360 OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.

and all this while they were not able to sce who hurt them, or which
way to fly.

The Spaniards charged again with the utmost expedition, and then
divided themselves into three bodies, and resolved to fall in among
them all together. They had in each body eight persons; that is to
say, twenty-four, whereof were twenty-two men, and the two women,
who, by the way, fought desperately.

They divided the firearms equally in each party, and so of the hal-
berts and staves. They would have had the women keep back; but
they said they were resolved to die with their husbands. Tlaving thus
formed their little army, they marched out from among the trees, and
came up to the teeth of the enemy, shouting and hallooing as loud as
they conld. The savages stood all together, but were in the utmost
confusion, hearing the noise of our men shouting from three quarters
together: they would have fought if they had seen us; and as soon
as we came near enough to be seen, some arrows were shot, and poor
old Friday was wounded, though not dangerously. But our men gave
them no time, but running up to them, fired among them three ways,
and then fell in with the butt ends of their muskets, their swords,
armed staves, and hatchets; and laid about them so well, that ina
word they set up a dismal screaming and howling, flying to save their
lives which way soever they could.

Our men were tired with the exeeution, and killed, or mortally
wounded, in the two fights, about one hundred and eighty of them ;
the rest being frighted out of their wits, scoured through the woods
and over the hills, with all the speed that fear and nimble feet could
help them to do: and as we did not trouble ourselves much to pursue
them, they got all together to the sea-side, where they landed, and
where their canoes lay. But their disaster was not at an end yet, for
it blew a terrible storm of wind that evening from the sea-ward, so
that it was impossible for them to put off; nay, the storm continuing
all night, when the tide came up their canoes were most of them driven
by the surge of the sea so high upon the shore, that it required in-
finite toil to get them off; and some of them were even dashed ‘to
pieces against the beach, or against one another.

Our men, though glad of their victory, yet got little rest that night ;
but having refreshed themselves as well as they could, they resolved te
march to that part of the island where the savages were fled, and see
what posture they were in. This necessarily led them over the place
where the fight had been, and where they found several of the poor
creatures not quite dead, and yet past recovering life—a sight dis-
agreeable enough to generous minds; for a truly great man, though