登陆注册
5380100000126

第126章 A GREAT VICTORY(1)

IT was five or six months after this before they heard any more of the savages, in which time our men were in hopes they had either forgot their former bad luck, or given over hopes of better; when, on a sudden, they were invaded with a most formidable fleet of no less than eight-and-twenty canoes, full of savages, armed with bows and arrows, great clubs, wooden swords, and such like engines of war; and they brought such numbers with them, that, in short, it put all our people into the utmost consternation.

As they came on shore in the evening, and at the easternmost side of the island, our men had that night to consult and consider what to do.In the first place, knowing that their being entirely concealed was their only safety before and would be much more so now, while the number of their enemies would be so great, they resolved, first of all, to take down the huts which were built for the two Englishmen, and drive away their goats to the old cave;

because they supposed the savages would go directly thither, as soon as it was day, to play the old game over again, though they did not now land within two leagues of it.In the next place, they drove away all the flocks of goats they had at the old bower, as I called it, which belonged to the Spaniards; and, in short, left as little appearance of inhabitants anywhere as was possible; and the next morning early they posted themselves, with all their force, at the plantation of the two men, to wait for their coming.As they guessed, so it happened: these new invaders, leaving their canoes at the east end of the island, came ranging along the shore, directly towards the place, to the number of two hundred and fifty, as near as our men could judge.Our army was but small indeed;

but, that which was worse, they had not arms for all their number.

The whole account, it seems, stood thus: first, as to men, seventeen Spaniards, five Englishmen, old Friday, the three slaves taken with the women, who proved very faithful, and three other slaves, who lived with the Spaniards.To arm these, they had eleven muskets, five pistols, three fowling-pieces, five muskets or fowling-pieces which were taken by me from the mutinous seamen whom I reduced, two swords, and three old halberds.

To their slaves they did not give either musket or fusee; but they had each a halberd, or a long staff, like a quarter-staff, with a great spike of iron fastened into each end of it, and by his side a hatchet; also every one of our men had a hatchet.Two of the women could not be prevailed upon but they would come into the fight, and they had bows and arrows, which the Spaniards had taken from the savages when the first action happened, which I have spoken of, where the Indians fought with one another; and the women had hatchets too.

The chief Spaniard, whom I described so often, commanded the whole;

and Will Atkins, who, though a dreadful fellow for wickedness, was a most daring, bold fellow, commanded under him.The savages came forward like lions; and our men, which was the worst of their fate, had no advantage in their situation; only that Will Atkins, who now proved a most useful fellow, with six men, was planted just behind a small thicket of bushes as an advanced guard, with orders to let the first of them pass by and then fire into the middle of them, and as soon as he had fired, to make his retreat as nimbly as he could round a part of the wood, and so come in behind the Spaniards, where they stood, having a thicket of trees before them.

When the savages came on, they ran straggling about every way in heaps, out of all manner of order, and Will Atkins let about fifty of them pass by him; then seeing the rest come in a very thick throng, he orders three of his men to fire, having loaded their muskets with six or seven bullets apiece, about as big as large pistol-bullets.How many they killed or wounded they knew not, but the consternation and surprise was inexpressible among the savages;

they were frightened to the last degree to hear such a dreadful noise, and see their men killed, and others hurt, but see nobody that did it; when, in the middle of their fright, Will Atkins and his other three let fly again among the thickest of them; and in less than a minute the first three, being loaded again, gave them a third volley.

Had Will Atkins and his men retired immediately, as soon as they had fired, as they were ordered to do, or had the rest of the body been at hand to have poured in their shot continually, the savages had been effectually routed; for the terror that was among them came principally from this, that they were killed by the gods with thunder and lightning, and could see nobody that hurt them.But Will Atkins, staying to load again, discovered the cheat: some of the savages who were at a distance spying them, came upon them behind; and though Atkins and his men fired at them also, two or three times, and killed above twenty, retiring as fast as they could, yet they wounded Atkins himself, and killed one of his fellow-Englishmen with their arrows, as they did afterwards one Spaniard, and one of the Indian slaves who came with the women.

This slave was a most gallant fellow, and fought most desperately, killing five of them with his own hand, having no weapon but one of the armed staves and a hatchet.

Our men being thus hard laid at, Atkins wounded, and two other men killed, retreated to a rising ground in the wood; and the Spaniards, after firing three volleys upon them, retreated also;

for their number was so great, and they were so desperate, that though above fifty of them were killed, and more than as many wounded, yet they came on in the teeth of our men, fearless of danger, and shot their arrows like a cloud; and it was observed that their wounded men, who were not quite disabled, were made outrageous by their wounds, and fought like madmen.

