sidered more the strength he had than the
good-will he might bear us: yet upon consultation among ourselves,
"Whether it were fit to receive him or not?" we resolved to take him and
twenty of his men, to serve with our Captain for halves. In such sort
as we needed not doubt of their forces, being but twenty; nor be hurt
by their portions, being no greater than ours: and yet gratify them in
their earnest suit, and serve our own purpose, which without more help
we could very hardly have achieved. Indeed, he had 70 men, and we now
but 31; his ship was above 80 tons, and our frigate not 20, or pinnace
nothing near 10 tons. Yet our Captain thought this proportionable, in
consideration that not numbers of men, but quality of their judgements
and knowledge, were to be the principal actors herein: and the French
ship could do not service, or stand in any stead to this enterprise
which we intended, and had agreed upon before, both touching the time
when it should take beginning, and the place where we should meet,
namely, at Rio Francisco.

Having thus agreed with Captain TETU, we sent for the Cimaroons as
before was decreed. Two of them were brought aboard our ships, to give
the French assurance of this agreement.

And as soon as we could furnish ourselves and refresh the French
company, which was within five or six days (by bringing them to the
magazines which were the nearest, where they were supplied by us in such
sort, as they protested they were beholding to us for all their lives)
taking twenty of the French and fifteen of ours with our Cimaroons,
leaving both our chips in safe road, we manned our frigate and two
pinnaces (we had formerly sunk our _Lion_, shortly after our return from
Panama, because we had not men sufficient to man her), and went towards
Rio Francisco: which because it had not water enough for our frigate,
caused us to leave her at the Cabecas, manned with English and French,
in the charge of ROBERT DOBLE, to stay there without attempting any
chase, until the return of our pinnaces.

And then bore to Rio Francisco, where both Captains landed (31st March)
with such force as aforesaid, and charged them that had the charge of
the pinnaces to be there the fourth day next following without any fail.
And thus knowing that the carriages [mule loads] went now daily from
Panama to Nombre de Dios; we proceeded in covert through the woods,
towards the highway that leadeth between them.

It is five leagues acc