of the thing, living for some
days with the Spaniards; for their own habitation was destroyed.

In about five days' time the vagrants, tired with wandering, and almost
starved with hunger, having chiefly lived on turtles' eggs all that
while, came back to the grove; and finding my Spaniard, who, as I have
said, was the governor, and two more with him, walking by the side of the
creek, they came up in a very submissive, humble manner, and begged to be
received again into the society. The Spaniards used them civilly, but
told them they had acted so unnaturally to their countrymen, and so very
grossly to themselves, that they could not come to any conclusion without
consulting the two Englishmen and the rest; but, however, they would go
to them and discourse about it, and they should know in half-an-hour. It
may be guessed that they were very hard put to it; for, as they were to
wait this half-hour for an answer, they begged they would send them out
some bread in the meantime, which they did, sending at the same time a
large piece of goat's flesh and a boiled parrot, which they ate very
eagerly.

After half-an-hour's consultation they were called in, and a long debate
ensued, their two countrymen charging them with the ruin of all their
labour, and a design to murder them; all which they owned before, and
therefore could not deny now. Upon the whole, the Spaniards acted the
moderators between them; and as they had obliged the two Englishmen not
to hurt the three while they were naked and unarmed, so they now obliged
the three to go and rebuild their fellows' two huts, one to be of the
same and the other of larger dimensions than they were before; to fence
their ground again, plant trees in the room of those pulled up, dig up
the land again for planting corn, and, in a word, to restore everything
to the same state as they found it, that is, as near as they could.

Well, they submitted to all this; and as they had plenty of provisions
given them all the while, they grew very orderly, and the whole society
began to live pleasantly and agreeably together again; only that these
three fellows could never be persuaded to work--I mean for
themselves--except now and then a little, just as they pleased. However,
the Spaniards told them plainly that if they would but live sociably and
friendly together, and study the good of the whole plantation, they would
be content to work for them, and let them walk about and be as idle as