522 HOW THE AFFRAY ROSE. As soon as we were got from between the ship and the shore, that she could lay her side to the shore, she ran along just by them, and we poured in a broadside among them, loaded with pieces of iron and lead, small bullets, and such stuff, besides the great shot; which made a terrible havoc amongst them. When we were got on board and out of danger, we had time to examine into the occasion of this fray. And, indeed, our super- cargo, who had been often in those parts, put me upon it; for, he said, he was sure the inhabitants would not have touched us after we had made a truce, if we had not done something to provoke them to it. At length it came out; namely, that an old woman, who had come to sell us some milk, had brought it within our poles, with a young woman with her, who also brought some roots or herbs ; and while the old woman, (whether she was mother to the young woman or no, they could not tell,) was selling us the milk, one of our men offered some rudeness to the wench that was with her, at which the old woman made a great noise. How- ever, the seaman would not quit his prize, but carried her out of the old woman’s sight among the trees, it being almost dark. The old woman went away without her, and, as we suppose, made an outcry among the people she came from, who, upon notice, raised this great army upon us in three or four hours; and it was great odds but we had been all destroyed. One of our men was killed with a lance thrown at him just at the beginning of the attack, as he sallied out of the tent they had made. The rest came off free, all but the fellow who was the occasion of all the mischief, who paid dear enough for his black mistress; for we could not hear what became of him a great while. We lay upon the shore two days after, though the wind presented, and made signals for him ; made our boat sail up shore and down shore several leagues, but in vain. So we were obliged to give him over; and if he alone had suffered for it, the loss had been the less. I could not satisfy myself, however, without venturing on shore once more, to try if I could learn anything of him or them. It was the third night after the action, that I had a great mind to learn, if I could by any means, what mischief we had done, and