Part 18 (1/2)

When they had set theood way into the creek, and as it were, in a harbour within the land, they took one of the threewith the fastened her to the stump of a little tree on the shore

This hat I wished for, and i Friday and the captain'sthe creek out of their sight, we surprized the twoon shore, and the other being in the boat; the fellow on shore, was between sleeping and waking, and going to start up, the captain as foremost, ran in upon him, and knocked him down, and then called out to him in the boat, to yield, or he was a dead le man to yield, when he saw five men upon him, and his comrade knocked down; besides, this was it seems one of the three ere not so hearty in the mutiny as the rest of the crew, and therefore was easily persuaded, not only to yield, but afterwards to join very sincere with us

In the ed their business with the rest, that they drew the, from one hill to another, and from one wood to another, till they not only heartily tired them but left them, where they were very sure they could not reach back to the boat, before it was dark; and indeed they were heartily tired themselves also by the ti now to do, but to watch for them, in the dark, and to fall upon them, so as to make sure ith them

It was several hours after Friday came back to me before they came back to their boat; and we could hear the fore to those behind to co; and could also hear them answer, and co able to come any faster, which was very welcoth they came up to the boat; but it is impossible to express their confusion, when they found the boat fast aground in the creek, the tide ebbed out, and their two one: we could hear the one another they were gotten into an enchanted island; that either there were inhabitants in it, and they should all be murdered; or else there were devils or spirits in it, and they should be all carried away and devoured

They hallooed again, and called their two coreat many times, but no answer: after soht there was, run about wringing their hands, like o and sit down in the boat to rest theain, and so the saiven them leave to fall upon the to take thee, so to spare them, and kill as few of the to hazard the killing any of ourthe other men were very well armed: I resolved to wait to see if they did not separate; and therefore, to make sure of them, I drew my ambuscade nearer; and ordered Friday and the captain to creep upon their hands and feet as close to the ground as they could, that they et as near them as they could possibly, before they offered to fire

They had not been long in that posture, till the boatswain, as the principal ringleader of the mutiny, and had non himself thetowards theer, at having the principal rogue so much in his power, that he could hardly have patience to let him coue before: but when they ca up on their feet, let fly at them

The boatsas killed upon the spot; the next h he did not die till an hour or two after; and the third ran for it

At the noise of the fire, I iht eneral; the captain and his two men, and the three prisoners of hom he had trusted with arms

We came upon them indeed in the dark, so that they could not see our number; and I made the man they had left in the boat, as now one of us, to call the theht perhaps reduce them to terms; which fell out just as we desired: for indeed it was easy to think, as their condition then was, they would be very-willing to capitulate; so he calls out, as loud as he could, to one of them, ”Tom Smith, Tom Smith” Tom Smith answered immediately, ”Who's that? Robinson?” For it seems he knew his voice The other answered, ”Ay, ay; for God's sake, Tom Smith, thron your arms, and yield, or you are all dead men this moment”

”Who ain ”Here they are,” says he; ”here is our captain and fiftyyou this two hours; the boatswain is killed, Will Frye is wounded, and I am a prisoner; and if you do not yield, your are all lost”

”Will they give us quarter then?” says Too and ask, if you promise to yield,” says Robinson So he asked the captain, and the captain himself then calls out, ”You Smith, you know my voice, if you lay down your arms immediately, and submit, you shall have your lives, all but Will Atkins”

Upon this Will Atkins cried out, ”For God's sake, captain, give me quarter: what have I done? they have been all as bad us I,” (which by the as not true, either; for it seems this Will Atkins was the first man that laid hold of the captain when they first iving hie:) however, the captain told hiovernor's overnor

In a word, they all laid down their ared their lives; and I sent the man that had parleyed with thereat army of fifty ht, came up and seized upon them all, and upon their boat, only that I kept ht, for reasons of state

Our next as to repair the boat, and to think of seizing the shi+p; and as for the captain, now he had leisure to parley with them, he expostulated with theth, upon the farther wickedness of their design; and how certainly ittheallows

They all appeared very penitent, and begged hard for their lives: as for that, he told them they were none of his prisoners, but the coht they had set him on shore in a barren uninhabited island; but it had pleased God so to direct theovernor was an English theiven theland, to be dealt with there as justice required, except Atkins, whoovernor to advise to prepare for death; for that he would be hanged in the h this was all a fiction of his own, yet it had its desired effect

Atkins fell upon his knees to beg the captain to intercede with the governor for his life; and all the rest begged of hiland

It now occurred to me, that the time of our deliverance was co these fellows in to be hearty in getting possession of the shi+p; so I retired in the dark froovernor they had, and called the captain to ood distance, one of the ain, and say to the captain, ”Captain, the commander calls for you;” and presently the captain replied, ”Tell his excellency I a” This more perfectly amused them; and they all believed that the commander was just by with his fiftytothe shi+p, which he liked wonderfully well, and resolved to put it in execution the next

But, in order to execute it with more art, and to be secure of success, I told hio and take Atkins, and two more of the worst of them, and send them pinioned to the cave where the others lay: this was committed to Friday, and the two men who came on shore with the captain

They conveyed them to the cave, as to a prison; and it was indeed a dismal place, especially to men in their condition