306 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF

by the gods with thander and lightning, and could see nobody
that hurt them. But Will Atkins, staying to load again, dis-
covered 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 dis-
abled, were made outrageous by their wounds, and fought like
madmen,

When our men retreated, they left the Spaniard and the
Englishman that were killed behind them: and the savages,
when they came up to them, killed them over again in a
wretched manner, breaking their arms, legs, and heads, with
their clubs and wooden swords, like true savages 3 but finding
our men were gone, they did not seem inclined to pursue them,
but drew themselves up ina ring, which is, it seems, their
custom, and shouted twice, in token of their victory; after
which, they had the mortification to see several of their
wounded men fall, dying with the mere loss of blood.

The Spaniard governor having drawn his little body up
together upon a rising ground, Atkins, though he was wounded,
would have had them march and charge again all together at
once: but the Spaniard replied, “Seignior Atkins, you see
how their wounded men fight; let them alone till morning ;
all the wounded men will be stiff and sore with their wounds,
and faint with the loss of blood; and so we shall have the
fewer to engage.” This advice was good: but Will Atkins
replied merrily, “That is true, seignior, and so shall I too;
and that is the reason I would go on while I am warm.”
“Well, Seignior Atkins,” says the Spaniard, “ you have behaved
gallantly, and done your part; we will fight for you if you

2