his
broadside, but sure such a fright and hurry never were seen among such a
multitude; there were thirteen or fourteen of their canoes split and
overset in all, and the men all set a-swimming: the rest, frightened out
of their wits, scoured away as fast as they could, taking but little care
to save those whose boats were split or spoiled with our shot; so I
suppose that many of them were lost; and our men took up one poor fellow
swimming for his life, above an hour after they were all gone. The small
shot from our cannon must needs kill and wound a great many; but, in
short, we never knew how it went with them, for they fled so fast, that
in three hours or thereabouts we could not see above three or four
straggling canoes, nor did we ever see the rest any more; for a breeze of
wind springing up the same evening, we weighed and set sail for the
Brazils.

We had a prisoner, indeed, but the creature was so sullen that he would
neither cat nor speak, and we all fancied he would starve himself to
death. But I took a way to cure him: for I had made them take him and
turn him into the long-boat, and make him believe they would toss him
into the sea again, and so leave him where they found him, if he would
not speak; nor would that do, but they really did throw him into the sea,
and came away from him. Then he followed them, for he swam like a cork,
and called to them in his tongue, though they knew not one word of what
he said; however at last they took him in again., and then he began to be
more tractable: nor did I ever design they should drown him.

We were now under sail again, but I was the most disconsolate creature
alive for want of my man Friday, and would have been very glad to have
gone back to the island, to have taken one of the rest from thence for my
occasion, but it could not be: so we went on. We had one prisoner, as I
have said, and it was a long time before we could make him understand
anything; but in time our men taught him some English, and he began to be
a little tractable. Afterwards, we inquired what country he came from;
but could make nothing of what he said; for his speech was so odd, all
gutturals, and he spoke in the throat in such a hollow, odd manner, that
we could never form a word after him; and we were all of opinion that
they might speak that language as well if they were gagged as otherwise;
nor could we perceive that they had any occasion either for teeth,
tongue, lips, or palate, bu