bade them retire into the woods,
to the place whence they came, and I would leave them some firearms, some
ammunition, and some directions how they should live very well if they
thought fit. Upon this I prepared to go on board the ship; but told the
captain I would stay that night to prepare my things, and desired him to
go on board in the meantime, and keep all right in the ship, and send the
boat on shore next day for me; ordering him, at all events, to cause the
new captain, who was killed, to be hanged at the yard-arm, that these men
might see him.

When the captain was gone I sent for the men up to me to my apartment,
and entered seriously into discourse with them on their circumstances. I
told them I thought they had made a right choice; that if the captain had
carried them away they would certainly be hanged. I showed them the new
captain hanging at the yard-arm of the ship, and told them they had
nothing less to expect.

When they had all declared their willingness to stay, I then told them I
would let them into the story of my living there, and put them into the
way of making it easy to them. Accordingly, I gave them the whole
history of the place, and of my coming to it; showed them my
fortifications, the way I made my bread, planted my corn, cured my
grapes; and, in a word, all that was necessary to make them easy. I told
them the story also of the seventeen Spaniards that were to be expected,
for whom I left a letter, and made them promise to treat them in common
with themselves. Here it may be noted that the captain, who had ink on
board, was greatly surprised that I never hit upon a way of making ink of
charcoal and water, or of something else, as I had done things much more
difficult.

I left them my firearms--viz. five muskets, three fowling-pieces, and
three swords. I had above a barrel and a half of powder left; for after
the first year or two I used but little, and wasted none. I gave them a
description of the way I managed the goats, and directions to milk and
fatten them, and to make both butter and cheese. In a word, I gave them
every part of my own story; and told them I should prevail with the
captain to leave them two barrels of gunpowder more, and some
garden-seeds, which I told them I would have been very glad of. Also, I
gave them the bag of peas which the captain had brought me to eat, and
bade them be sure to sow and increase them.

CHAPTER XIX--RETURN TO ENGLAND

H