leaving their goats to straggle in the woods, whither they pleased, that
the savages might think they were all bred wild; but the rogue who came
with them was too cunning for that, and gave them an account of it all,
for they went directly to the place.
When the two poor frightened men had secured their wives and goods, they
sent the other slave they had of the three who came with the women, and
who was at their place by accident, away to the Spaniards with all speed,
to give them the alarm, and desire speedy help, and, in the meantime,
they took their arms and what ammunition they had, and retreated towards
the place in the wood where their wives were sent; keeping at a distance,
yet so that they might see, if possible, which way the savages took. They
had not gone far but that from a rising ground they could see the little
army of their enemies come on directly to their habitation, and, in a
moment more, could see all their huts and household stuff flaming up
together, to their great grief and mortification; for this was a great
loss to them, irretrievable, indeed, for some time. They kept their
station for a while, till they found the savages, like wild beasts,
spread themselves all over the place, rummaging every way, and every
place they could think of, in search of prey; and in particular for the
people, of whom now it plainly appeared they had intelligence.
The two Englishmen seeing this, thinking themselves not secure where they
stood, because it was likely some of the wild people might come that way,
and they might come too many together, thought it proper to make another
retreat about half a mile farther; believing, as it afterwards happened,
that the further they strolled, the fewer would be together. Their next
halt was at the entrance into a very thick-grown part of the woods, and
where an old trunk of a tree stood, which was hollow and very large; and
in this tree they both took their standing, resolving to see there what
might offer. They had not stood there long before two of the savages
appeared running directly that way, as if they had already had notice
where they stood, and were coming up to attack them; and a little way
farther they espied three more coming after them, and five more beyond
them, all coming the same way; besides which, they saw seven or eight
more at a distance, running another way; for in a word, they ran every
way, like sportsmen beating for their game.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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