countenance change at this, till of a sudden three
men were ordered to look after the boat, while the
other seven leapt on shore in order to search for
their companions; and, indeed, they came to the brow
of the hill, near my ancient castle, from whence they
could see to a great distance in the woods, and there
shooting and hallooing till tired and weary, they
at length seated themselves under a spreading tree.
My opinion was, that nothing could be done till night,
when I might use some artifice to get them all out
of the boat; but of a sudden they started up, and
made to the sea-side; hereupon I ordered Friday and
the Captain’s mate to go over the creek, and
halloo as loud as they could, and so decoying them
into the woods, come round to me again. And this,
indeed, had good effect; for they followed the noise,
till coming westward to the creek, they called for
their boat to carry them over, and taking one of the
men out of her, left two to look after her, having
fastened her to the stump of a little tree on shore.
Hereupon immediately the Captain and our party passing
the creek, out of their sight, we surprised them both,
by the Captain’s knocking down one, and ordering
the other in surrender upon pain of death, and who
being the honestest of them all, sincerely joined
with us. By this time it was pretty late; when
the rest returning to there boat, which they found
aground in the creek, the tide out, and the men gone,
they ran about wringing their hands, crying it was
an enchanted island, and that they should be all murdered
by spirits or devils. My men would willingly have
fallen upon them, but I would not agree to hazard any
of our party. But to be more certain, Friday
& the Captain crawled upon their hands & feet, as
near as possible; and when the boatswain approached
in sight, so eager was the Captain, that he fired
and killed him on the spot; Friday wounded the next
man, and a third ran away. Hereupon I advanced
with, my whole army: and, it being dark, I ordered
the man we had surprised in the boat, to call them
by their names, and to parley with them. Accordingly
he called out aloud, Tom Smith, Tom Smith! He
answered, Who’s that? Robinson! answered
the other. For God’s sake Tom, surrender
immediately, or you’re all dead men. Who
must we surrender to? says Smith. To our captain
and fifty men here, who have taken me prisoner, wounded
Will Frye, and killed the boatswain. Shall we
have quarter then? said he. Hereupon the Captain
calls out, You Smith, you know my voice, surrender
immediately, and you shall all have your lives granted,
except Will Atkins. Hereupon Atkins cries
out, What have I done Captain, more than the rest,
who have been as bad as me? But that was a lie,
for he was the person that laid hold of him, and bound
him. However, he was ordered to submit to the
governor’s mercy, for such was I called.
And so, laying down their arms, we bound them all,
and seized on their boat.