; and yet I had no
more peace within, from the apprehensions I had that if these savages, in
rambling over the island, should find my corn standing or cut, or any of
my works or improvements, they would immediately conclude that there were
people in the place, and would then never rest till they had found me
out. In this extremity I went back directly to my castle, pulled up the
ladder after me, and made all things without look as wild and natural as
I could.

Then I prepared myself within, putting myself in a posture of defence. I
loaded all my cannon, as I called them--that is to say, my muskets, which
were mounted upon my new fortification--and all my pistols, and resolved
to defend myself to the last gasp--not forgetting seriously to commend
myself to the Divine protection, and earnestly to pray to God to deliver
me out of the hands of the barbarians. I continued in this posture about
two hours, and began to be impatient for intelligence abroad, for I had
no spies to send out. After sitting a while longer, and musing what I
should do in this case, I was not able to bear sitting in ignorance
longer; so setting up my ladder to the side of the hill, where there was
a flat place, as I observed before, and then pulling the ladder after me,
I set it up again and mounted the top of the hill, and pulling out my
perspective glass, which I had taken on purpose, I laid me down flat on
my belly on the ground, and began to look for the place. I presently
found there were no less than nine naked savages sitting round a small
fire they had made, not to warm them, for they had no need of that, the
weather being extremely hot, but, as I supposed, to dress some of their
barbarous diet of human flesh which they had brought with them, whether
alive or dead I could not tell.

They had two canoes with them, which they had hauled up upon the shore;
and as it was then ebb of tide, they seemed to me to wait for the return
of the flood to go away again. It is not easy to imagine what confusion
this sight put me into, especially seeing them come on my side of the
island, and so near to me; but when I considered their coming must be
always with the current of the ebb, I began afterwards to be more sedate
in my mind, being satisfied that I might go abroad with safety all the
time of the flood of tide, if they were not on shore before; and having
made this observation, I went abroad about my harvest work with the more
composure.

As I e