In this condition, like true seamen, who are, perhaps, the least of all mankind given to forethought, they gave it over, and away they strolled about the country again; and I heard one of them say aloud to another (calling them off from the boat), “Why, let her alone, Jack, can’t ye? she’ll float next tide.” By which I was fully confirmed in the main inquiry, of what countrymen they were.
All this while I kept myself close, not once daring to stir out of my castle, any farther than to my place of observation, near the top of the hill; and very glad I was to think how well it was fortified. I knew it was no less than ten hours before the boat could be on float again, and by that time it would be dark, and I might be more at liberty to see their motions, and to hear their discourse, if they had any.
In the meantime, I fitted myself up for a battle, as before, though with more caution, knowing I had to do with another kind of enemy than I had at first: I ordered Friday also, whom I had made an excellent marksman with his gun, to load himself with arms—I took myself two fowling-pieces and I gave him three muskets. My figure, indeed, was very fierce: I had my formidable goat-skin coat on, with the great cap I mentioned, a naked sword, two pistols in my belt, and a gun upon each shoulder.
It was my design, as I said above, not to have made any attempt till it was dark; but about two o’clock, being the heat of the day, I found that in short they were all gone straggling into the woods, and, as I thought, were all laid down to sleep. The three poor distressed men, too anxious for their condition to get any sleep, were, however, set down under the shelter of a great tree, at about a quarter of a mile from me, and, as I thought, out of sight of any of the rest.
Upon this I resolved to discover myself to them, and learn something of their condition. Immediately I marched in the figure above, my man Friday at a good distance behind me, as formidable for his arms as I, but not making quite so staring a spectre-like figure as I did.
I came as near them undiscovered as I could, and then, before any of them saw me, I called aloud to them in Spanish, “What are ye, gentlemen?”
They started up at the noise, but were ten times more confounded when they saw me, and the uncouth figure that I made—they made no answer at all, but I thought I perceived them just going to fly from me, when I spoke to them in English: “Gentlemen,” said I, “do not be surprised at me; perhaps you may have a friend near you, when you did not expect it.” He must be sent directly from Heaven, then,” said one of them very gravely to me, pulling off his hat at the same time, “for our condition is past the help of man.” “All help is from Heaven, sir!” said I: “but can you put a stranger in the way how to help you, for you seem to me to be in great distress? I saw you when you landed; and when you seemed to make application to the brutes that came with you, I saw one of them lift up his sword to kill you.”
The poor man, with tears running down his face, and trembling, looking like one astonished, returned, “Am I talking to God or man? Is it a real man or an angel?” “Be in no fear about that, sir!” said I: “if God had sent an angel to relieve you, he would have come better clothed, and better armed after another manner than you see me in. Pray, lay aside your fears: I am a man—an Englishman, and disposed to assist you; you see I have one servant only—we have arms and ammunition; tell us freely, can we serve you? What is your case?”
“Our case,” said he, “sir, is too long to tell you while our murderers are so near: but in short, sir, I was commander of that ship; my men having mutinied against me, they have been hardly prevailed on not to murder me, and at last have set me on shore in this desolate place, with these two men with me, one my mate, the other a passenger, where we expected to perish, believing the place to be uninhabited, and know not yet what to think of it.”