remove their habitation, because that some time or other they thought
they might hear from their governor again, meaning me; and if I should
send any one to seek them, I would be sure to direct them on that side,
where if they should find the place demolished they would conclude the
savages had killed us all, and we were gone, and so our supply would
go away too.
But as to their corn and cattle, they agreed to remove them into the
valley where my cave was, where the land was as proper to both, and
where indeed there was land enough; however, upon second thoughts they
altered one part of that resolution too, and resolved only to remove
part of their cattle thither, and plant part of their corn there; and
so, if one part was destroyed, the other might be saved; and one piece
of prudence they used, which it was very well they did; viz. that they
never trusted these three savages, which they had taken prisoners, with
knowing any thing of the plantation they had made in that valley, or of
any cattle they had there; much less of the cave there, which they kept
in case of necessity as a safe retreat; and thither they carried also
the two barrels of powder which I had left them at my coming away.
But however they resolved not to change their habitation; yet they
agreed, that as I had carefully covered it first with a wall and
fortification, and then with a grove of trees; so seeing their safety
consisted entirely in their being concealed, of which they were now
fully convinced, they set to work to cover and conceal the place yet
more effectually than before: to this purpose, as I had planted trees
(or rather thrust in stakes which in time all grew to be trees) for some
good distance before the entrance into my apartment, they went on in the
same manner, and filled up the rest of that whole space of ground, from
the trees I had set quite down to the side of the creek, where, as I
said, I landed my floats, and even into the very ooze where the tide
flowed, not so much as leaving any place to land, or any sign that there
had been any landing thereabout. These stakes also being of a wood very
forward to grow, as I had noted formerly, they took care to have
generally very much larger and taller than those which I had planted,
and placed them so very thick and close, that when they had been three
or four years grown there was no piercing with the eye any considerable
way into the plantation. As for that part which I had planted, the trees
were grown as thick as a man’s thigh; and among them they placed so many
other short ones, and so thick, that, in a word, it stood like a
palisado a quarter of a mile thick, and it was next to impossible to
penetrate it but with a little army to cut it all down; for a little dog
could hardly get between the trees, they stood so close.
But this was not all; for they did the same by all the ground to the
right hand, and to the left, and round even to the top of the hill,
leaving no way, not so much as for themselves to come out, but by the
ladder placed up to the side of the hill, and then lifted up and placed
again from the first stage up to the top; which ladder, when it was
taken down, nothing but what had wings or witchcraft to assist it, could
come at them.
This was excellently well contrived, nor was it less than what they
afterwards found occasion for; which served to convince me, that as
human prudence has authority of Providence to justify it, so it has,
doubtless, the direction of Providence to set it to work, and, would we
listen carefully to the voice of it, I am fully persuaded we might
prevent many of the disasters which our lives are now by our own
negligence subjected to: but this by the way.
I return to the story: They lived two years after this in perfect
retirement, and had no more visits from the savages; they had indeed an
alarm given them one morning, which put them in a great consternation
for some of the Spaniards being out early one morning on the west side,
or rather end of the island which, by the way, was that end where I
never went, for fear of being discovered, they were surprised with
seeing above twenty canoes of Indians just coming on shore.
They made the best of their way home in hurry enough, and, giving the
alarm to their comrades, they kept close all that day and the next,
going out only at night to make observation; but they had the good luck
to be mistaken, for wherever the savages went, they did not land at that
time on the island, but pursued some other design.
And now they had another broil with the three Englishmen, one of which,
a most turbulent fellow, being in a rage at one of the three slaves
which I mentioned they had taken, because the fellow had not done
something right which he bid him do, and seemed a little untractable in
his shewing him, drew a hatchet out of a frog-belt, in which he bore it
by his side, and fell upon him, 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 struck
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, clapt
in 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 working in the field
about the corn-land) knocked the brute down; another of the Englishmen
running at the same time to help his comrade, knocked the Spaniard down,
and then two Spaniards more came to help their man, and a third
Englishman fell upon them. They had none of them any fire-arms, or any
other weapons but hatchets and other tools, except the third Englishman;
he had one of my old rusty cutlasses, with which he made at the 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 furious, so desperate, and so
idle withal, that they knew not what course to take with them, for they
were mischievous to the highest degree, and valued not what hurt they
did 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 his own countrymen he would have hanged them all; 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 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,” says he, “will you murder us all? What have you to say
to that?” That hardened villain was so far from denying it, that he said
it was true, and G-d d-mn him they would do it still before they had
done with them. “Well, but Seignior Atkins,” said the Spaniard, “what
have we done to you that you will kill us? And what would you get by
killing us? And what must we do to prevent your killing us? Must we kill
you, or will 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 weapons
with him, it was thought he would have attempted to have killed the
Spaniard in the middle of all the company.
