No canoes appearing soon after, as I expected, my apprehensions ceased:  instead of which my former thoughts of a voyage took place, especially when Friday’s father assured me, I should have good usage in his nation.  As to the Spaniard, he told me, that sixteen more of his countrymen and Portuguese, who had been shipwrecked, made their escape thither; that though they were in union with the savages, yet they were very miserable for want of provisions and other necessaries.  When I asked him about the particulars of his voyage, he answered that their ship was bound from the Rio de la Plata to the Havannah; that when the ship was lost, only five men perished in the ocean; the rest having saved themselves in the boat, were now landed on the main continent.  ’And what do they intend to do there?’ said I. He replied, they have concerted measures to escape, by building a vessel, but that they had neither tools nor provisions, for that all their designs came to nothing.  ’Supposing, said I, I should make a proposal, and invite them here, would they not carry me prisoner to New Spain?’ he answered no; for he knew them to be such honest men, as would scorn to act such inhuman baseness to their deliverer:  That, if I pleased, he and the old savage would go over to them, talk with them about it, and bring me an answer:  That they should all swear fidelity to me as their leader, upon the Holy Sacrament; and for his, part he would not only do the same, but stand to the last drop of his blood should there be occasion.

These solemn assurances made me resolve to grant them relief, and to send these two over for that purpose; but when every thing was ready, the Spaniard raised an objection, which carried a great deal of weight in it:  You know, Sir, said he, that having been some time with you, I cannot but be sensible of your stock of rice and corn, sufficient, perhaps for us at present, but not for them, should they come over presently; much less to victual a vessel for an intended voyage.  Want might be as great an occasion for them to disagree and rebel, as the children of Israel did against God himself, when they wanted to break bread in the wilderness.  And therefore, my advice is to await another harvest and in the mean time cultivate and improve more land, whereby we may have plenty of provisions in order to execute our design.

This advice of the Spaniard’s I approved extremely; and so satisfied was I of his fidelity that I esteemed him ever after.  And thus we all four went to work upon some more land, and against seed time we had gotten so much cured and trimmed up sufficient to sow twenty-two bushels of barley on, and sixteen jars of rice, which was in short all the feed we had to spare.  As we were four in number and by this time all in good health, we feared not a hundred Indians should they venture to attack us; and while the corn was growing, I pitched upon some trees, fit to build us a large vessel in case the Spaniards came over;