terrible fright to
the seaside, and had jumped into a canoe, and three more of the rest made
the same way. I turned to Friday, and bade him step forwards and fire at
them; he understood me immediately, and running about forty yards, to be
nearer them, he shot at them; and I thought he had killed them all, for I
saw them all fall of a heap into the boat, though I saw two of them up
again quickly; however, he killed two of them, and wounded the third, so
that he lay down in the bottom of the boat as if he had been dead.

While my man Friday fired at them, I pulled out my knife and cut the
flags that bound the poor victim; and loosing his hands and feet, I
lifted him up, and asked him in the Portuguese tongue what he was. He
answered in Latin, Christianus; but was so weak and faint that he could
scarce stand or speak. I took my bottle out of my pocket and gave it
him, making signs that he should drink, which he did; and I gave him a
piece of bread, which he ate. Then I asked him what countryman he was:
and he said, Espagniole; and being a little recovered, let me know, by
all the signs he could possibly make, how much he was in my debt for his
deliverance. "Seignior," said I, with as much Spanish as I could make
up, "we will talk afterwards, but we must fight now: if you have any
strength left, take this pistol and sword, and lay about you." He took
them very thankfully; and no sooner had he the arms in his hands, but, as
if they had put new vigour into him, he flew upon his murderers like a
fury, and had cut two of them in pieces in an instant; for the truth is,
as the whole was a surprise to them, so the poor creatures were so much
frightened with the noise of our pieces that they fell down for mere
amazement and fear, and had no more power to attempt their own escape
than their flesh had to resist our shot; and that was the case of those
five that Friday shot at in the boat; for as three of them fell with the
hurt they received, so the other two fell with the fright.

I kept my piece in my hand still without firing, being willing to keep my
charge ready, because I had given the Spaniard my pistol and sword: so I
called to Friday, and bade him run up to the tree from whence we first
fired, and fetch the arms which lay there that had been discharged, which
he did with great swiftness; and then giving him my musket, I sat down
myself to load all the rest again, and bade them come to me when they
wanted. While I was