stakes, which in time all grew up to be trees, for some good
distance before the entrance into my apartments, they went on in
the same manner, and filled up the rest of that whole space of
ground from the trees I had set quite down to the side of the
creek, where I landed my floats, and even into the very ooze where
the tide flowed, not so much as leaving any place to land, or any
sign that there had been any landing thereabouts: these stakes
also being of a wood very forward to grow, they took care to have
them generally much larger and taller than those which I had
planted. As they grew apace, they planted them so very thick and
close together, that when they had been three or four years grown
there was no piercing with the eye any considerable way into the
plantation. As for that part which I had planted, the trees were
grown as thick as a man’s thigh, and among them they had placed so
many other short ones, and so thick, that it stood like a palisado
a quarter of a mile thick, and it was next to impossible to
penetrate it, for a little dog could hardly get between the trees,
they stood so close.
But this was not all; for they did the same by all the ground to
the right hand and to the left, and round even to the side of the
hill, leaving no way, not so much as for themselves, to come out
but by the ladder placed up to the side of the hill, and then
lifted up, and placed again from the first stage up to the top: so
that when the ladder was taken down, nothing but what had wings or
witchcraft to assist it could come at them. This was excellently
well contrived: nor was it less than what they afterwards found
occasion for, which served to convince me, that as human prudence
has the authority of Providence to justify it, so it has doubtless
the direction of Providence to set it to work; and if we listened
carefully to the voice of it, I am persuaded we might prevent many
of the disasters which our lives are now, by our own negligence,
subjected to.
They lived two years after this in perfect retirement, and had no
more visits from the savages. They had, indeed, an alarm given
them one morning, which put them into a great consternation; for
some of the Spaniards being out early one morning on the west side
or end of the island (which was that end where I never went, for
fear of being discovered), they were surprised with seeing about
twenty canoes of Indians just coming on shore. They made the best
of their way home in hurry enough; and giving the alarm to their
comrades, they kept close all that day and the next, going out only
at night to make their observation: but they had the good luck to
be undiscovered, for wherever the savages went, they did not land
that time on the island, but pursued some other design.
CHAPTER IV – RENEWED INVASION OF SAVAGES
AND now they had another broil with the three Englishmen; one of
whom, a most turbulent fellow, being in a rage at one of the three
captive slaves, because the fellow had not done something right
which he bade him do, and seemed a little untractable in his
showing him, drew a hatchet out of a frog-belt which he wore by his
side, and fell upon the poor savage, not to correct him, but to
kill him. One of the Spaniards who was by, seeing him give the
fellow a barbarous cut with the hatchet, which he aimed at his
head, but stuck into his shoulder, so that he thought he had cut
the poor creature’s arm off, ran to him, and entreating him not to
murder the poor man, placed himself between him and the savage, to
prevent the mischief. The fellow, being enraged the more at this,
struck at the Spaniard with his hatchet, and swore he would serve
him as he intended to serve the savage; which the Spaniard