get my clothes on, through my little grove, which (by the way) was by
this time grown to be a very thick wood; I say, regardless of danger, I
went without my arms, which was not my custom to do; but I was
surprised, when, turning my eyes to the sea, I presently saw a boat at
about a league and a half’s distance, standing in for the shore, with a
shoulder of mutton sail, as they call it, and the wind blowing pretty
fair to bring them in. Also I observed presently, that they did not come
from that side which the shore lay on, but from the southernmost end of
the island. Upon this I called Friday in, and bid him be close, for
these were not the people we looked for, and that we did not know yet
whether they were friends or enemies.
In the next place, I went in to fetch my perspective glass, to see what
I could make of them; and having taken the ladder out, I climbed up to
the top of the hill, as I used to do when I was apprehensive of any
thing, and to take my view the plainer without being discovered.
I had scarce set my foot on the hill, when my eye plainly discovered a
ship lying at an anchor, at about two leagues and a half’s distance from
me, S.S.E. but not above a league and a half from the shore. By my
observation it appeared plainly to be an English ship, and the boat
appeared to be an English long-boat.
I cannot express the confusion I was in, though the joy of seeing a
ship, and one whom I had reason to believe was manned by my own
countrymen, and consequently friends, was such as I cannot describe; but
yet I had some secret doubts hung about me, I cannot tell from whence
they came, bidding me keep upon my guard. In the first place, it
occurred to me to consider what business an English ship could have in
that part of the world; since it was not the way to or from any part of
the world where the English had any traffic; and I knew there had been
no storms to drive them in there, as in distress; and that if they were
English really, it was most probable that they were here upon no good
design; and that I had better continue as I was, than fall into the
hands of thieves and murderers.
Let no man despise the secret hints and notices of danger, which
sometimes are given him when he may think there is no possibility of its
being real. That such hints and notices are given us, I believe few that
have made any observation of things can deny; that they are certain
discoveries of an invisible world, and a converse of spirits, we cannot
doubt; and if the tendency of them seems to be to warn us of danger, why
should we not suppose they are from some friendly agent, (whether
supreme, or inferior and subordinate, is not the question,) and that
they are given for our good?
The present question abundantly confirms me in the justice of this
reasoning; for had I not been made cautious by this secret admonition,
come from whence it will, I had been undone inevitably, and in a far
worse condition than before, as you will see presently.
I had not kept myself long in this posture, but I saw the boat draw near
the shore, as if they looked for a creek to thrust in at for the
convenience of landing; however, as they did not come quite far enough,
they did not see the little inlet where I formerly landed my rafts, but
run their boat on shore upon the beach, at about half a mile from me,
which was very happy for me; for otherwise they would have landed just,
as I may say, at my door, and would have soon beaten me out of my
castle, and, perhaps, have plundered me of all I had.
When they were on shore, I was fully satisfied they were Englishmen, at
least most of them; one or two I thought were Dutch, but it did not
prove so. There were in all eleven men, whereof three of them I found
were unarmed, and (as I thought) bound; and when the first four or five
of them were jumped on shore, they took those three out of the boat as
prisoners: one of the three I could perceive using the most passionate
gestures of entreaty, affliction, and despair, even to a kind of
extravagance; the other two, I could perceive, lifted up their hands
sometimes, and appeared concerned indeed, but not to such a degree as
the first.
I was perfectly confounded at the sight, and knew not what the meaning
of it should be; Friday called out to me in English, as well as he
could, “O master! you see English mans eat prisoners as well as savage
mans.”—“Why,” said I, “Friday, do you think they are going to eat them
then”—“Yes,” says Friday, “they will eat them.”—“No, no,” said I,
“Friday; I am afraid they will murder them indeed; but you may be sure
they will not eat them.”
All this while I had no thought of what the matter really was, but stood
trembling with the horror of the sight, expecting every moment when the
three prisoners should be killed; nay, once I saw one of the villains
lift up his arm with a great cutlass (as the seamen call it) or sword,
to strike one of the poor men; and I expected to see him fall every
moment, at which all the blood in my body seemed to run chill in
my veins.
I wished heartily now for our Spaniard, and the savage that was gone
with him; or that I had any way to have come undiscovered within shot of
them, that I might have rescued the three men; for I saw no fire-arms
they had among them; but it fell out to my mind another way.
After I had observed the outrageous usage of the three men by the
insolent seamen, I observed the fellows ran scattering about the land,
as if they wanted to see the country. I observed also, that the three
other men had liberty to go where they pleased; but they sat down all
three upon the ground very pensive, and looked like men in despair.
This put me in mind of the finest time when I came on shore, and began
to look about me; how I gave myself over for lost, how wildly I looked
round me, what dreadful apprehensions I had, and how I lodged in the
tree all night for fear of being devoured by wild beasts.
As I knew nothing that night of the supply I was to receive by the
providential driving of the ship nearer the land, by the storms and
tides, by which I have since been so long nourished and supported; so
these three poor desolate men knew nothing how certain of deliverance
and supply they were, how near it was to them, and how effectually and
really they were in a condition of safety, at the same time they thought
themselves lost, and their case desperate.
So little do we see before us in the world, and so much reason have we
to depend cheerfully upon the great Maker of the world, that he does not
leave his creatures so absolutely destitute, but that in the worst
circumstances they have always something to be thankful for, and
sometimes are nearer their deliverance than they imagine; nay, are even
brought to their deliverance by the means by which they seem to be
brought to their destruction.
It was just at the top of high water when these people came on shore,
and while, partly they stood parleying with the prisoners they brought,
and partly while they rambled about to see what kind of place they were
in, they had carelessly staid till the tide was spent, and the water was
ebbed considerably away, leaving their boat aground.
They had left two men in the boat, who, as I found afterwards, having
drank a little too much brandy, fell asleep; however, one of them waking
sooner than the other, and finding the boat too fast aground for him to
stir it, hallooed for the rest who were straggling about, upon which
they all soon came to the boat but it was past all their strength to
launch her, the boat being very heavy, and the shore on that side being
a soft oozy sand, almost like a quicksand.
In this condition, like true seamen, who are, perhaps, the least of all
mankind given to fore-thought, they gave it over, and away they strolled
about the country again; and I heard one of them say aloud to another,
(calling them off from the boat) “Why, let her alone, Jack, can’t ye?
she’ll float next tide.” By which I was fully confirmed in the main
inquiry, of what countrymen they were.
All this while I kept myself close, not once daring to stir out of my
castle, any further than to my place of observation, near the top of the
hill; and very glad I was, to think how well it was fortified. I know it
was no less then ten hours before the boat could be on float again, and
by that time it would be dark and I might be more at liberty to see
their motions, and to hear their discourse, if they had any.
In the meantime I fitted myself up for a battle, as before, though with
more caution, knowing I had to do with another kind of enemy than I had
at first: I ordered Friday also, whom I had made an excellent marksman
with his gun, to load himself with arms: I took myself two
fowling-pieces, and I gave him three muskets. My figure, indeed, was
very fierce; I had my formidable goat-skin coat on, with the great cap I
mentioned, a naked sword, two pistols in my belt, and a gun upon
each shoulder.
It was my design, as I said above, not to have made any attempt till it
was dark; but about two o’clock, being the heat of the day, I found that
in short they were all gone straggling into the woods, and, as I
thought, were all laid down to sleep. The three poor distressed men, too
anxious for their condition to get any sleep, were however set down
under the shelter of a great tree, at about a quarter of a mile from me,
and, as I thought, out of sight of any of the rest.
Upon this I resolved to discover myself to them, and learn something of
their condition. Immediately I marched in the figure above, my man
Friday at a good distance behind me, as formidable for his arms as I,
but not making quite so staring a spectre-like figure as I did.
I came as near them undiscovered as I could, and then before any of them
saw me, I called aloud to them in Spanish, “What are ye gentlemen?”
