rdened in it now by
desperation, and would carry it on, knowing that, if they were subdued,
they would be brought to the gallows as soon as they came to England, or
to any of the English colonies; and that, therefore, there would be no
attacking them with so small a number as we were.

I mused for some time upon what he had said, and found it was a very
rational conclusion, and that, therefore, something was to be resolved
on speedily, as well to draw the men on board into some snare for their
surprise, as to prevent their landing upon us, and destroying us. Upon
this, it presently occurred to me, that in a little while the ship's
crew, wondering what was become of their comrades, and of the boat,
would certainly come on shore in their other boat, to look for them;
and that then, perhaps, they might come armed, and be too strong for us:
this he allowed to be rational. Upon this, I told him the first thing we
had to do was to stave the boat, which lay upon the beach, so that they
might not carry her off: and taking every thing out of her, leave her so
far useless as not to be fit to swim: accordingly we went on board, took
the arms which were left on board out of her, and whatever else we found
there, which was a bottle of brandy, and another of rum, a few
biscuit-cakes, a horn of powder, and a great lump of sugar in a piece of
canvass (the sugar was five or six pounds;) all which was very welcome
to me, especially the brandy and sugar, of which I had none left for
many years.

When we had carried all these things on shore, (the oars, mast, sail,
and rudder of the boat were carried away before, as above,) we knocked a
great hole in her bottom, that if they had come strong enough to master
us, yet they could not carry off the boat. Indeed, it was not much in my
thoughts that we could be able to recover the ship; but my view was,
that if they went away without the boat, I did not much question to make
her fit again to carry us to the Leeward Islands, and call upon our
friends the Spaniards in my way; for I had them still in my thoughts.

While we were thus preparing our designs, and had first, by main
strength, heaved the boat upon the beach so high, that the tide would
not float her off at high water mark, and besides, had broke a hole in
her bottom too big to be quickly stopped, and were set down musing what
we should do, we heard the ship fire a gun, and saw her make a waft with
her ensign as a signal for the boat to