Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
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
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 *** 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
*** 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 *** 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 ***, 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 ***, 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 *** 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 *** 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
*** 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 of, 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 as to the Leeward
Islands, and call upon our friends the Spaniards in my way, for I had them still
in my thoughts.