without lifting up the hand, as
was done now: and this old savage was in the right; for, as I understood
since, by other hands, the savages never attempted to go over to the
island afterwards, they were so terrified with the accounts given by
those four men (for, it seems, they did escape the sea,) that they
believed whoever went to that enchanted island would be destroyed with
fire from the gods. This, however, I knew not; and therefore was under
continual apprehensions for a good while, and kept always upon my guard,
with all my army: for, as there were now four of us, I would have
ventured upon a hundred of them, fairly in the open field, at any time.

In a little time, however, no more canoes appearing, the fear of their
coming wore off; and I began to take my former thoughts of a voyage to
the main into consideration; being likewise assured, by Friday's
father, that I might depend upon good usage from their nation, on his
account, if I would go. But my thoughts were a little suspended when I
had a serious discourse with the Spaniard, and when I understood that
there were sixteen more of his countrymen and Portuguese, who, having
been cast away, and made their escape to that side, lived there at
peace, indeed, with the savages, but were very sore put to it for
necessaries, and indeed for life. I asked him all the particulars of
their voyage, and found they were a Spanish ship, bound from the Rio de
la Plata to the Havanna, being directed to leave their loading there,
which was chiefly hides and silver, and to bring back what European
goods they could meet with there; that they had five Portuguese seamen
on board, whom they took out of another wreck; that five of their own
men were drowned, when first the ship was lost, and that these escaped,
through infinite dangers and hazards, and arrived, almost starved, on
the cannibal coast, where they expected to have been devoured every
moment. He told me they had some arms with them, but they were perfectly
useless, for that they had neither powder nor ball, the washing of the
sea having spoiled all their powder, but a little, which they used, at
their first landing, to provide themselves some food.

I asked him what he thought would become of them there, and if they had
formed any design of making their escape. He said they had many
consultations about it; but that having neither vessel, nor tools to
build one, nor provisions of any kind, their councils always ended in
te