CHAPTER XVII. VISIT OF MUTINEERS

In a little time, however, no more canoes appearing, the fear of their

coming wore off; and I began to take my former thoughts of a voyage to

the main into consideration; being likewise assured by Friday’s father

that I might depend upon good usage from their nation, on his account,

if I would go. But my thoughts were a little suspended when I had a

serious discourse with the Spaniard, and when I understood that there

were sixteen more of his countrymen and Portuguese, who having been

cast away and made their escape to that side, lived there at peace,

indeed, with the savages, but were very sore put to it for necessaries,

and, indeed, for life. I asked him all the particulars of their voyage,

and found they were a Spanish ship, bound from the Rio de la Plata to

the Havanna, being directed to leave their loading there, which was

chiefly hides and silver, and to bring back what European goods they

could meet with there; that they had five Portuguese seamen on board,

whom they took out of another wreck; that five of their own men were

drowned when first the ship was lost, and that these escaped through

infinite dangers and hazards, and arrived, almost starved, on the

cannibal coast, where they expected to have been devoured every moment.

He told me they had some arms with them, but they were perfectly

useless, for that they had neither powder nor ball, the washing of the

sea having spoiled all their powder but a little, which they used at

their first landing to provide themselves with some food.

I asked him what he thought would become of them there, and if they had

formed any design of making their escape. He said they had many

consultations about it; but that having neither vessel nor tools to

build one, nor provisions of any kind, their councils always ended in

tears and despair. I asked him how he thought they would receive a

proposal from me, which might tend towards an escape; and whether, if

they were all here, it might not be done. I told him with freedom, I

feared mostly their treachery and ill-usage of me, if I put my life in

their hands; for that gratitude was no inherent virtue in the nature of

man, nor did men always square their dealings by the obligations they

had received so much as they did by the advantages they expected. I

told him it would be very hard that I should be made the instrument of

their deliverance, and that they should afterwards make me their

prisoner in New Spain, where an Englishman was certain to be made a

sacrifice, what necessity or what accident soever brought him thither;

and that I had rather be delivered up to the savages, and be devoured

alive, than fall into the merciless claws of the priests, and be

carried into the Inquisition. I added that, otherwise, I was persuaded,

if they were all here, we might, with so many hands, build a barque

large enough to carry us all away, either to the Brazils southward, or

to the islands or Spanish coast northward; but that if, in requital,

they should, when I had put weapons into their hands, carry me by force

among their own people, I might be ill-used for my kindness to them,

and make my case worse than it was before.

He answered, with a great deal of candour and ingenuousness, that their

condition was so miserable, and that they were so sensible of it, that

he believed they would abhor the thought of using any man unkindly that

should contribute to their deliverance; and that, if I pleased, he

would go to them with the old man, and discourse with them about it,

and return again and bring me their answer; that he would make

conditions with them upon their solemn oath, that they should be

absolutely under my direction as their commander and captain; and they

should swear upon the holy sacraments and gospel to be true to me, and

go to such Christian country as I should agree to, and no other; and to

be directed wholly and absolutely by my orders till they were landed

safely in such country as I intended, and that he would bring a

contract from them, under their hands, for that purpose. Then he told

me he would first swear to me himself that he would never stir from me

as long as he lived till I gave him orders; and that he would take my

side to the last drop of his blood, if there should happen the least

breach of faith among his countrymen. He told me they were all of them

very civil, honest men, and they were under the greatest distress

imaginable, having neither weapons nor clothes, nor any food, but at

the mercy and discretion of the savages; out of all hopes of ever

returning to their own country; and that he was sure, if I would

undertake their relief, they would live and die by me.

Upon these assurances, I resolved to venture to relieve them, if

possible, and to send the old savage and this Spaniard over to them to

treat. But when we had got all things in readiness to go, the Spaniard

himself started an objection, which had so much prudence in it on one

hand, and so much sincerity on the other hand, that I could not but be

very well satisfied in it; and, by his advice, put off the deliverance

of his comrades for at least half a year. The case was thus: he had

been with us now about a month, during which time I had let him see in

what manner I had provided, with the assistance of Providence, for my

support; and he saw evidently what stock of corn and rice I had laid

up; which, though it was more than sufficient for myself, yet it was

not sufficient, without good husbandry, for my family, now it was

increased to four; but much less would it be sufficient if his

countrymen, who were, as he said, sixteen, still alive, should come

over; and least of all would it be sufficient to victual our vessel, if

we should build one, for a voyage to any of the Christian colonies of

America; so he told me he thought it would be more advisable to let him

and the other two dig and cultivate some more land, as much as I could

spare seed to sow, and that we should wait another harvest, that we

might have a supply of corn for his countrymen, when they should come;

for want might be a temptation to them to disagree, or not to think

themselves delivered, otherwise than out of one difficulty into

another. “You know,” says he, “the children of Israel, though they

rejoiced at first for their being delivered out of Egypt, yet rebelled

even against God Himself, that delivered them, when they came to want

bread in the wilderness.”

