In this voyage I visited my new colony in the island, saw my successors the Spaniards, had the whole story of their lives, and of the villains I left there; how at first they insulted the poor Spaniards, how they afterwards agreed, disagreed, united, separated, and how at last the Spaniards were obliged to use violence with them; how they were subjected to the Spaniards; how honestly the Spaniards used them; a history if it were entered into, as full of variety and wonderful accidents as my own part; particularly also as to their battles with the Caribbeans, who landed several times upon the island itself, and how five of them made an attempt upon the main land, and brought away eleven men and five women prisoners; by which, at my coming I found about twenty young children on the island.
Here I stayed about twenty days; left them supplies of all necessary things, and particularly of arms, powder, shot, clothes and tools. I also left two workmen there, which I had brought from England with me, namely, a carpenter and a smith.
Besides this, I shared the land into parts with them, reserved to myself the property of the whole, but gave them such parts respectively as they agreed on; and, having settled all things with them, and engaged them not to leave the place, I left them there.
From thence I touched at the Brazils, from whence I sent a bark, which I bought there, with more people to the island; and in it, besides other supplies, I sent seven women, being such as I found proper for service, or for wives to such as would take them. As to the Englishmen, I promised them to send them some women from England, with a good cargo of necessaries, if they would apply themselves to planting, which I afterwards could not perform. The fellows proved very honest and diligent after they were mastered, and had their properties set apart for them. I sent them also from the Brazils five cows, some sheep, and some hogs, which, when I came again, were considerably increased.
But all these things, with an account of how 300 Caribbees came and invaded them, and ruined their plantations; how they fought with that whole number twice, and were at first defeated and one of them killed; but at last a storm destroying their enemies’ canoes, they famished or destroyed almost all the rest, and renewed and recovered the possession of their plantation, and still lived upon the island;—all these things, with some very surprising incidents in some new adventures of my own for ten years more, I may, perhaps, give a farther account of hereafter.
THE END