同类推荐
  • 李太白全集

    李太白全集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 经义模范

    经义模范

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Autobiography of Ben Franklin

    The Autobiography of Ben Franklin

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 江阴城守纪

    江阴城守纪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 法华五百问论

    法华五百问论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 明伦汇编人事典掩胔部

    明伦汇编人事典掩胔部

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说梵摩难国王经

    佛说梵摩难国王经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 长安

    长安

    江陵沈氏与洛阳王氏联姻,生女沈如。此女贤良淑静,嫁南平王郑源,虽无独宠,却夫妻举案齐眉,沈如觉得,此般生活甚好。相府嫡女沈如遭南平王休弃,生女长安。此女三岁才能走,五岁方能言,七岁仍说话不太利落,人称痴儿,郑长安觉得,此般生活甚好。若生活永远只停留在最初,便不会生出许多怨憎痴恨……
  • 爱情密码

    爱情密码

    在这变化想涨潮一样快的时代里,夏伟婷还不知道自己与他生命中唯一的男人还有这许多不为人知的故事。豪华的别墅,若大的软床,男人和女人交织在一起,恩爱有加,缠缠绵无尽。呢喃的情话耳鬓厮磨,男人有力的臂膀环绕着夏伟婷,在她的耳边轻轻的低语:“老婆,明天我带你去见我妈。”女人点点头,心里甜蜜,脸上洋溢着幸福的光芒。“宇,你……”“老婆,睡吧,明天我……
  • 无血战争

    无血战争

    “阿麦,附近发现了还在运作的友方机器吗?”莎拉·班尼特低声问道。她强咽了一口唾沫,试图按捺住心中越来越剧烈的恐慌,仿佛那恐慌随时都会蹦出嗓子眼儿。我不是士兵,只是个给计算机编程的女人!我不知道我在干什么,肯定是哪儿出错了!自主军用智能机器人阿麦,语调平静、不带感情色彩地在她的耳朵里说:“往北约一公里有个修理厂,看上去完好,但极有可能已被敌人动过。靠近需谨慎。”
  • 古典诗词背后的美容秘笈:愿得一心人,晓来画新妆

    古典诗词背后的美容秘笈:愿得一心人,晓来画新妆

    杨玉环额间的花钿述说着那一年的劫难;卓文君的远山眉是相思时的寂寥叹息;神仙玉女粉抹去武如意的憔悴,却充斥着不肯见白头的无力;赵飞燕的息肌丸能使掌中舞,却对身体造成了不可修复的伤害……绝佳的妆容和体态一步步塑造,情人的心意却难以抓牢。他爱你时,可以拱手江山讨你欢,不爱你时,你就是一朵塑料花,再美也仿佛失去了生命。
  • 异事

    异事

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 有种后宫叫德妃

    有种后宫叫德妃

    初入宫,岚琪只是不起眼的小宫女,兢兢业业伺候着自己的主子,从未想有飞上枝头的那一天。那一场大雨,玄烨为亡妻悲伤的身影留在了她心里。很多时候,很多事情,冥冥之中自有安排。为了维护自家主子,乌雅岚琪不惜栽赃当今万岁爷。年轻的皇帝,只想吓唬这个不知天高地厚的小宫女,没想到,那双充满善良与温柔的眼睛,却深深进了他的心。“奴婢是想……”龙榻之上,乌雅岚琪情不自禁地紧紧盯着皇帝,要把他刻在眼睛里似的,“您连江山都担得,背一次黑锅算什么。”
  • 科学育儿0~6岁(健康女人时尚阅读书系)

    科学育儿0~6岁(健康女人时尚阅读书系)

    我们依据大量的国内外科学育儿资料,结合成功妈妈育儿的实践经验,通过对各种教育理论的深入研究,精心编写了这本《科学育儿0~6岁》,全书包括“如何培养一个聪明的宝宝”“科学育儿0~6岁最关键”“科学育儿技巧‘0’岁宝宝篇”“科学育儿技巧‘1~2’岁宝宝篇”“科学育儿技巧‘2~3’岁宝宝篇”“科学育儿技巧‘4~6’岁宝宝篇”等章节。
  • 生存密码之青春密码:人生是场修行

    生存密码之青春密码:人生是场修行

    俗话说“爱拼才会赢”,为何我们提“奋斗才会赢”? 冷静分析,不难找出答案。人生短暂,要想成就一番事业,必须保持“奋斗才会赢”的精神,方能把握机遇,实现成功。奋斗,起于一个“奋”字。“奋”是一种态度、一种气魄、一种谋略,奋斗才会赢,落于一个“斗”字。再好的蓝图,如果不去斗,就无法实现,就是空谈。《人生是场修行》就是一本关于奋斗智慧的美文集。