to all who heard it: now were these people less
pleased with those necessary utensils that I brought them, such as the
knives, scissars, spades, shovels, and pick-axes, with which they now
adorn their habitations.