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10 - The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

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Speaker 1: Chapter nine, Dreadful Occurrences in Madagascar. I had no more
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Speaker 1: business to go to the East Indies than a man
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Speaker 1: at full liberty has to go to the turnkey at
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Speaker 1: Newgate and desire him to lock him up among the
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Speaker 1: prisoners there and starve him. Had I taken a small
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Speaker 1: vessel from England and gone directly to the island. Had
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Speaker 1: I loaded her as I did the other vessel, with
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Speaker 1: all the necessaries for the plantation and for my people,
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Speaker 1: taken a patent from the government here to have secured
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Speaker 1: my property in subjection only to that of England. Had
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Speaker 1: I carried over cannon and ammunition, servants, and people to plant,
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Speaker 1: and taken possession of the place, fortified and strengthened it
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Speaker 1: in the name of England, and increased it with people,
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Speaker 1: as I might easily have done. Had I then settled
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Speaker 1: myself there and sent the ship back laden with good rice,
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Speaker 1: as I might also have done in six months time,
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Speaker 1: and ordered my friends to have fitted her out again
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Speaker 1: for our supply. Had I done this and stayed there myself,
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Speaker 1: I had at least acted like a man of common sense.
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Speaker 1: But I was possessed of a wandering spirit and scorned
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Speaker 1: all advantages. I pleased myself with being the patron of
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Speaker 1: the people I placed there, and doing for them in
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Speaker 1: a kind of haughty majestic way, like an old patriarchal monarch,
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Speaker 1: providing for them as if I had been father of
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Speaker 1: the whole family, as well as of the plantation. But
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Speaker 1: I never so much as pretended to plant in the
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Speaker 1: name of any government or nation, or to acknowledge any prince,
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Speaker 1: or to call my people's subjects to any one nation
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Speaker 1: more than another. Nay, I never so much as gave
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Speaker 1: the place a name, but left it as I found it,
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Speaker 1: belonging to nobody, and the people under no discipline or
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Speaker 1: government but my own, who, though I had influence over
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Speaker 1: them as a father and benefactor, had no authority or
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Speaker 1: power to act or command one way or other further
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Speaker 1: than voluntary consent moved them to comply. Yet even this,
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Speaker 1: had I stayed there, would have done well enough. But
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Speaker 1: as I rambled from them and came there no more,
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Speaker 1: the last letters I had from any of them were
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Speaker 1: by my partner's means, who afterwards sent another sloop to
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Speaker 1: the place, and who sent me word, though I had
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Speaker 1: not the letter till I got to London. Several years after,
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Speaker 1: it was written that they went on but poorly were
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Speaker 1: discontented with their long stay there, that will Atkins was dead,
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Speaker 1: that five of the Spaniards were come away, and though
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Speaker 1: they had not been much molested by the savages, yet
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Speaker 1: they had had some skirmishes with them, and that they
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Speaker 1: begged of him to write to me. To think of
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Speaker 1: the promise I had made to fetch them away, that
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Speaker 1: they might see their country again before they died. But
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Speaker 1: I was gone a wild goose chase, indeed, And they
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Speaker 1: that will have any more of me must be content
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Speaker 1: to follow me into a new variety of follies, hardships,
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Speaker 1: and wild adventures, wherein the justice of Providence may be
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Speaker 1: duly observed, and we may see how easily Heaven can
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Speaker 1: gorge us with our own desires, make the strongest of
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Speaker 1: our wishes be our affliction, and punish us most severely
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Speaker 1: with those things which we think it would be our
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Speaker 1: utmost happiness to be allowed to possess. Whether I had
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Speaker 1: business or no business, away I went. It is no
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Speaker 1: time now to enlarge upon the reason or absurdity of
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Speaker 1: my own conduct, but to come to the history. I
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Speaker 1: was embarked for the voyage and the voyage I went.
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Speaker 1: I shall only add a word or two concerning my
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Speaker 1: honest Popish clergyman, for let their opinion of us and
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Speaker 1: all other heretics in general, as they call us, be
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Speaker 1: as uncharitable as it may. I verily believe this man
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Speaker 1: was very sincere and wished the good of all men.
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Speaker 1: Yet I believe he used reserve in many of his
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Speaker 1: expressions to prevent giving me offense. For I scarce heard
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Speaker 1: him once call on the Blessed Virgin, or mention Saint
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Speaker 1: Iago or his guardian Angel, although so common with the
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Speaker 1: rest of them. However, I say I had not the
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Speaker 1: least doubt of his sincerity and pious intentions. And I
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Speaker 1: am firmly of opinion if the rest of the Popish
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Speaker 1: missionaries were like him, they would strive to visit even
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Speaker 1: the poor Tartars and Laplanders, where they have nothing to
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Speaker 1: give them, as well as covet to flock to India, Persia, China,
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Speaker 1: et cetera, the most wealthy of the Heathen countries. For
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Speaker 1: if they expected to bring no gains to their church
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Speaker 1: by it, it may well be admired how they came
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Speaker 1: to admit the Chinese Confucius into the Calendar of the
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Speaker 1: Christian Saints. A ship being ready to sail for Lisbon,
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Speaker 1: my pious priest asked me leave to go thither, Being still,
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Speaker 1: as he observed, bound never to finish any voyage, he began,
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Speaker 1: how happy it had been for me if I had
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Speaker 1: gone with him, But it was too late. Now. All
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Speaker 1: things Heaven appoints for the best. Had I gone with him,
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Speaker 1: I had never had so many things to be thankful for.