His caution was so seasonable, and his advice so good, that I could not

but be very well pleased with his proposal, as well as I was satisfied

with his fidelity; so we fell to digging, all four of us, as well as

the wooden tools we were furnished with permitted; and in about a

month’s time, by the end of which it was seed-time, we had got as much

land cured and trimmed up as we sowed two-and-twenty bushels of barley

on, and sixteen jars of rice, which was, in short, all the seed we had

to spare: indeed, we left ourselves barely sufficient, for our own food

for the six months that we had to expect our crop; that is to say

reckoning from the time we set our seed aside for sowing; for it is not

to be supposed it is six months in the ground in that country.

Having now society enough, and our numbers being sufficient to put us

out of fear of the savages, if they had come, unless their number had

been very great, we went freely all over the island, whenever we found

occasion; and as we had our escape or deliverance upon our thoughts, it

was impossible, at least for me, to have the means of it out of mine.

For this purpose I marked out several trees, which I thought fit for

our work, and I set Friday and his father to cut them down; and then I

caused the Spaniard, to whom I imparted my thoughts on that affair, to

oversee and direct their work. I showed them with what indefatigable

pains I had hewed a large tree into single planks, and I caused them to

do the like, till they made about a dozen large planks, of good oak,

near two feet broad, thirty-five feet long, and from two inches to four

inches thick: what prodigious labour it took up any one may imagine.

At the same time I contrived to increase my little flock of tame goats

as much as I could; and for this purpose I made Friday and the Spaniard

go out one day, and myself with Friday the next day (for we took our

turns), and by this means we got about twenty young kids to breed up

with the rest; for whenever we shot the dam, we saved the kids, and

added them to our flock. But above all, the season for curing the

grapes coming on, I caused such a prodigious quantity to be hung up in

the sun, that, I believe, had we been at Alicant, where the raisins of

the sun are cured, we could have filled sixty or eighty barrels; and

these, with our bread, formed a great part of our food—very good living

too, I assure you, for they are exceedingly nourishing.

It was now harvest, and our crop in good order: it was not the most

plentiful increase I had seen in the island, but, however, it was

enough to answer our end; for from twenty-two bushels of barley we

brought in and thrashed out above two hundred and twenty bushels; and

the like in proportion of the rice; which was store enough for our food

to the next harvest, though all the sixteen Spaniards had been on shore

with me; or, if we had been ready for a voyage, it would very

plentifully have victualled our ship to have carried us to any part of

the world; that is to say, any part of America. When we had thus housed

and secured our magazine of corn, we fell to work to make more

wicker-ware, viz. great baskets, in which we kept it; and the Spaniard

was very handy and dexterous at this part, and often blamed me that I

did not make some things for defence of this kind of work; but I saw no

need of it.

And now, having a full supply of food for all the guests I expected, I

gave the Spaniard leave to go over to the main, to see what he could do

with those he had left behind him there. I gave him a strict charge not

to bring any man who would not first swear in the presence of himself

and the old savage that he would in no way injure, fight with, or

attack the person he should find in the island, who was so kind as to

send for them in order to their deliverance; but that they would stand

by him and defend him against all such attempts, and wherever they went

would be entirely under and subjected to his command; and that this

should be put in writing, and signed in their hands. How they were to

have done this, when I knew they had neither pen nor ink, was a

question which we never asked. Under these instructions, the Spaniard

and the old savage, the father of Friday, went away in one of the

canoes which they might be said to have come in, or rather were brought

in, when they came as prisoners to be devoured by the savages. I gave

each of them a musket, with a firelock on it, and about eight charges

of powder and ball, charging them to be very good husbands of both, and

not to use either of them but upon urgent occasions.

