after comes hee and hee. A hundred boats come fro the steremost towne I say, At least meets vs as many mo before, to make vs stay. In euery boat two men, and great long targets twaine: Most of their darts had long strings then to picke and pull againe. Now gunners to your charge, giue fier all arow, Ech slaue for feare forsakes his barge, and ducks in water low. We downe the streame amaine do row to get the sea, They ouertake vs soone againe, and let vs of our way. Then did the slaues draw neere, with dart and target thicke, With diuelish fixed eyes they peere where they their darts may sticke. Now Mariners do push with right good will the pike, The haileshot of the harquebush The naked slaue doth strike. Through targe and body right that downe he falleth dead His fellow then in heauie plight, doth swimme away afraid. To bathe in brutish bloud, then fleeth the graygoose wing. The halberders at hand be good, and hew that all doth ring. Yet gunner play thy part, make haileshot walke againe, And fellowes row with like good heart that we may get the maine. Our arrowes all now spent, the Negroes gan approach: But pikes in hand already hent the blacke beast fast doth broch. Their captaine being wood, a villaine long and large, With pois'ned dart in hand doth shroud himselfe vnder his targe. And hard aboord he comes to enter in our boat, Our maisters mate, his pike eftsoones strikes through his targe and throat. The capteine now past charge of this brutish blacke gard, His pike he halde backe which in targe alas was fixed hard: And wresting it with might, to pull it forth in hast, A deadly dart strikes him too right and in his flesh sticks fast, He stands still like a man, and shrinkes not once therefore, But strikes him with his owne dart then which shot at him before. Then presse they on, and shake their darts on euery side, Which, in our flesh doth light, and make both deadly wounds and wide. The gunner in that stound with two darts strooke at last, Shrinks not yet though the double wound with streames of bloud out brast. And eke the maisters mate, of stomacke bolde and stout, For all his wound receiu'd of late, yet stirred not a foot. But kept his standing still, till that a deathful dart Did strike him through the ribs so ill that scarce it mist his hart. The dart out hal'd quickly, his guts came out withall, And so great streames of bloud that he for faintnesse downe gan fall. The Negros seeing this, how he for dead doth lie, Who erst so valiant prou'd iwis, they gladly, shout and crie: And then do minde as there to enter in his place, They thinke so many wounded were the rest would yeld for grace. We then stand by the pike, and foure row on our boat,