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Speaker 1: And the reader had never heard of the second part
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Speaker 1: of the Travels and a Day Ventures of Robinson Crusoe.
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Speaker 1: So I must here leave, exclaiming at myself, and go
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Speaker 1: on with my voyage. From the Brazils. We made directly
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Speaker 1: over the Atlantic Sea to the Cape of Good Hope,
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Speaker 1: and had a tolerably good voyage, our course generally southeast
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Speaker 1: now and then a storm and some contrary winds. But
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Speaker 1: my disasters at sea were at an end. My future
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Speaker 1: rubs and cross events were to befall me on shore,
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Speaker 1: that it might appear the land was as well prepared
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Speaker 1: to be our scourge as the sea. Her ship was
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Speaker 1: on a trading voyage and had a super cargo on board,
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Speaker 1: who was to direct all her motions after she arrived
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Speaker 1: at the Cape, only being limited to a certain number
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Speaker 1: of days for stay by charter party at the several
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Speaker 1: ports she was to go. This was none of my business,
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Speaker 1: neither did I meddle with it. My nephew, the captain,
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Speaker 1: and the supercargo adjusting all those things between them as
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Speaker 1: they thought fit. We stayed at the Cape no longer
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Speaker 1: than was needful to take in fresh water, but made
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Speaker 1: the best of our way for the coast of Coromandel.
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Speaker 1: We were indeed informed that a french Man of war
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Speaker 1: of fifty guns and two large merchant ships were gone
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Speaker 1: for the Indies, and as I knew we were at
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Speaker 1: war with France, I had some apprehensions of them, but
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Speaker 1: they went their own way and we heard no more
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Speaker 1: of them. I shall not pester the reader with a
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Speaker 1: tedious description of places, journals of our voyage, variations of
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Speaker 1: the compass, latitudes, trade winds, et cetera. It is enough
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Speaker 1: to name the ports and places which we touched at,
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Speaker 1: and what occurred to us upon our passages from one
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Speaker 1: to another. We touched first at the island of Madagascar,
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Speaker 1: where though the people are fierce and treacherous and very
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Speaker 1: well armed with lances and bows, which they used with
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Speaker 1: inconceivable dexterity. Yet we fared very well with them, awhile
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Speaker 1: they treated us very civilly, and for some trifles which
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Speaker 1: we gave them, such as knives, scissors, et cetera, they
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Speaker 1: brought us eleven good fat bullocks of a middling size,
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Speaker 1: which we took in partly for fresh provisions for our
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Speaker 1: present spending, and the rest to salt for the ship's use.
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Speaker 1: We were obliged to stay here some time after we
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Speaker 1: had furnished ourselves with provisions, and I, who was always
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Speaker 1: too curious to look into every nook of the world
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Speaker 1: wherever I came, went on shore as often as I could.
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Speaker 1: It was on the east side of the island that
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Speaker 1: we went on shore one evening, and the people, who
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Speaker 1: by the way, are very numerous, came thronging about us
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Speaker 1: and stood gazing at us at a distance. As we
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Speaker 1: had traded freely with them and had been kindly used,
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Speaker 1: we thought ourselves in no danger. But when we saw
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Speaker 1: the people, we cut three boughs out of a tree
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Speaker 1: and stuck them up at a distance from us, which
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Speaker 1: it seems is a mark in that country. Not only
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Speaker 1: of a truce and friendship. But when it is accepted,
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Speaker 1: the other side set up three poles or boughs, which
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Speaker 1: is a signal that they accept the truce too. But
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Speaker 1: then this is a known condition of the truce, that
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Speaker 1: you are not to pass beyond their three poles towards them,
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Speaker 1: nor they to come past your three poles or bows
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Speaker 1: towards you, so that you are perfectly secure within the
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Speaker 1: three poles, and all the space between your poles and
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Speaker 1: theirs is allowed like a market for free converse traffic
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Speaker 1: and commerce. When you go there, you must not carry
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Speaker 1: your weapons with you. And if they come into that space,
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Speaker 1: they stick up their javelins and lances all at the
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Speaker 1: first poles and come on unarmed. But if any violence
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Speaker 1: is offered them, and the truce thereby broken away, they
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Speaker 1: run to the poles and lay hold of their weapons,
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Speaker 1: and the truce is at an end. It happened one
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Speaker 1: evening when we went on shore, that a greater number
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Speaker 1: of their people came down than usual, but all very
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Speaker 1: friendly and civil, and they brought several kinds of provisions,
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Speaker 1: for which we satisfied them with such toys as we had.