This was a cheerful work, being the first measures used by me in view

of my deliverance for now twenty-seven years and some days. I gave them

provisions of bread and of dried grapes, sufficient for themselves for

many days, and sufficient for all the Spaniards—for about eight days’

time; and wishing them a good voyage, I saw them go, agreeing with them

about a signal they should hang out at their return, by which I should

know them again when they came back, at a distance, before they came on

shore. They went away with a fair gale on the day that the moon was at

full, by my account in the month of October; but as for an exact

reckoning of days, after I had once lost it I could never recover it

again; nor had I kept even the number of years so punctually as to be

sure I was right; though, as it proved when I afterwards examined my

account, I found I had kept a true reckoning of years.

It was no less than eight days I had waited for them, when a strange

and unforeseen accident intervened, of which the like has not, perhaps,

been heard of in history. I was fast asleep in my hutch one morning,

when my man Friday came running in to me, and called aloud, “Master,

master, they are come, they are come!” I jumped up, and regardless of

danger I went, as soon as I could 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 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 bade him lie close, for these were not the people we

looked for, and that we might 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 anything, and to take my view the plainer without being

discovered. I had scarce set my foot upon the hill when my eye plainly

discovered a ship lying at anchor, at about two leagues and a half

distance from me, SSE., 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 that 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 in distress; and that if they were

really English 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 it from whence it will, I had been done inevitably, and in a far

worse condition than before, as you will see presently. I had not kept

myself long in this posture till 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 ran 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 at my

door, as I may say, and would soon have 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 prisoner as well as savage mans.”

“Why, Friday,” says I, “do you think they are going to eat them, then?”

“Yes,” says Friday, “they will eat them.” “No no,” says 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 the Spaniard, and the savage that

had gone with him, or that I had any way to have come undiscovered

within shot of them, that I might have secured the three men, for I saw

no firearms 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 run scattering about the

island, as if they wanted to see the country. I observed that the three

other men had liberty to go also 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 first 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

tide, 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 that 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

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 high-water when these people came on shore; and while

they rambled about to see what kind of a place they were in, they had

carelessly stayed 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 drunk a little too much

brandy, fell asleep; however, one of them waking a little sooner than

the other and finding the boat too fast aground for him to stir it,

hallooed out 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

forethought, 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 you? 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 very close, not

once daring to stir out of my castle any farther 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 knew it was no less than ten hours before the

boat could float again, and by that time it would be dark, and I might

be at more 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 have mentioned, a naked sword by my side, 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 they were all gone straggling into the woods, and, as I thought,

laid down to sleep. The three poor distressed men, too anxious for

their condition to get any sleep, had, however, sat 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 as 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 surprised at me; perhaps you may have a

friend near 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 to help you? for you seem to be in some great

distress. I saw you when you landed; and when you seemed to make

application 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 clothed,

and armed after another manner than you see me; 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, sir,” said he, “is too

long to tell you while our murderers are so near us; but, in short,

sir, I was commander of that ship—my men have mutinied against me; they

have been hardly prevailed on not to murder 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 these brutes, your enemies?” said I; “do you know where they are

gone?” “There they lie, 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

firearms?” said I. He answered, “They had only two pieces, one of 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 show 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 distinguish them, but he would obey my orders in anything

I would direct. “Well,” says I, “let us retreat out of their view or

hearing, lest 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 everything; and if the ship was not

recovered, he would live and die 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; first, that while you stay in this

island with me, you will not pretend to any authority here; and if I

put arms in 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

meantime be governed by my orders; secondly, 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 assurances that the invention or faith of 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 showed all the testimonies of his gratitude that he was able,

but offered to be wholly guided by me. I told him I thought it was very

hard venturing anything; but the best method I could think of was to

fire on 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,” says 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 heads of the mutiny? He said, “No.” “Well, then,” said I, “you

may let them escape; and Providence seems to have awakened them on

purpose to save themselves. Now,” says 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 a pistol in his belt, and his two comrades with him,

with each 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 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 villainy, 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 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 an 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 that I obliged him to keep them bound hand and foot while

they were on 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 sails, 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 the captain, who was before 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 apartment, 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 showed them all the contrivances I had made during my long, long

inhabiting that place.

All I showed 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 been now

planted nearly twenty years, and the trees growing much faster than in

England, was become a little wood, 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. I told him this 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 show 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 measures 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 subdued they would 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 on what he had said, and found it was a very

rational conclusion, and that therefore something was to be resolved on

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 look for them, and

that then, perhaps, they might come armed, and be too strong for us:

this he allowed to be 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 everything out of her, leave

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, a 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 away before), 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 able to recover the ship; but my view was,

that if they went away without the boat, I did not much question to

make her again fit to carry us to the Leeward Islands, and call upon

our friends the Spaniards in my way, for I had them still in my

thoughts.