They started up at the noise, but were ten times more confounded when
they saw me, and the uncouth figure that I made. They made no answer at
all, but I thought I perceived them just going to fly from me, when I
spoke to them in English, “Gentlemen,” said I, “do not be surprized at me;
perhaps you may have a friend near you when you did not expect it.”—“He
must be sent directly from Heaven then,” said one of them very gravely to
me, and pulling off his hat at the same time to me, “for our condition is
past the help of man.”—“All help is from Heaven, Sir,” said I: “but can
you put a stranger in the way how to help you, for you seem to me to be
in some great distress: I saw you when you landed, and when you seemed
to make applications to the brutes that came with you, I saw one of them
lift up his sword to kill you.”
The poor man with tears running down his face, and trembling, looking
like one astonished, returned, “Am I talking to God, or man! Is it a real
man, or an angel?”—“Be in no fear about that, Sir,” said I: “if God had
sent an angel to relieve you, he would have come better cloathed, and
armed after another manner than you see me in; pray lay aside your fears,
I am a man, an Englishman, and disposed to assist you, you see; I have
one servant only; we have arms and ammunition; tell us freely, can we
serve you?—What is your case?”
“Our case,” said he, “Sir, is too long to tell you, while our murtherers
are so near; but in short, sir, I was commander of that ship, my men
have mutinied against me; they have been hardly prevailed on not to
murther me, and at last have set me on shore in this desolate place,
with these two men with me; one my mate, the other a passenger, where we
expected to perish, believing the place to be uninhabited, and know not
yet what to think of it.”
“Where are those brutes, your enemies,” said I; “do you know where they are
gone?”—“There they are, Sir,” said he, pointing to a thicket of trees; “my
heart trembles, for fear they have seen us, and heard you speak, if they
have, they will certainly murder us all.”
“Have they any fire-arms?” said I. He answered, “They had only two pieces,
and one which they left in the boat.”—“Well then,” said I, “leave the rest
to me; I see they are all asleep, it is an easy thing to kill them all;
but shall we rather take them prisoners?” He told me there were two
desperate villains among them, that it was scarce safe to shew any mercy
to; but if they were secured, he believed all the rest would return to
their duty. I asked him, which they were? He told me he could not at
that distance describe them; but he would obey my orders in any thing I
would direct. “Well,” says I, “let us retreat out of their view or hearing,
least they awake, and we will resolve further;” so they willingly went
back with me, till the woods covered us from them.
“Look you, Sir,” said I, “if I venture upon your deliverance, are you
willing to make two conditions with me?” He anticipated my proposals, by
telling me, that both he and the ship, if recovered, should be wholly
directed and commanded by me in every thing; and if the ship was not
recovered, he would live and dye with me in what part of the world
soever I would send him; and the two other men said the same.
“Well,” says I, “my conditions are but two. 1. That while you stay on this
island with me, you will not pretend to any authority here; and if I put
arms into your hands, you will upon all occasions give them up to me,
and do no prejudice to me or mine, upon this island, and in the mean
time be governed by my orders.
“2. That if the ship is or may be recovered, you will carry me and my
man to England, passage free.”
He gave me all the assurance that the invention and faith of a man could
devise, that he would comply with these most reasonable demands, and
besides would owe his life to me, and acknowledge it upon all occasions
as long as he lived.
“Well then,” said I, “here are three muskets for you, with powder and
ball; tell me next what you think is proper to be done.” He shewed all
the testimony of his gratitude that he was able; but offered to be
wholly guided by me: I told him, I thought it was hard venturing any
thing, but the best method I could think of, was to fire upon them at
once, as they lay; and if any were not killed at the first volley, and
offered to submit, we might save them, and so put it wholly upon God’s
providence to direct the shot.
He said, very modestly, that he was loath to kill them, if he could help
it; but that those two were incorrigible villains, and had been the
authors of all the mutiny in the ship; and if they escaped, we should be
undone still; for they would go on board, and bring the whole ship’s
company, and destroy us all. “Well then,” said I, “necessity legitimates
my advice; for it is the only way to save our lives.” However, seeing
him still cautious of shedding blood, I told him, they should go
themselves, and manage as they found convenient.