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Speaker 1: The women also brought us milk and roots and several
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Speaker 1: things very acceptable to us, and all as quiet, and
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Speaker 1: we made us a little tent or hut of some
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Speaker 1: boughs or trees, and lay on shore all night. I
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Speaker 1: know not what was the occasion, but I was not
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Speaker 1: so well satisfied as to lie on shore as the rest,
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Speaker 1: and the boat riding at an anchor at about a
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Speaker 1: stone's cast from the land, with two men in her
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Speaker 1: to take care of her. I made one of them
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Speaker 1: come on shore, and getting some boughs of trees to
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Speaker 1: cover us. Also in the boat, I spread the sail
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Speaker 1: on the bottom of the boat and lay under the
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Speaker 1: cover of the branches of the trees all night in
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Speaker 1: the boat. About two o'clock in the morning, we heard
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Speaker 1: one of our men making a terrible noise on the shore,
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Speaker 1: calling out for God's sake to bring the boat in
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Speaker 1: and come and help them, for they were all like
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Speaker 1: to be murdered. And at the same time I heard
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Speaker 1: the fire of five muskets, which was the number of
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Speaker 1: guns they had, and that three times over. For it
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Speaker 1: seems the natives here were not so easily frightened with
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Speaker 1: guns as the savages were in America, where I had
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Speaker 1: to do with them. All this while I knew not
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Speaker 1: what was the matter, but rousing immediately from sleep with
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Speaker 1: the noise, I caused the boat to be thrust in
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Speaker 1: and resolved with three fusees we had on board to
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Speaker 1: land and assist our men. We got the boat soon
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Speaker 1: to the shore, but our men were in too much
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Speaker 1: haste for being come to the shore. They plunged into
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Speaker 1: the water to get to the boat, with all the
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Speaker 1: expedition they could, being pursued by between three and four
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Speaker 1: hundred men, our men were but nine in all, and
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Speaker 1: only five of them had fusies with them. The rest
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Speaker 1: had pistols and swords, indeed, but they were of small
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Speaker 1: use to them. We took up seven of our men,
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Speaker 1: and with difficulty enough too, three of them being very
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Speaker 1: ill wounded. And that which was still worse was that
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Speaker 1: while we stood in the boat to take our men in,
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Speaker 1: we were in as much danger as they were in
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Speaker 1: on shore, for they poured their arrows in upon us,
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Speaker 1: so thick that we were glad to barricade the side
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Speaker 1: of the boat up with the benches and two or
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Speaker 1: three loose boards, which, to our great satisfaction, we had
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Speaker 1: by mere accident in the boat. And yet had it
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Speaker 1: been daylight, they are, it seems such exact marksmen, that
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Speaker 1: if they could have seen but the least part of
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Speaker 1: any of us, they would have been sure of us.
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Speaker 1: We had, by the light of the moon, a little
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Speaker 1: sight of them, as they stood pelting us from the
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Speaker 1: shore with darts and arrows, and having got ready our firearms,
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Speaker 1: we gave them a volley that we could hear by
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Speaker 1: the cries of some of them, had wounded several. However,
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Speaker 1: they stood thus in battle array on the shore till
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Speaker 1: break of day, which we supposed was that they might
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Speaker 1: see the better to take their aim at us. In
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Speaker 1: this condition, we lay and could not tell how to
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Speaker 1: weigh our anchor or set up our sail, because we
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Speaker 1: must needs stand up in the boat, and they were
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Speaker 1: as sure to hit us as we were to hit
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Speaker 1: a bird in a tree with small shot. We made
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Speaker 1: signals of distress to the ship, and though she rowed
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Speaker 1: a league off, yet my nephew, the captain, hearing our
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Speaker 1: firing and by glasses perceiving the posture we lay in
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Speaker 1: and that we fired towards the shore, pretty well understood us,
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Speaker 1: and weighing anchor with all speed, he stood as near
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Speaker 1: the shore as he durst with the ship, and then
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Speaker 1: sent another boat with ten hands in her to assist us.
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Speaker 1: We called to them not to come too near, telling
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Speaker 1: them what condition we were in. However, they stood in
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Speaker 1: near to us, and one of the men, taking the
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Speaker 1: end of a tow line in his hand, and keeping
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Speaker 1: our boat between him and the enemy so that they
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Speaker 1: could not perfectly see him, swam on board us and
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Speaker 1: made fast the line to the boat, upon which we
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Speaker 1: slipped out a little cable, and leaving our anchor behind,
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Speaker 1: they towed us out of reach of the arrows, we
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Speaker 1: all the while lying close behind the barricade we had made.
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Speaker 1: As soon as we were got from between the ship
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Speaker 1: and the shore that we could lay her side to
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Speaker 1: the shore, she ran along just by them, and poured
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Speaker 1: in a broadside among them, loaded with pieces of iron
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Speaker 1: and lead, small bullets, and such stuff, besides the great shot,
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Speaker 1: which made a terrible havocumong them. When we were got
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Speaker 1: on board and out of danger, we had time to
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Speaker 1: examine into the occasion of this fray, And indeed our supercargo,
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Speaker 1: who had been often in those parts, put me upon it,
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Speaker 1: for he said he was sure the inhabitants would not
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Speaker 1: have touched us after we had made a truce, if
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Speaker 1: we had not done something to provoke them to it.
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Speaker 1: At length, it came out that an old woman who
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Speaker 1: had come to sell us some milk, had brought it
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Speaker 1: within our poles, and a young woman with her, who
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Speaker 1: also brought us some roots or herbs. And while the
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Speaker 1: old woman, whether she was mother to the young woman
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Speaker 1: or no, they could not tell, was selling us the milk,
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Speaker 1: one of our men offered some rudeness to the girl
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Speaker 1: that was with her, at which the old woman made
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Speaker 1: a great noise. However, the seamen would not quit his prize,
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Speaker 1: but carried her out of the old woman's sight among
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Speaker 1: the trees, it being almost dark. The old woman went
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Speaker 1: away without her, and, as we may suppose, made an
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Speaker 1: outcry among the people she came from, who, upon notice,
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Speaker 1: raised that great army upon us. In three or four hours,
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Speaker 1: and it was great odds, but we had all been destroyed.
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Speaker 1: One of our men was killed with a lance thrown
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Speaker 1: at him just at the beginning of the attack, as
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Speaker 1: he sallied out of the tent they had made. The
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Speaker 1: rest came off free, all but the fellow who was
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Speaker 1: the occasion of all the mischief, who paid dear enough
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Speaker 1: for his brutality, For we could not hear what became
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Speaker 1: of him for a great while. We lay upon the shore.
