They were now in as great concern as before, not knowing what course to
take, or how near the enemy might be, or in what number; so they resolved
to go away to the place where their wives were, to see if all was well
there, and to make them easy. These were in fright enough, to be sure;
for though the savages were their own countrymen, yet they were most
terribly afraid of them, and perhaps the more for the knowledge they had
of them. When they came there, they found the savages had been in the
wood, and very near that place, but had not found it; for it was indeed
inaccessible, from the trees standing so thick, unless the persons
seeking it had been directed by those that knew it, which these did not:
they found, therefore, everything very safe, only the women in a terrible
fright. While they were here they had the comfort to have seven of the
Spaniards come to their assistance; the other ten, with their servants,
and Friday's father, were gone in a body to defend their bower, and the
corn and cattle that were kept there, in case the savages should have
roved over to that side of the country, but they did not spread so far.
With the seven Spaniards came one of the three savages, who, as I said,
were their prisoners formerly; and with them also came the savage whom
the Englishmen had left bound hand and foot at the tree; for it seems
they came that way, saw the slaughter of the seven men, and unbound the
eighth, and brought him along with them; where, however, they were
obliged to bind again, as they had the two others who were left when the
third ran away.
The prisoners now began to be a burden to them; and they were so afraid
of their escaping, that they were once resolving to kill them all,
believing they were under an absolute necessity to do so for their own
preservation. However, the chief of the Spaniards would not consent to
it, but ordered, for the present, that they should be sent out of the way
to my old cave in the valley, and be kept there, with two Spaniards to
guard them, and have food for their subsistence, which was done; and they
were bound there hand and foot for that night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive