Page:A general history of the pyrates, from their first rise and settlement in the Island of Providence, to the present time (1724).djvu/131

ſhoar by Seven o’Clock. When the Pyrates came aboard, they cut three of our wounded Men to Pieces. I, with a few of my People, made what haſte I could to the King’s-Town, twenty five Miles from us, where I arrived next Day, almoſt dead with Fatigue and Loſs of Blood, having been ſorely wounded in the Head by a Musket Ball.

At this Town I heard that the Pyrates had offered ten thouſand Dollars to the Country People to bring me in, which many of them would have accepted, only they knew the King and all his chief People were in my Interest. Mean time, I cauſed a Report to be ſpread, that I was dead of my Wounds, which much abated their Fury. About ten Days after, being pretty well recovered, and hoping the Malice of our Enemies was nigh over, I began to conſider the diſmal Condition we were reduced to, being in a Place where we had no Hopes of getting a Paſſage home, all of us in a manner naked, not having had Time to get another Shirt, or a Pair of Shoes.

Having obtained Leave to go on Board the Pyrates, and a Promiſe of Safety, ſeveral of the Chief of them knew me, and ſome of them had ſailed with me, which I found of great Advantage; becauſe, notwithſtanding their Promiſe, ſome of them would have cut me, and all that would not enter with them, to Pieces, had it not been for the chief Captain, Edward England, and ſome others I knew. They talked of burning one of their Ships, which we had ſo entirely diſabled, as to be no farther uſeful to them, and to fit the Caſſandra in her room; but in the End I managed my Tack ſo well, that they made me a Preſent of the ſaid ſhattered Ship, which was Dutch built, called the Fancy, about three hundred Tons, and alſo a hundred and twenty nine Bales of the Company’s Cloth, tho’ they would not give me a Rag of my Cloathes.

They ſailed the 3d of September; and with Jury-Maſts, and ſuch old Sails as they left me, I made ſhift to do the like on the 8th, together with forty three of my Ship’s Crew, including two Paſſengers and twelve Soldiers, having but five Tons of Water aboard; and after a Paſſage of

forty