should have them without bloodshed: I
liked the proposal, provided it was done while we heard, when they were
presently stopped by the creek, where the water being up, they could not
get over, and called for the boat to come up, and set them over, as
indeed I expected.

When they had set themselves over, I observed, that the boat being gone
up a good way into the creek, and as it were, in a harbour within the
land, they took one of the three men out of her to go along with them,
and left only two in the boat, having fastened her to the stump of a
little tree on the shore.

This was what I wished for, and immediately leaving Friday and the
captain's mate to their business, I took the rest with me, and crossing
the creek out of their sight, we surprized the two men before they were
aware; one of them lying on shore, and the other being in the boat; the
fellow on shore, was between sleeping and waking, and going to start up,
the captain who was foremost, ran in upon him, and knocked him down, and
then called out to him in the boat, to yield, or he was a dead man.

There needed very few arguments to persuade a single man to yield, when
he saw five men upon him, and his comrade knocked down; besides, this
was it seems one of the three who were not so hearty in the mutiny as
the rest of the crew, and therefore was easily persuaded, not only to
yield, but afterwards to join very sincere with us.

In the mean time, Friday and the captain's mate so well managed their
business with the rest, that they drew them by hollowing and answering,
from one hill to another, and from one wood to another, till they not
only heartily tired them but left them, where they were very sure they
could not reach back to the boat, before it was dark; and indeed they
were heartily tired themselves also by the time they came back to us.

We had nothing now to do, but to watch for them, in the dark, and to
fall upon them, so as to make sure work with them.

It was several hours after Friday came back to me before they came back
to their boat; and we could hear the foremost of them, long before they
came quite up, calling to those behind to come along; and could also
hear them answer, and complain how lame and tired they were, and not
being able to come any faster, which was very welcome news to us.

At length they came up to the boat; but it is impossible to express
their confusion, when they found the boat fast aground in the creek, the
tide eb