g so hazardous and mischievous as I was brought into by it, without
design.

We took twenty as stout fellows with us as any in the ship, besides the
supercargo and myself, and we landed two hours before midnight, at the
same place where the Indians stood drawn up in the evening before. I
landed here, because my design, as I have said, was chiefly to see if
they had quitted the field, and if they had left any marks behind them of
the mischief we had done them, and I thought if we could surprise one or
two of them, perhaps we might get our man again, by way of exchange.

We landed without any noise, and divided our men into two bodies, whereof
the boatswain commanded one and I the other. We neither saw nor heard
anybody stir when we landed: and we marched up, one body at a distance
from another, to the place. At first we could see nothing, it being very
dark; till by-and-by our boatswain, who led the first party, stumbled and
fell over a dead body. This made them halt a while; for knowing by the
circumstances that they were at the place where the Indians had stood,
they waited for my coming up there. We concluded to halt till the moon
began to rise, which we knew would be in less than an hour, when we could
easily discern the havoc we had made among them. We told thirty-two
bodies upon the ground, whereof two were not quite dead; some had an arm
and some a leg shot off, and one his head; those that were wounded, we
supposed, they had carried away. When we had made, as I thought, a full
discovery of all we could come to the knowledge of, I resolved on going
on board; but the boatswain and his party sent me word that they were
resolved to make a visit to the Indian town, where these dogs, as they
called them, dwelt, and asked me to go along with them; and if they could
find them, as they still fancied they should, they did not doubt of
getting a good booty; and it might be they might find Tom Jeffry there:
that was the man's name we had lost.

Had they sent to ask my leave to go, I knew well enough what answer to
have given them; for I should have commanded them instantly on board,
knowing it was not a hazard fit for us to run, who had a ship and ship-
loading in our charge, and a voyage to make which depended very much upon
the lives of the men; but as they sent me word they were resolved to go,
and only asked me and my company to go along with them, I positively
refused it, and rose up, for I was sitting on the gr