he seamen, that they might feast on fresh meat from on shore, as we
did with their salt meat from on board.

After this feast, at which we were very innocently merry, I brought my
cargo of goods; wherein, that there might be no dispute about dividing, I
showed them that there was a sufficiency for them all, desiring that they
might all take an equal quantity, when made up, of the goods that were
for wearing. As, first, I distributed linen sufficient to make every one
of them four shirts, and, at the Spaniard's request, afterwards made them
up six; these were exceeding comfortable to them, having been what they
had long since forgot the use of, or what it was to wear them. I
allotted the thin English stuffs, which I mentioned before, to make every
one a light coat, like a frock, which I judged fittest for the heat of
the season, cool and loose; and ordered that whenever they decayed, they
should make more, as they thought fit; the like for pumps, shoes,
stockings, hats, &c. I cannot express what pleasure sat upon the
countenances of all these poor men when they saw the care I had taken of
them, and how well I had furnished them. They told me I was a father to
them; and that having such a correspondent as I was in so remote a part
of the world, it would make them forget that they were left in a desolate
place; and they all voluntarily engaged to me not to leave the place
without my consent.

Then I presented to them the people I had brought with me, particularly
the tailor, the smith, and the two carpenters, all of them most necessary
people; but, above all, my general artificer, than whom they could not
name anything that was more useful to them; and the tailor, to show his
concern for them, went to work immediately, and, with my leave, made them
every one a shirt, the first thing he did; and, what was still more, he
taught the women not only how to sew and stitch, and use the needle, but
made them assist to make the shirts for their husbands, and for all the
rest. As to the carpenters, I scarce need mention how useful they were;
for they took to pieces all my clumsy, unhandy things, and made clever
convenient tables, stools, bedsteads, cupboards, lockers, shelves, and
everything they wanted of that kind. But to let them see how nature made
artificers at first, I carried the carpenters to see Will Atkins' basket-
house, as I called it; and they both owned they never saw an instance of
such natural ingenuity before,