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Speaker 1: Two days after though the wind presented and made signals
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Speaker 1: for him, and made our boats sail up shore and
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Speaker 1: down shore several leagues, but in vain. So we were
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Speaker 1: obliged to give him over, and if he alone had
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Speaker 1: suffered for it, the loss had been less. I could
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Speaker 1: not satisfy myself, however, without venturing on shore once more
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Speaker 1: to try if I could learn anything of him or them.
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Speaker 1: It was the third night after the action that I
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Speaker 1: had a great mind to learn, if I could by
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Speaker 1: any means, what mischief we had done, and how the
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Speaker 1: game stood on the Indian's side. It was careful to
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Speaker 1: do it in the dark, lest we should be attacked again.
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Speaker 1: But I ought, indeed to have been sure that the
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Speaker 1: men I went with had been under my command before
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Speaker 1: I engaged in a thing so hazardous and mischievous as
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Speaker 1: I was brought into by it. Without design. We took
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Speaker 1: twenty as stout fellows with us, as any in the
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Speaker 1: ship besides the supercargo and myself, and we landed two
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Speaker 1: hours before midnight at the same place where the Indians stood.
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Speaker 1: Drawn up in the evening before I landed here because
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Speaker 1: my design, as I have said, was chiefly to see
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Speaker 1: if they had quitted the field, and if they had
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Speaker 1: left any marks behind them of the mischief we had
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Speaker 1: done them, And I thought if we could surprise one
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Speaker 1: or two of them, perhaps we might get our men
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Speaker 1: again by way of exchange. We landed without any noise
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Speaker 1: and divided our men into two bodies, whereof the Bo'sun
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Speaker 1: commanded one and I the other. We neither saw nor
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Speaker 1: heard anybody stir when we landed, and we marched up
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Speaker 1: one body at a distance from another to the place.
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Speaker 1: At first we could see nothing, it being very dark,
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Speaker 1: till by and by our Bosun, who led the first party,
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Speaker 1: stumbled and fell over a dead body. This made them
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Speaker 1: halt a while, for, knowing by the circumstances that they
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Speaker 1: were at the place where the Indians had stood, they
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Speaker 1: waited for my coming up there. We concluded to halt
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Speaker 1: till the moon began to rise, which we knew would
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Speaker 1: be in less than an hour, when we could easily
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Speaker 1: discern the havoc we had made among them. We told
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Speaker 1: thirty two bodies upon the ground, whereof two were not
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Speaker 1: quite dead. Some had an arm and some a leg
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Speaker 1: shot off and won his head. Those that were wounded,
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Speaker 1: we supposed they had carried away when we had made
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Speaker 1: as I thought, a full discovery of all we could
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Speaker 1: come to the knowledge of. I resolved on going on board.
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Speaker 1: But the Bosun and his party sent me word that
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Speaker 1: they were resolved to make a visit to the Indian
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Speaker 1: town where these dogs, as they called them, dwelt, and
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Speaker 1: asked me to go along with them, and if they
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Speaker 1: could find them, as they fancied they should. They did
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Speaker 1: not doubt of getting a good booty, and it might
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Speaker 1: be they might find Tom Jeffrey there. That was the
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Speaker 1: man's name we had lost. Had they sent to ask
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Speaker 1: my leave to go, I knew well enough what answer
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Speaker 1: to have given them, for I should have commanded them
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Speaker 1: instantly on board, knowing it was not a hazard fit
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Speaker 1: for us to run, who had a ship and shiploading
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Speaker 1: in our charge, and a voyage to make which depended
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Speaker 1: very much upon the lives of the men. But as
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Speaker 1: they sent me word they were resolved to go, and
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Speaker 1: only asked me and my company to go along with them.
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Speaker 1: I positively refused it and rose up, for I was
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Speaker 1: sitting on the ground in order to go to the boat.
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Speaker 1: One or two of the men began to importune me
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Speaker 1: to go, and when I refused, began to grumble and
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Speaker 1: say they were not under my command, and they would go. Come,
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Speaker 1: Jack says one of the men, will you go with me?
17:48
Speaker 1: I'll go for one Jack said he would, and then another,
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Speaker 1: and in a word, they all left me but one,
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Speaker 1: whom I persuaded to stay, and a boy left in
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Speaker 1: the boat. So the supercargo and I with the third man,
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Speaker 1: went back to the boat, where we told them we
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Speaker 1: would stay for them and take care to take in
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Speaker 1: as many of them as should be left, for I
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Speaker 1: told them it was a mad thing they were going about,
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Speaker 1: and supposed most of them would have the fate of
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Speaker 1: Tom Jeffrey. They told me, like seamen, they would warrant it,
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Speaker 1: they would come off again, and they would take care,
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Speaker 1: et cetera. So away they went. I entreated them to
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Speaker 1: consider the ship and the voyage, that their lives were
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Speaker 1: not their own, and that they were entrusted with the
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Speaker 1: voyage in some measure, that if they miscarried, the ship
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Speaker 1: might be lost for want of their help, and that
18:36
Speaker 1: they could not answer for it to God or man.
