very justly, to every person's satisfaction; they only
desired one general writing under my hand for the whole, which I caused
to be drawn up, signed, and sealed to them, setting out their bounds,
and giving them a right to the whole possession of their respective
plantations, with their improvements, to them and their heirs, reserving
all the rest of the island as my own property, and a certain rent for
every particular plantation, after eleven years. As to their laws and
government, I exhorted them to love one another; and as to the Indians
who lived in a nook by themselves, I allotted three or four of them
plantations, and the rest willingly chose to become servants to the
other families, by which means they were employed in useful labour, and
fared much better than they did before. Besides the savages thus mixed
with the Christians, the work of their conversion might be set on foot
by the latter, in the clergyman's absence, to our equal satisfaction.
The young priest, however, was a little anxious lest the Christians
should not be willing to do their parts in instructing these poor
Indians; I therefore told him we should call them all together; that he
should speak to the Spaniards who were Papists, and I to the English,
who were Protestants, and make them promise that they would never make
any distinction in religion, but teach the general true knowledge of
God, and his son Jesus Christ, in order to convert the poor savages. And
this, indeed, they all promised us accordingly.

When I came to Will Atkins's house, I found his baptized wife, and the
young woman newly married to my Jack-of-all-trades, were become great
intimates, and discoursing of religion together. _O, Sir,_ says Will
Atkins, _when God has sinners to reconcile to himself, he never wants an
instructor; I knew I was unworthy of so good a work, and therefore this
young woman has been sent hither as it were from heaven, who is
sufficient to convert a whole nation of savages_. The young woman
blushed, and was going to rise; but I desired her to sit still, and
hoped that God would bless her in so good a work; and then pulling out a
Bible (which I brought on purpose in my pocket for him.) _Here Atkins_,
said I, _here is an assistant that perhaps you had not before_. So
confounded was the poor man, that is was some time before he could
speak; at last turning to his wife, _My dear_, he said, _did I not tell
you that God could hear what we said? Here's the boo