290 THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

the strong inclination I had to see my island, and to know if the poor
Spaniards were in being there; and how the rogues I left there had
used them.

My true friend the widow earnestly dissuaded me from it, and so far
prevailed with me, that almost for seven years she prevented my run-
ning abroad; during which time I took my two nephews, the children
of one of my brothers, into my care: the eldest having something of
his own, I bred up as a gentleman, and gave him a settlement of some
addition to his estate, after my decease; the other I put out to a cap-
tain of a ship: and after five years, finding him a sensible, bold, enter-
prising young fellow, I put him into a good ship, and sent him to sea;
and this young fellow afterwards drew me in, as old as I was, te
farther adventures myself.

In the meantime, I in part settled myself here: for, first of all, I
married, and that not cither to my disadvantage or dissatisfaction ; and
had three children, two sons and one daughter; but my wife dying,
and my nephew coming home with good success from a voyage to Spain,
my inclination to go abroad, and his importunity, prevailed and en-
gaged me to go in his ship, as a private trader to the East Indies: this
was in the year 1694.

In this voyage I visited my new colony in the island, saw my suc-
cessors 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; 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 acci-
dents, as my own part, particularly also as to their battles with the
Caribbeans, who landed several times upon the island, and as to the
improvement they made upon the island itself, and how five of them
made an attempt upon the mainland, 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, tools, and two
workmen, which I brought from England with me, viz., a carpenter
and a smith.

Besides this, I shared the island into parts with them, reserved to
myself the property of the whole, but gave them such parts respect-
ively 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, beside