18:39
Speaker 1: But I might as well have talked to the mainmast
18:41
Speaker 1: of the ship. They were mad upon their journey. Only
18:44
Speaker 1: they gave me good words and begged I would not
18:46
Speaker 1: be angry. That they did not doubt, but they would
18:49
Speaker 1: be back again in about an hour at furthest for
18:52
Speaker 1: the Indian town, they said, was not above half a
18:54
Speaker 1: mile off, though they found it above two miles before
18:58
Speaker 1: they got to it. Well, they all went away, And
19:01
Speaker 1: though the attempt was desperate, and such as none but
19:04
Speaker 1: madmen would have gone about, yet to give them their due,
19:07
Speaker 1: they went about it as warily as boldly. They were
19:10
Speaker 1: gallantly armed, for they had every man a fusey or musket,
19:14
Speaker 1: a bayonet, and a pistol. Some of them had broad cutlasses,
19:18
Speaker 1: some of them had hangers and the bosun, and two
19:21
Speaker 1: more had pole axes. Besides all which they had among
19:24
Speaker 1: them thirteen hand grenados, bolder fellows, and better provided. Never
19:29
Speaker 1: went about any wicked work in the world. When they
19:32
Speaker 1: went out. Their chief design was plunder, and they were
19:35
Speaker 1: in mighty hopes of finding gold there but a circumstance
19:38
Speaker 1: which none of them were aware of set them on
19:40
Speaker 1: fire with revenge, and made devils of them all. When
19:45
Speaker 1: they came to the few Indian houses which they thought
19:47
Speaker 1: had been the town, which was not above half a
19:50
Speaker 1: mile off, they were under great disappointment, for there were
19:53
Speaker 1: not above twelve or thirteen houses, and where the town was,
19:57
Speaker 1: or how big they knew not. They consuled therefore what
20:01
Speaker 1: to do, and were some time before they could resolve.
20:04
Speaker 1: For if they fell upon these they must cut all
20:07
Speaker 1: their throats, and it was ten to one, but some
20:09
Speaker 1: of them might escape, it being in the night, though
20:12
Speaker 1: the moon was up, and if one escaped, he would
20:15
Speaker 1: run and raise all the town, so they should have
20:17
Speaker 1: a whole army upon them. On the other hand, if
20:20
Speaker 1: they went away and left those untouched, for the people
20:23
Speaker 1: were all asleep, they could not tell which way to
20:26
Speaker 1: look for the town. However, the last was the best advice,
20:30
Speaker 1: so they resolved to leave them and look for the
20:33
Speaker 1: town as well as they could. They went on a
20:35
Speaker 1: little way and found a cow tied to a tree. This,
20:39
Speaker 1: they presently concluded would be a good guide to them,
20:42
Speaker 1: for they said the cow certainly belonged to the town
20:45
Speaker 1: before them or the town behind them, and if they
20:48
Speaker 1: untied her, they should see which way she went. If
20:51
Speaker 1: she went back, they had nothing to say to her.
20:53
Speaker 1: But if she went forward, they would follow her. So
20:56
Speaker 1: they cut the cord, which was made of twisted flags,
20:59
Speaker 1: and the cow went on before them directly to the town, which,
21:03
Speaker 1: as they reported, consisted of above two hundred houses or huts,
21:07
Speaker 1: and in some of these they found several families living together.
21:11
Speaker 1: Here they found all in silence, as profoundly secure as
21:15
Speaker 1: sleep could make them. And first they called another council
21:18
Speaker 1: to consider what they had to do, and presently resolved
21:22
Speaker 1: to divide themselves into three bodies, and so set three
21:25
Speaker 1: houses on fire in three parts of the town. And
21:28
Speaker 1: as the men came out to seize them and bind them,
21:31
Speaker 1: if any resisted, they need not be asked what to
21:34
Speaker 1: do then, and so to search the rest of the
21:36
Speaker 1: houses for plunder. But they resolved to march silently first
21:40
Speaker 1: through the town and see what dimensions it was of,
21:43
Speaker 1: and if they might venture upon it or know they
21:47
Speaker 1: did so, and desperately resolved that they would venture upon them.
21:51
Speaker 1: But while they were animating one another to the work,
21:54
Speaker 1: three of them, who were a little before the rest,
21:56
Speaker 1: called out aloud to them and told them that they
21:59
Speaker 1: had found Tom Jeffrey. They all ran up to the
22:02
Speaker 1: place where they found the poor fellow hanging up, naked
22:05
Speaker 1: by one arm and his throat cut. There was an
22:09
Speaker 1: Indian house just by the tree, where they found sixteen
22:12
Speaker 1: or seventeen of the principal Indians who had been concerned
22:15
Speaker 1: in the fray with us before, and two or three
22:18
Speaker 1: of them wounded with our shot. And our men found
22:21
Speaker 1: they were awake and talking one to another in that house,
22:24
Speaker 1: but knew not their number. The sight of their poor
22:28
Speaker 1: mangled comrade so enraged them as before that they swore
22:32
Speaker 1: to one another that they would be revenged, and that
22:35
Speaker 1: not an Indian that came into their hands should have
22:37
Speaker 1: any quarter. And to work they went immediately, and yet
22:41
Speaker 1: not so madly as might be expected from the rage
22:44
Speaker 1: and fury they were in. Their first care was to
22:46
Speaker 1: get something that would soon take fire, but after a
22:49
Speaker 1: little search they found that would be to no purpose,
22:52
Speaker 1: for most of the houses were low and thatched with
22:55
Speaker 1: flags and rushes of which the country is full. So
22:59
Speaker 1: they presently made some wild fire, as we call it,
23:02
Speaker 1: by wetting a little powder in the palm of their hands,
23:05
Speaker 1: and in a quarter of an hour, they set the
23:07
Speaker 1: town on fire in four or five places, and particularly
23:11
Speaker 1: that house where the Indians were not gone to bed.
