they might not
carry her of, and taking everything out of her, leave her so far useless
as not to be fit to swim. Accordingly, we went on board, took the arms
which were left on board out of her, and whatever else we found
there--which was a bottle of brandy, and another of rum, a few
biscuit-cakes, a horn of powder, and a great lump of sugar in a piece of
canvas (the sugar was five or six pounds): all which was very welcome to
me, especially the brandy and sugar, of which I had had none left for
many years.

When we had carried all these things on shore (the oars, mast, sail, and
rudder of the boat were carried away before), we knocked a great hole in
her bottom, that if they had come strong enough to master us, yet they
could not carry off the boat. Indeed, it was not much in my thoughts
that we could be able to recover the ship; but my view was, that if they
went away without the boat, I did not much question to make her again fit
to carry as to the Leeward Islands, and call upon our friends the
Spaniards in my way, for I had them still in my thoughts.

CHAPTER XVIII--THE SHIP RECOVERED

While we were thus preparing our designs, and had first, by main
strength, heaved the boat upon the beach, so high that the tide would not
float her off at high-water mark, and besides, had broke a hole in her
bottom too big to be quickly stopped, and were set down musing what we
should do, we heard the ship fire a gun, and make a waft with her ensign
as a signal for the boat to come on board--but no boat stirred; and they
fired several times, making other signals for the boat. At last, when
all their signals and firing proved fruitless, and they found the boat
did not stir, we saw them, by the help of my glasses, hoist another boat
out and row towards the shore; and we found, as they approached, that
there were no less than ten men in her, and that they had firearms with
them.

As the ship lay almost two leagues from the shore, we had a full view of
them as they came, and a plain sight even of their faces; because the
tide having set them a little to the east of the other boat, they rowed
up under shore, to come to the same place where the other had landed, and
where the boat lay; by this means, I say, we had a full view of them, and
the captain knew the persons and characters of all the men in the boat,
of whom, he said, there were three very honest fellows, who, he was sure,
were led into this conspiracy by the rest