While my man Friday fired at them, I pulled out my knife, and cut the flags that bound the poor victim; and, loosing his hands and feet, I lifted him up, and asked him, in the Portuguese tongue, what he was? He answered in Latin, Christianus; but was so weak and faint, that he could scarce stand or speak. I took my bottle out of my pocket, and gave it him, making signs that he should drink, which he did; and I gave him a piece of bread, which he ate: then I asked him what countryman he was? and he said, “Espagnole;” and being a little recovered, let me know, by all the signs he could possibly make, how much he was in my debt for his deliverance. “Seignor,” said I, with as much Spanish as I could make up, “we will talk afterwards, but we must fight now; if you have any strength left, take this pistol and sword, and lay about you:” he took them very thank-fully, and no sooner had he the arms in his hands, but, as if they had put new vigour into him, he flew upon his murderers like a fury, and had cut two of them in pieces in an instant; for the truth is, as the whole was a surprise to them, so the poor creatures were so much frighted with the noise of our pieces, that they fell down for mere amazement and fear, and had no more power to attempt their own escape, than their flesh had to resist our shot—and that was the case of those five that Friday shot in the boat; for as three of them fell with the hurt they received, so the other two fell with the fright.
There Happened a Fierce Engagement between the Spaniard and One of the Savages.
I kept my piece in my hand still, without firing, being willing to keep my charge ready, because I had given the Spaniard my pistol and sword; so I called to Friday, and bade him run up the tree from whence we first fired, and fetch the arms which lay there, that had been discharged, which he did with great swiftness; and then, giving him my musket, I sat down myself to load all the rest again, and bade them come to me when they wanted. While I was loading those pieces, there happened a fierce engagement between the Spaniard and one of the savages, who made at him with one of their great wooden swords, the same weapon that was to have killed him before, if I had not prevented it: the Spaniard, who was as bold and as brave as could be imagined, though weak, had fought this Indian a good while, and had cut him two great wounds on his head; but the savage, being a stout, lusty fellow, closing in with him, had thrown him down (being faint), and was wringing my sword out of his hand, when the Spaniard, though undermost, wisely quitting his sword, drew the pistol from his girdle, shot the savage through the body, and killed him upon the spot, before I, who was running to help, could come near him.
Friday being now left at his liberty, pursued the flying wretches with no weapon in his hand but his hatchet; and with that he despatched those three, who, as I said before, were wounded at first, and fallen, and all the rest he could come up with; and the Spaniard coming to me for a gun, I gave him one of the fowling-pieces, with which he pursued two of the savages, and wounded them both: but, as he was not able to run, they both got from him into the wood, where Friday pursued them, and killed one of them; but the other was too nimble for him; and, though he was wounded, yet he plunged into the sea, and swam with all his might off to those who were left in the canoe; which three in the canoe, with one wounded, who we knew not whether he died or no, were all that escaped our hands of one-and-twenty. The account of the rest is as follows:—