23:14
Speaker 1: As soon as the fire began to blaze, the poor,
23:17
Speaker 1: frightened creatures began to rush out to save their lives,
23:20
Speaker 1: but met with their fate in the attempt, and especially
23:23
Speaker 1: at the door, where they drove them back. The Boson
23:26
Speaker 1: himself killing one or two with his pole axe. The
23:29
Speaker 1: house being large and many in it, he did not
23:32
Speaker 1: care to go in, but called for a hand granado
23:35
Speaker 1: and threw it in among them, which at first frightened them,
23:39
Speaker 1: but when it burst, made such havoc among them that
23:41
Speaker 1: they cried out in a hideous manner. In short, most
23:45
Speaker 1: of the Indians who were in the open part of
23:47
Speaker 1: the house were killed or hurt with the granado, except
23:51
Speaker 1: two or three more who pressed to the door, which
23:53
Speaker 1: the Boson and two more kept with their bayonets on
23:56
Speaker 1: the muzzles of their pieces, and despatched all that came
23:59
Speaker 1: in their way. But there was another apartment in the
24:02
Speaker 1: house where the prince or king or whatever he was,
24:06
Speaker 1: and several others were, and these were kept in till
24:09
Speaker 1: the house which was by this time, all in a
24:11
Speaker 1: light flame fell in upon them, and they were smothered together.
24:17
Speaker 1: All this while they fired not a gun, because they
24:19
Speaker 1: would not waken the people faster than they could master them.
24:23
Speaker 1: But the fire began to waken them fast enough, and
24:26
Speaker 1: our fellows were glad to keep a little together in bodies,
24:29
Speaker 1: for the fire grew so raging, all the houses being
24:32
Speaker 1: made of light combustible stuff, that they could hardly bear
24:35
Speaker 1: the street between them. Their business was to follow the
24:38
Speaker 1: fire for the shorer execution, as fast as the fire
24:42
Speaker 1: either forced the people out of those houses which were
24:44
Speaker 1: burning or frightened them out of others. Our people were
24:47
Speaker 1: ready at their doors to knock them on the head,
24:50
Speaker 1: still calling and hallooing one to another to remember Tom Jeffrey.
24:55
Speaker 1: While this was doing, I must confess I was very uneasy,
24:58
Speaker 1: and especially when I saw the flames of the town,
25:01
Speaker 1: which it being night, seemed to be close by me.
25:04
Speaker 1: My nephew, the captain, who was roused by his men
25:07
Speaker 1: seeing such a fire, was very uneasy, not knowing what
25:11
Speaker 1: the matter was or what danger I was in, especially
25:14
Speaker 1: hearing the guns too, for by this time they began
25:17
Speaker 1: to use their fire arms. A thousand thoughts oppressed his
25:20
Speaker 1: mind concerning me and the supercargo, what would become of us?
25:25
Speaker 1: And at last, though he could ill spare any more men,
25:28
Speaker 1: yet not knowing what exigence we might be in, he
25:31
Speaker 1: took another boat and with thirteen men and himself came
25:34
Speaker 1: ashore to me. He was surprised to see me and
25:38
Speaker 1: the supercargo in the boat with no more than two men,
25:41
Speaker 1: and though he was glad that we were well, yet
25:43
Speaker 1: he was in the same impatience with us to know
25:46
Speaker 1: what was doing, For the noise continued and the flame increased.
25:50
Speaker 1: In short, it was next to an impossibility for any
25:53
Speaker 1: men in the world to restrain their curiosity to know
25:56
Speaker 1: what had happened, or their concern for the safety of
25:59
Speaker 1: the men. In a word, the captain told me he
26:02
Speaker 1: would go and help his men, let what would come.
26:05
Speaker 1: I argued with him, as I did before with the men,
26:08
Speaker 1: the safety of the ship, the danger of the voyage,
26:11
Speaker 1: the interests of the owners and merchants, et cetera, and
26:14
Speaker 1: told him I and the two men would go and
26:16
Speaker 1: only see if we could, at a distance learn what
26:19
Speaker 1: was likely to be the event, and come back and
26:21
Speaker 1: tell him it was in vain to talk to my nephew,
26:24
Speaker 1: as it was to talk to the rest before he
26:27
Speaker 1: would go, he said, And he only wished he had
26:29
Speaker 1: left but ten men in the ship, for he could
26:32
Speaker 1: not think of having his men lost for want of help.
26:35
Speaker 1: He had rather losed the ship, the voyage, and his
26:37
Speaker 1: life and all, and away he went. I was no
26:41
Speaker 1: more able to stay behind now than I was to
26:43
Speaker 1: persuade them not to go. So the captain ordered two
26:47
Speaker 1: men to row back the pennace and fetch twelve men more,
26:50
Speaker 1: leaving the long boat at an anchor, and that when
26:53
Speaker 1: they came back, six men should keep the two boats,
26:56
Speaker 1: and six more come after us, so that he left
26:59
Speaker 1: only six sixteen men in the ship. For the whole
27:02
Speaker 1: ship's company consisted of sixty five men, whereof two were
27:06
Speaker 1: lost in the late quarrel which brought this mischief. On
27:09
Speaker 1: being now on the march, we felt little of the
27:12
Speaker 1: ground we trod on, and being guided by the fire,
27:15
Speaker 1: we kept no path, but went directly to the place
27:18
Speaker 1: of the flame. If the noise of the guns was
27:20
Speaker 1: surprising to us before, the cries of the poor people
27:24
Speaker 1: were now quite of another nature, and filled us with horror,
27:27
Speaker 1: I must confess I was never at the sacking a city,
27:31
Speaker 1: or at the taking a town by storm. I had
27:33
Speaker 1: heard of Oliver Cromwell taking Droida in Ireland and killing man,
27:37
Speaker 1: woman and child, and I had read of Count Tilley
27:41
Speaker 1: sacking the city of Magdeburg and cutting the throats of
27:43
Speaker 1: twenty two thousand of all sexes. But I never had
27:47
Speaker 1: an idea of the thing itself before, nor is it
27:50
Speaker 1: possible to describe it or the horror that was upon
27:53
Speaker 1: our minds at hearing it. However, we went on and
27:57
Speaker 1: at length came to the town, though there was no
28:00
Speaker 1: entering the streets of it for the fire. The first
28:02
Speaker 1: object we met with was the ruins of a hut
28:05
Speaker 1: or house, or rather the ashes of it. For the
28:08
Speaker 1: house was consumed, and just before it, plainly now to
28:11
Speaker 1: be seen by the light of the fire, lay four
28:14
Speaker 1: men and three women killed, and as we thought, one
28:17
Speaker 1: or two more lay in the heap among the fire.
