HOW THE MUTINEERS WERE SAVED. 417

And what must we do to prevent you killing us? Must we kill
you, or you will kill us? Why will you put us to the necessity
of this, Seignior Atkins?” says the Spaniard, very calm and
smiling.

Seignior Atkins was in such a rage at the Spaniard’s making a
jest of it, that had he not been held by three men, and withal had
no weapons with him, it was thought he would have attempted to
have killed the Spaniard in the middle of all the company.

This hair-brained carriage obliged them to consider seriously
what was to be done. The two Englishmen and the Spaniard who
saved the poor savage was of the opinion they should hang one of
the three for an example to the rest, and that, particularly, it
should be he that had twice attempted to commit murder with his
hatchet ; and indeed there was some reason to believe he had done
it, for the poor savage was in such a miserable condition with the
wound he had received, that it was thought he could not live.

But the governor Spaniard still said, ‘‘ No; it was an Englishman
that had saved all their lives, and he would never consent to put
an Englishman to death, though he had murdered half of them;
nay,” he said, “if he had been killed himself by an Englishman, and
had time left to speak, it should be that they would pardon him.”

This was so’ positively insisted on by the governor Spaniard,
that there was no gainsaying it; and as merciful counsels are most
apt to prevail where they are so earnestly pressed, so they all came
into it. But then it was to be considered what should be done to
keep them from doing the mischief they designed; for all agreed,
governor and all, that means were to be used for preserving the
society from danger. After a long debate it was agreed, first, that
they should be disarmed, and not permitted to have either gun, or
powder, or shot, or sword, or any weapon; and should be turned
out of the society, and left to live where they would, and how they
would, by themselves; but that none of the rest, either Spaniards
or English, should converse with them, speak with them, or have
anything to do with them: that they should be forbid to come
within a certain distance of the place where the rest dwelt; and
that if they offered to commit any disorder, so as to spoil, burn,
kill, or destroy any of the corn, plantings, buildings, fences, or