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第6章 绝境之战（二）

ilies resided, andparticularly the missionary priests, who usually went thither inorder to their going forward to China.

　　My nephew was ready to sail about the beginning of January 1694-5;and I, with my man Friday, went on board, in the Downs, the 8th;having, besides that sloop which I mentioned above, a veryconsiderable cargo of all kinds of necessary things for my colony,which, if I did not find in good condition, I resolved to leave so.

　　As they expected it fell out; three of the routed army fled forlife, and crossing the creek, ran directly into the place, not inthe least knowing whither they went, but running as into a thickwood for shelter. The scout they kept to look abroad gave noticeof this within, with this comforting addition, that the conquerorshad not pursued them, or seen which way they were gone; upon thisthe Spanish governor, a man of humanity, would not suffer them tokill the three fugitives, but sending three men out by the top ofthe hill, ordered them to go round, come in behind them, andsurprise and take them prisoners, which was done. The residue ofthe conquered people fled to their canoes, and got off to sea; thevictors retired, made no pursuit, or very little, but drawingthemselves into a body together, gave two great screaming shouts,most likely by way of triumph, and so the fight ended; the sameday, about three o'clock in the afternoon, they also marched totheir canoes. And thus the Spaniards had the island again fr

　　I had nothing to do but to acquiesce, and make professions to himof my having no end in it but a sincere desire to serve him. Heembraced me very passionately, and assured me he was sensible ofthat, and should always acknowledge it; and with that he offered mea very fine present of sables - too much, indeed, for me to acceptfrom a man in his circumstances, and I would have avoided them, buthe would not be refused. The next morning I sent my servant to hislordship with a small present of tea, and two pieces of Chinadamask, and four little wedges of Japan gold, which did not allweigh above six ounces or thereabouts, but were far short of thevalue of his sables, which, when I came to England, I found worthnear two hundred pounds. He accepted the tea, and one piece of thedamask, and one of the pieces of gold, which had a fine stamp uponit, of the Japan coinage, which I found he took for the rarity ofit, but would not take any more: and he sent word by my servantthat he desired to speak with me.

illed by anarrow, which struck him on the side of his head, just under thetemple, so that he never spoke more; and it was very remarkablethat this was the same barbarous fellow that cut the poor savageslave with his hatchet, and who afterwards intended to havemurdered the Spaniards.

　　As I therefore kept the mate, whom we then called captain, on boardwith his men, to refresh them, so I also forgot not the starvingcrew that were left on board, but ordered my own boat to go onboard the ship, and, with my mate and twelve men, to carry them asack of bread, and four or five pieces of beef to boil. Oursurgeon charged the men to cause the meat to be boiled while theystayed, and to keep guard in the cook-room, to prevent the mentaking it to eat raw, or taking it out of the pot before it waswell boiled, and then to give every man but a very little at atime: and by this caution he preserved the men, who wouldotherwise have killed themselves with that very food that was giventhem on purpose to save their lives.

　　But my frequent preaching to them on this subject had worseconsequences than I expected; and the boatswain, who had been thehead of the attempt, came up boldly to me one time, and told me hefound that I brought that affair continually upon the stage; that Imade unjust reflections upon it, and had used the men very ill onthat account, and himself in particular; that as I was but apassenger, and had no command in the ship, or concern in thevoyage, they were not obliged to bear it; that they did not knowbut I might have some ill-design in my head, and perhaps to callthem to an account for it when they came to England; and that,therefore, unless I would resolve to have done with it, and alsonot to concern myself any further with him, or any of his affairs,he would leave the ship; for he did not think it safe to sail withme among them.

　　It is true, the wives of the three were very handy and cleanlywithin doors; and having learned the English ways of dressing, andcooking from one of the other Englishmen, who, as I said, was acook's mate on board the ship, they dressed their husbands'victuals very nicely and well; whereas the others could not bebrought to understand it; but then the husband, who, as I say, hadbeen cook's mate, did it himself. But as for the husbands of thethree wives, they loitered about, fetched turtles' eggs, and caughtfish and birds: in a word, anything but labour; and they faredaccordingly. The diligent lived well and comfortably, and theslothful hard and beggarly; and so, I believe, generally speaking,it is all over the world.

　　After this the colony enjoyed a perfect tranquillity with respectto the savages, till I came to revisit them, which was about twoyears after; not but that, now and then, some canoes of savagescame on shore for their triumphal, unnatural feasts; but as theywere of several nations, and perhaps had never heard of those thatcame before, or the reason of it, they did not make any search orinquiry after their countrymen; and if they had, it would have beenvery hard to have found them out.