to break the ship in pieces, and with
planks and nails build themselves a boat to get away; and while they are
busy about it, I shall describe the said isles and their inhabitants.

The islands De las Pertas are inhabited by savage Indians, not having
known or conversed with civil people: they are tall and very nimble,
running almost as fast as horses; at diving also they are very dextrous
and hardy. From the bottom of the sea I saw them take up an anchor of
six hundredweight, tying a cable to it with great dexterity, and pulling
it from a rock. Their arms are made of wood, without any iron point; but
some instead thereof use a crocodile's tooth. They have no bows nor
arrows, as the other Indians have, but their common weapon is a sort of
lance a fathom and a half long. Here are many plantations surrounded
with woods, whence they gather abundance of fruits, as potatoes,
bananas, racoven, ananas, and many others. They have no houses to dwell
in, as at other places in the Indies. Some say they eat human flesh,
which is confirmed by what happened when Lolonois was there. Two of his
companions, one a Frenchman and the other a Spaniard, went into the
woods, where having straggled awhile, a troop of Indians pursued them.
They defended themselves as well as they could with their swords, but at
last were forced to flee. The nimble Frenchman escaped; but the Spaniard
being not so swift, was taken and heard of no more. Some days after,
twelve pirates set forth well armed to seek their companion, among whom
was the Frenchman, who conducted them, and showed them the place where
he left him; here they found that the Indians had kindled a fire, and at
a small distance they found a man's bones well roasted, with some pieces
of flesh ill scraped off the bones, and one hand, which had only two
fingers remaining, whence they concluded they had roasted the poor
Spaniard.

They marched on, seeking for Indians, and found a great number together,
who endeavoured to escape, but they overtook some of them, and brought
aboard their ships five men and four women; with these they took much
pains to make themselves be understood, and to gain their affections,
giving them trifles, as knives, beads, and the like; they gave them also
victuals and drink, but nothing would they taste. It was also
observable, that while they were prisoners, they spoke not one word to
each other; so that seeing these poor Indians were much afraid, they
presented them a