28:20
Speaker 1: In short, there were such instances of rage altogether barbarous,
28:25
Speaker 1: and of a fury something beyond what was human, that
28:28
Speaker 1: we thought it impossible our men could be guilty of it,
28:31
Speaker 1: or if they were the authors of it, we thought
28:33
Speaker 1: they ought to be. Every One of them put to
28:35
Speaker 1: the worst of deaths. But this was not all. We
28:38
Speaker 1: saw the fire increase forward, and the cry went on
28:42
Speaker 1: just as the fire went on, so that we were
28:44
Speaker 1: in the utmost confusion. We advanced a little way farther,
28:48
Speaker 1: and behold, to our astonishment, three naked women, and crying
28:52
Speaker 1: in a most dreadful manner, came flying as if they
28:55
Speaker 1: had wings, and after them sixteen or seventeen men natives
28:59
Speaker 1: in the same terror and consternation, with three of our
29:02
Speaker 1: English butchers in the rear, who, when they could not
29:05
Speaker 1: overtake them, fired in among them, and one that was
29:08
Speaker 1: killed by their shot fell down in our sight. When
29:11
Speaker 1: the rest saw us, believing us to be their enemies
29:14
Speaker 1: and that we would murder them as well as those
29:16
Speaker 1: that pursued them, they set up a most dreadful shriek,
29:20
Speaker 1: especially the women, and two of them fell down as
29:23
Speaker 1: if already dead. With the fright. My very soul shrunk
29:27
Speaker 1: within me, and my blood ran chill in my veins
29:31
Speaker 1: when I saw this, and I believe had the three
29:33
Speaker 1: English sailors that pursued them come on, I had made
29:37
Speaker 1: our men kill them all. However, we took some means
29:40
Speaker 1: to let the poor flying creatures know that we would
29:42
Speaker 1: not hurt them, And immediately they came up to us, and,
29:46
Speaker 1: kneeling down with their hands lifted up, made piteous lamentation
29:50
Speaker 1: to us to save them, which we let them know
29:53
Speaker 1: we would, whereupon they crept all together in a huddle
29:56
Speaker 1: close behind us as for protection. I left my men
30:00
Speaker 1: drawn up together, and charging them to hurt nobody, but
30:03
Speaker 1: if possible to get at some of our people and
30:06
Speaker 1: see what devil it was possessed them and what they
30:09
Speaker 1: intended to do, and to command them off, assuring them
30:12
Speaker 1: that if they stayed till daylight they would have a
30:15
Speaker 1: hundred thousand men about their ears. I say, I left
30:18
Speaker 1: them and went among those flying people, taking only two
30:21
Speaker 1: of our men with me, and there was indeed a
30:24
Speaker 1: piteous spectacle among them. Some of them had their feet
30:28
Speaker 1: terribly burned with trampling and running through the fire, others
30:32
Speaker 1: their hands burned. One of the women had fallen down
30:34
Speaker 1: in the fire and was very much burned before she
30:37
Speaker 1: could get out again. And two or three of the
30:40
Speaker 1: men had cuts in their backs and thighs from our
30:42
Speaker 1: men pursuing, and another was shot through the body and died.
30:46
Speaker 1: While I was there, I would fain have learned what
30:49
Speaker 1: the occasion of all this was, but I could not
30:52
Speaker 1: understand one word they said, though by signs I perceived
30:55
Speaker 1: some of them knew not what was the occasion themselves.
30:59
Speaker 1: I was so terrify in my thoughts at this outrageous
31:01
Speaker 1: attempt that I could not stay there, but went back
31:04
Speaker 1: to my own men and resolved to go into the
31:07
Speaker 1: middle of the town, through the fire or whatever might
31:10
Speaker 1: be in the way, and put an end to it,
31:12
Speaker 1: cost what it would Accordingly, As I came back to
31:15
Speaker 1: my men, I told them my resolution and commanded them
31:19
Speaker 1: to follow me. When at the very moment came four
31:22
Speaker 1: of our men with the bowsaon at their head, roving
31:25
Speaker 1: over heaps of bodies they had killed, all covered with
31:28
Speaker 1: blood and dust, as if they wanted more people to massacre.
31:32
Speaker 1: When our men hallooed to them as loud as they
31:34
Speaker 1: could halloo, and with much ado, one of them made
31:37
Speaker 1: to hear, so that they knew who we were, and
31:40
Speaker 1: came up to us. As soon as the Bosun saw us,
31:44
Speaker 1: he set up a halloo like a shout of triumph,
31:46
Speaker 1: for having, as he thought, more help come, and without
31:49
Speaker 1: waiting to hear me, captain, says he, noble captain, I
31:53
Speaker 1: am glad you are come. We have not half done yet,
31:56
Speaker 1: villainous hell hound dogs. I'll kill as many of them
31:59
Speaker 1: as poor Tom has hairs upon his head. We have
32:02
Speaker 1: sworn to spare none of them. We'll root out the
32:05
Speaker 1: very nation of them from the earth. And thus he
32:08
Speaker 1: ran on out of breath too with action, and would
32:11
Speaker 1: not give us leave to speak a word. At last,
32:14
Speaker 1: raising my voice that I might silence him, a little
32:17
Speaker 1: barbarous dog, said I what are you doing? I won't
32:21
Speaker 1: have one creature touched more, upon pain of death. I
32:24
Speaker 1: charge you, upon your life to stop your hands and
32:27
Speaker 1: stand still here, or you are a dead man this minute. Why, sir,
32:32
Speaker 1: says he, Do you know what you do or what
32:34
Speaker 1: they have done? If you want a reason for what
32:37
Speaker 1: we have done, come hither. And with that he showed
32:40
Speaker 1: me the poor fellow hanging with his throat cut. I
32:43
Speaker 1: confess I was urged then myself, and at another time
32:47
Speaker 1: would have been forward enough. But I thought they had
32:50
Speaker 1: carried their rage too far, and remembered Jacob's words to
32:54
Speaker 1: his sons Simeon and LEVI cursed be their anger, for
32:57
Speaker 1: it was fierce and their wrath, for it was cruel.
33:01
Speaker 1: But I had now a new task upon my hands,
33:04
Speaker 1: for when the men I had carried with me saw
33:06
Speaker 1: the sight as I had done, I had as much
33:09
Speaker 1: to do to restrain them as I should have had
33:11
Speaker 1: with the others. Nay, my nephew himself fell in with
33:14
Speaker 1: them and told me in their hearing that he was
33:17
Speaker 1: only concerned for fear of the men being overpowered, and
33:20
Speaker 1: as to the people, he thought not one of them
33:23
Speaker 1: ought to live, for they had all glutted themselves with
33:26
Speaker 1: the murder of the poor man, and that they ought
33:28
Speaker 1: to be used like murderers. Upon these words, away ran
33:32
Speaker 1: eight of my men with the Bosun and his crew
33:35
Speaker 1: to complete their bloody work, and I, seeing it quite
33:38
Speaker 1: out of my power to restrain them, came away pensive
33:41
Speaker 1: and sad, for I could not bear the sight, much
33:44
Speaker 1: less the horrible noise and cries of the poor wretches
33:47
Speaker 1: that fell into their hands. I got nobody to come
33:51
Speaker 1: back with me but the supercargo and two men, and
33:54
Speaker 1: with these walked back to the boat. It was a
33:57
Speaker 1: very great piece of folly in me, I confessed venture
34:00
Speaker 1: back as it were alone, For as it began now
34:03
Speaker 1: to be almost day, and the alarm had run over
34:06
Speaker 1: the country. There stood about forty men armed with lances
34:10
Speaker 1: and boughs at the little place where the twelve or
34:12
Speaker 1: thirteen houses stood mentioned before. But by accident I missed
34:16
Speaker 1: the place and came directly to the sea side, and
34:20
Speaker 1: by the time I got to the sea side it
34:22
Speaker 1: was broad day. Immediately I took the pennace and went
34:25
Speaker 1: on board and set her back to assist the men
34:28
Speaker 1: in what might happen. I observed about the time that
34:31
Speaker 1: I got to the boat side that the fire was
34:33
Speaker 1: pretty well out and the noise abated. But in about
34:37
Speaker 1: half an hour after I got on board, I heard
34:40
Speaker 1: a volley of our men's firearms and saw a great smoke. This,
34:44
Speaker 1: as I understood afterwards, was our men falling upon the men, who,
34:48
Speaker 1: as I said, stood at the few houses on the way,
34:51
Speaker 1: of whom they killed sixteen or seventeen and set all
34:55
Speaker 1: the houses on fire, but did not meddle with the
34:57
Speaker 1: women or children. By the time the men got to
35:01
Speaker 1: the shore again with the pennace, our men began to appear.
35:04
Speaker 1: They came, dropping in, not in two bodies as they went,
35:08
Speaker 1: but straggling here and there, in such a manner that
35:10
Speaker 1: a small force of resolute men might have cut them
35:13
Speaker 1: all off. But the dread of them was upon the
35:16
Speaker 1: whole country, and the men were surprised and so frightened
35:19
Speaker 1: that I believe a hundred of them would have fled
35:21
Speaker 1: at the sight of but five of our men. Nor
35:24
Speaker 1: in all this terrible action was there a man that
35:27
Speaker 1: made any considerable defense. They were so surprised between the
35:31
Speaker 1: terror of the fire and the sudden attack of our
35:33
Speaker 1: men in the dark, that they knew not which way
35:36
Speaker 1: to turn themselves, For if they fled one way, they
35:38
Speaker 1: were met by one party, if back again by another,
35:42
Speaker 1: so that they were everywhere knocked down. Nor did any
35:45
Speaker 1: of our men receive the least hurt, except one that
35:48
Speaker 1: sprained his foot, and another that had one of his
35:51
Speaker 1: hands burned. End of Chapter nine.