This harebrained 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; and 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 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, first, that they should be disarmed, and not
permitted to have either gun, 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 themselves; but that none of the rest,
either Spaniards or English, should converse with them, speak with them,
or have any thing 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 them wherever they could find them.
The governor, a man of great humanity, 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 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 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 contented
to go away or to stay; but as there was no remedy they went, pretending
to go and choose a place where they should settle themselves, to plant
and live by themselves; and some provisions were given, 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 an habitation or plantation: it was a very
convenient place indeed, on the remotest part of the island, N.E. much
about the place where I providentially landed in my first voyage when I
was driven out to sea, the Lord alone knows whither, in my foolish
attempt to surround 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 growing already to the 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 dry goat-skins for beds and
covering, which were given them; and upon their 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, any thing they
wanted but 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; for indeed having all their
plantation to form, they had a great deal of work upon their hands; and
when they came to make boards, and pots, and such things, they were
quite out of their element, and could make nothing 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
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 but 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 villany 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 not 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 farther; 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 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 as they shewed not the least remorse for the
crime, but added new villanies to it, such as particularly that 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, no question, 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 murderous intent, or, to do justice to the
crime, 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.
But I leave observing, and return to the story: 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, 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 for their defence, they would go over to the main, and seek
their fortune, and so deliver them from the trouble of supplying them
with any other provisions.
The Spaniards were glad enough to be rid of them; but yet 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 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
importunately upon their demand, declaring that they would go, whether
they would give them any arms or no.
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 their fire-arms,
having not enough for themselves, yet they would let them have two
muskets, a pistol, and a cutlass, and each man a hatchet, which they
thought sufficient for them.
In a word, they accepted the offer, and having baked them bread enough
to serve them a month, and given them as much goat’s flesh as they could
eat while it was sweet, 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
miles broad.
The boat was indeed a large one, and would have very well carried
fifteen or twenty men, and therefore was rather too big for them to
manage; but as they had a fair breeze and the 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 enough; the Spaniards called after them, “Bon veajo;”
and no man ever thought of seeing them any more.
The Spaniards would often say to one another, and the two honest
Englishmen who remained behind, how quietly and comfortably they lived
now those three turbulent fellows were gone; as for their ever coming
again, that was the remotest thing from their thoughts could be
imagined; when, behold, after twenty-two days absence, one of the
Englishmen being abroad upon his planting work, sees three strange men
coming towards him at a distance, two of them with guns upon their
shoulders.
Away runs the Englishman, as if he was bewitched, and became frighted
and amazed, to the governor Spaniard, and tells him they were all
undone, for there were strangers landed upon the island, he could not
tell who. The Spaniard pausing a while, says to him, “How do you mean,
you cannot tell who? They are savages 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 harm.”
While they were debating thus, came 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 of that kind ceased. But now
the admiration was turned upon another question, viz. 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, viz. that they reached the land in two
days, or something less, 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 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 were courteous and friendly to them, and they gave them
several roots, and some dried fish, and appeared very sociable: and the
women, as well as the men, were very forward to supply them with any
thing they could get for them to eat, and brought it to them a great way
upon their heads.
They continued here 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, that they never ate men or women, except only
such as they took in the wars; and then they owned that they made a
great feast, and ate their prisoners.
The Englishmen inquired when they had a feast of that kind, and they
told them two moons ago, pointing to the moon, and then 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 to see 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 sun-rising 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 sea-port 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
offered them; and what to do with them they knew not; however, upon 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, they seemed extremely pleased with; and then tying the poor
creatures’ hands behind them, they (the people) 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 any thing;
nothing they could say to them, or give them, or do for them, but was
looked upon as going 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 them any thing to eat, it was the same thing; 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 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 given 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 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.