s so much, that it reduced them to the utmost misery
for want of food; and many were afterwards found dead in the woods,
without any hurt, absolutely starved to death.

When our men found this, it made their hearts relent, and pity moved
them, especially the generous-minded Spaniard governor; and he proposed,
if possible, to take one of them alive and bring him to understand what
they meant, so far as to be able to act as interpreter, and go among them
and see if they might be brought to some conditions that might be
depended upon, to save their lives and do us no harm.

It was some while before any of them could be taken; but being weak and
half-starved, one of them was at last surprised and made a prisoner. He
was sullen at first, and would neither eat nor drink; but finding himself
kindly used, and victuals given to him, and no violence offered him, he
at last grew tractable, and came to himself. They often brought old
Friday to talk to him, who always told him how kind the others would be
to them all; that they would not only save their lives, but give them
part of the island to live in, provided they would give satisfaction that
they would keep in their own bounds, and not come beyond it to injure or
prejudice others; and that they should have corn given them to plant and
make it grow for their bread, and some bread given them for their present
subsistence; and old Friday bade the fellow go and talk with the rest of
his countrymen, and see what they said to it; assuring them that, if they
did not agree immediately, they should be all destroyed.

The poor wretches, thoroughly humbled, and reduced in number to about
thirty-seven, closed with the proposal at the first offer, and begged to
have some food given them; upon which twelve Spaniards and two
Englishmen, well armed, with three Indian slaves and old Friday, marched
to the place where they were. The three Indian slaves carried them a
large quantity of bread, some rice boiled up to cakes and dried in the
sun, and three live goats; and they were ordered to go to the side of a
hill, where they sat down, ate their provisions very thankfully, and were
the most faithful fellows to their words that could be thought of; for,
except when they came to beg victuals and directions, they never came out
of their bounds; and there they lived when I came to the island and I
went to see them. They had taught them both to plant corn, make bread,
breed tame goats, and milk th