In the middle of this discourse we heard some of them awake, and soon
after we saw two of them on their feet. I asked him, if either of them
were the men who he had said were the heads of the mutiny? He said, No.
“Well then,” said I, “you may let them escape, and Providence seems to
have wakened them on purpose to save themselves.”—“Now,” said I, “if
the rest escape you, it is your fault.”
Animated with this, he took the musket I had given him in his hand, and
pistol in his belt, and his two comrades with him, with each man a piece
in his hand: the two men, who were with him, going first, made some
noise, at which one of the seamen, who was awake, turned about, and
seeing them coming, cried out to the rest; but it was too late then; for
the moment he cried out, they fired, I mean the two men, the captain
wisely reserving his own piece: they had so well aimed their shot at the
men they knew, that one of them was killed on the spot, and the other
very much wounded; but not being dead he started up on his feet, and
called eagerly for help to the other; but the captain, stepping to him,
told him it was too late to cry for help; he should call upon God to
forgive his villany; and with that word knocked him down with the stock
of his musket, so that he never spoke more: there were three more in the
company, and one of them was also slightly wounded. By this time I was
come; and when they saw their danger, and that it was in vain to resist,
they begged for mercy. The captain told them, he would spare their
lives, if they would give him any assurance of their abhorrence of the
treachery they had been guilty of, and would swear to be faithful to him
in recovering the ship, and afterwards in carrying her back to Jamaica,
from whence they came. They gave him all the protestations of their
sincerity that could be desired, and he was willing to believe them, and
spare their lives, which I was not against; only I obliged him to keep
them bound hand and foot while they were upon the island.
While this was doing, I sent Friday with the captain’s mate to the boat,
with orders to secure her, and bring away the oars and sail, which they
did; and by and by, three straggling men, that were (happily for them)
parted from the rest, came back upon hearing the guns fired; and seeing
their captain, who before was their prisoner, now their conqueror, they
submitted to be bound also; and so our victory was complete.
It now remained, that the captain and I should inquire into one
another’s circumstances: I began first, and told him my whole history,
which he heard with an attention even to amazement, and particularly at
the wonderful manner of my being furnished with provisions and
ammunition; and indeed, as my story is a whole collection of wonders, it
affected him deeply; but when he reflected from thence upon himself, and
how I seemed to have been preserved there on purpose to save his life,
the tears ran down his face, and he could not speak a word more.
After this communication was at an end, I carried him and his two men
into my apartments, leading them in just where I came out, viz. at the
top of the house; where I refreshed them with such provisions as I had,
and shewed them all the contrivances I had made during my long, long
inhabiting that place.
All I shewed them, all I said to them, was perfectly amazing; but, above
all, the captain admired my fortification; and how perfectly I had
concealed my retreat with a grove of trees, which, having now been
planted near twenty years, and the trees growing much faster than in
England, was become a little wood, and so thick, that it was impassable
in any part of it, but at that one side where I had reserved my little
winding passage into it: this I told him was my castle, and my
residence; but that I had a seat in the country, as most princes have,
whither I could retreat upon occasion, and I would shew him that too
another time; but at present our business was to consider how to recover
the ship. He agreed with me as to that; but told me, he was perfectly at
a loss what measure to take; for that there were still six-and-twenty
hands on board, who having entered into a cursed conspiracy, by which
they had all forfeited their lives to the law, would be hardened in it
now by desperation; and would carry it on, knowing that, if they were
reduced, they should be brought to the gallows as soon as they came to
England, or to any of the English colonies; and that therefore there
would be no attacking them with so small a number as we were.
I mused for some time upon what he had said, and found it was a very
rational conclusion, and that therefore something was to be resolved on
very speedily, as well to draw the men on board into some snare for
their surprise, as to prevent their landing upon us, and destroying us.
Upon this it presently occurred to me, that in a little while the ship’s
crew, wondering what was become of their comrades, and of the boat,
would certainly come on shore in their other boat to see for them; and
that then perhaps they might come armed, and be too strong for us: this
he allowed was rational.
