vest, and required my being pretty
much abroad in the fields: when going out pretty early in the morning,
even before it was thorough daylight, I was surprised with seeing a
light of some fire upon the shore, at a distance from me of about two
miles, towards the end of the island where I had observed some savages
had been, as before, and not on the other side; but, to my great
affliction, it was on my side of the island.

I was indeed terribly surprised at the sight, and stopped short within
my grove, not daring to go out, lest I might be surprised, and yet I had
no more peace within, from the apprehensions I had that if these
savages, in rambling over the island, should find my corn standing or
cut, or any of my works and improvements, they would immediately
conclude that there were people in the place, and would then never give
over till they had found me out. In this extremity, I went back directly
to my castle, pulled up the ladder after me, and made all things without
look as wild and natural as I could.

Then I prepared myself within, putting myself in a posture of defence:
I loaded all my cannon, as I called them, that is to say, my muskets,
which were mounted upon my new fortification, and all my pistols, and
resolved to defend myself to the last gasp; not forgetting seriously to
commend myself to the divine protection, and earnestly to pray to God to
deliver me out of the hands of the barbarians. I continued in this
posture about two hours; and began to be mighty impatient for
intelligence abroad, for I had no spies to send out. After sitting
awhile longer, and musing what I should do in this, I was not able to
bear sitting in ignorance any longer; so setting up my ladder to the
side of the hill, where there was a flat place, as I observed before,
and then pulling the ladder up after me, I set it up again, and mounted
to the top of the hill; and pulling out my perspective-glass, which I
had taken on purpose, I laid me down flat on my belly on the ground, and
began to look for the place. I presently found there were no less than
nine naked savages, sitting round a small fire they had made, not to
warm them, for they had no need of that, the weather being extremely
hot, but, as I supposed, to dress some of their barbarous diet of human
flesh, which they had brought with them, whether alive or dead, I
could not tell.

They had two canoes with them, which they had hauled up upon the shore;
and as it was then tid