ighted (that I must acknowledge) when I perceived
him to run my way, and especially when, as I thought, I saw him
pursued by the whole body; and now I expected that part of my dream
was coming to pass, and that he would certainly take shelter in my
grove; but I could not depend, by any means, upon my dream for the
rest of it, viz., that the other savages would not pursue him thither,
and find him there. However, I kept my station, and my spirits began
to recover when I found that there were not above three men that
followed him; and still more was I encouraged when I found that he
outstripped them exceedingly in running, and gained ground of them; so
that if he could but hold it for half an hour, I saw easily he would
fairly get away from them all.

There was between them and my castle the creek, which I mentioned
often at the first part of my story, when I landed my cargoes out of
the ship; and this I saw plainly he must necessarily swim over, or the
poor wretch would be taken there. But when the savage escaping came
thither he made nothing of it, though the tide was then up; but
plunging in, swam through in about thirty strokes or thereabouts,
landed, and ran on with exceeding strength and swiftness. When the
three persons came to the creek, I found that two of them could swim,
but the third could not, and that, standing on the other side, he
looked at the other, but went no further, and soon after went softly
back, which, as it happened, was very well for him in the main.

I observed that the two who swam were yet more than twice as long
swimming over the creek as the fellow was that fled from them. It came
now very warmly upon my thoughts, and indeed irresistibly, that now
was my time to get me a servant, and perhaps a companion or assistant,
and that I was called plainly by Providence to save this poor
creature's life. I immediately run down the ladders with all possible
expedition, fetched my two guns, for they were both but at the foot of
the ladders, as I observed above, and getting up again, with the same
haste, to the top of the hill, I crossed toward the sea, and having a
very short cut, and all down hill, clapped myself in the way between
the pursuers and the pursued, hallooing aloud to him that fled, who,
looking back, was at first perhaps as much frighted at me as at them;
but I beckoned with my hand to him to come back; and, in the meantime,
I slowly advanced towards the two that followed; then rushing a