Upon this I told him, the first thing we had to do was to stave the
boat, which lay upon the beach, so that they might not carry her off;
and taking every thing out of her, leaving her so far useless as not to
be fit to swim; accordingly we went on board, took the arms which were
left on board out of her, and whatever else we found there, which was a
bottle of brandy, and another of rum, a few biscuit cakes, an horn of
powder, and a great lump of sugar in a piece of canvas; the sugar was
five or six pounds; all which was very welcome to me, especially the
brandy and sugar, of which I had had none left for many years.
When we had carried all these things on shore, (the oars, mast, sail,
and rudder of the boat were carried before as above,) we knocked a great
hole in her bottom, that if they had come strong enough to master us,
yet they could not carry off the boat.
Indeed it was not much in my thoughts, that we could be capable to
recover the ship; but my view was, that if they went away without the
boat, I did not much question to make her fit again to carry us away to
the Leeward Islands, and call upon our friends the Spaniards in my way,
for I had them still in my thoughts.
While we were thus preparing our designs, and had first by main strength
heaved the boat up upon the beach, so high that the tide would not float
her off at high water mark; and, besides, had broken a hole in her
bottom too big to be quickly stopped, and were sat down musing what we
should do; we heard the ship fire a gun, and saw her make a waft with
her ancient, as a signal for the boat to come on board; but no boat
stirred; and they fired several times, making other signals for
the boat.
At last, when all their signals and firings proved fruitless, and they
found the boat did not stir, we saw them (by the help of our glasses)
hoist another boat out, and row towards the shore; and we found, as they
approached, that there were no less than ten men in her, and that they
had fire-arms with them.
As the ship lay almost two leagues from the shore, we had a full view of
them as they came, and a plain sight of the men, even of their faces;
because the tide having set them a little to the east of the other boat,
they rowed up under shore, to come to the same place where the other had
landed, and where the boat lay.
By this means, I say, we had a full view of them, and the captain knew
the persons and characters of all the men in the boat; of whom he said
that there were three very honest fellows, who he was sure were led into
this conspiracy by the rest, being overpowered and frighted: but that
for the boatswain, who, it seems, was the chief officer among them, and
all the rest, they were as outrageous as any of the ship’s crew; and
were, no doubt, made desperate in their new enterprise; and terribly
apprehensive he was, that they would be too powerful for us.
I smiled at him, and told him, that men in our circumstances were past
the operations of fear: that seeing almost every condition that could be
was better than that we were supposed to be in, we ought to expect that
the consequence, whether death or life, would be sure to be a
deliverance: I asked him, what he thought of the circumstances of my
life, and whether a deliverance were not worth venturing for? “And
where, Sir,” said I, “is your belief of my being preserved here on
purpose to save your life, which elevated you a little while ago? For my
part,” said I, “there seems to be but one thing amiss in all the
prospect of it.”—“What’s that?” says he. “Why,” said I, “’tis that as
you say, there are three or four honest fellows among them, which should
be spared; had they been all of the wicked part of the crew, I should
have thought God’s providence had singled them out to deliver them into
your hands; for, depend upon it, every man of them that comes ashore,
are our own, and shall die or live as they behave to us.”
As I spoke this with a raised voice and cheerful countenance, I found it
greatly encouraged him; so we set vigorously to our business. We had,
upon the first appearance of the boat’s coming from the ship, considered
of separating our prisoners, and had indeed secured them effectually.
Two of them, of whom the captain was less assured than ordinary, I sent
with Friday, and one of the three (delivered men) to my cave, where they
were remote enough, and out of danger of being heard or discovered, or
of finding their way out of the woods, if they could have delivered
themselves; here they left them bound, but gave them provisions, and
promised them, if they continued there quietly, to give them their
liberty in a day or two; but that if they attempted their escape, they
should be put to death without mercy. They promised faithfully to bear
their confinement with patience, and were very thankful that they had
such good usage as to have provisions and a light left them; for Friday
gave them candles (such as we made ourselves) for their comfort; and
they did not know but that he stood centinel over them at the entrance.