They reached the mouth of the river in safety. A few men were left in charge of the ship. Over five hundred were crowded into the boats. There was no space for storing provisions; neither was it thought necessary. It was supposed that an ample supply of food would be found in the villages on the river banks. But the Indians transmitted intelligence with almost the rapidity of telegraphic dispatches. From village to village the tidings ran. The Indians, conscious of their inability to contend with the well-armed pirates, fled. They took with them all the food they could. The rest they destroyed. The invaders found themselves reduced almost to starvation. They ate roots and herbs, and even the leaves of the trees. A blazing tropical sun poured its rays down upon their crowded open boats, blistering their skin with the intense heat. Sickness came, with languor, pain, wretchedness. Their own crimes were chastising them with scorpion lashes. There was but misery in those boats, with universal discontent and oaths and fightings. In their despair they landed, five hundred maddened, starving men, hating themselves and hating each other. They hoped that at a little distance back from the river they might find some villages which had not been abandoned. In this they were disappointed. The natives watched them closely, and fled before them. They commenced a retreat back to the ship. Many died. Many fell by the wayside and were captured by the savages. The Indians pursued them, watching every opportunity to strike a blow. They were too weak to resist. They could scarcely wield a paddle or lift a musket. Their starvation and misery was so great that they resolved to kill and devour the first Indian they could meet. But this kind of game kept beyond the reach of their balls. They ate their shoes, their leather belts, even the sheaths of their swords. At length a skeleton band reached the ship. There was but little food there. Still they spread their sails, and disappeared. We hear of them no more. CHAPTER XII. _The Female Pirate, Mary Read._ Testimony of Charles Johnson.--Marriage of Mary Read’s Mother.--Singular Adventure.--Reasons for Disguising her Daughter.--Early Training of Mary as a Boy.--She Enlists on board a Man-of-war.--The Character she Developed.--Enters the Army.--Skill and Bravery.--Falls in Love with a Fleming.--Reveals her Sex.--The Marriage.--Happy Days.--Death of her Husband.--Adversity.--Resumes Male Attire.