ese
brutes, your enemies?" said I: "Do you know where they are
gone?"--"There they lie, Sir," said he, pointing to a thicket of trees;
"my heart trembles for fear they have seen us, and heard you speak; if
they have, they will certainly murder us all."--"Have they any
fire-arms?" said I. He answered, "they had only two pieces, one of which
they left in the boat." "Well then," said I, "leave the rest to me; I
see they are all asleep, it is an easy thing to kill them all: but shall
we rather take them prisoners?" He told me there were two desperate
villains among them, that it was scarce safe to show any mercy to; but
if they were secured, he believed all the rest would return to their
duty. I asked him which they were? He told me he could not at that
distance distinguish them, but he would obey my orders in any thing I
would direct. "Well," says I, "let us retreat out of their view or
hearing, lest they awake, and we will resolve further." So they
willingly went back with me, till the woods covered us from them.

"Look you, Sir," said I, "if I venture upon your deliverance, are you
willing to make two conditions with me?" He anticipated my proposals, by
telling me, that both he and the ship, if recovered, should be wholly
directed and commanded by me in every thing; and, if the ship was not
recovered, he would live and die with me in what part of the world
soever I would send him; and the two other men said the same. "Well,"
says I, "my conditions are but two: first, That while you stay in this
island with me, you will not pretend to any authority here; and if I put
arms in your hands, you will, upon all occasions, give them up to me,
and do no prejudice to me or mine upon this island; and, in the mean
time, be governed by my orders: secondly, That if the ship is, or may be
recovered, you will carry me and my man to England, passage free."

He gave me all the assurances that the invention or faith of man could
devise, that he would comply with these most reasonable demands; and,
besides, would owe his life to me, and acknowledge it upon all
occasions, as long as he lived. "Well then," said I, "here are three
muskets for you, with powder and ball: tell me next what you think is
proper to be done." He showed all the testimonies of his gratitude that
he was able, but offered to be wholly guided by me. I told him I thought
it was hard venturing any thing; but the best method I could think of
was to fire upon them at once, a