It was still above two Years after this that I remain’d in the Island; nor could I, in all that Time, find any probable Means for removing my self with Safety.
One of the Ways I thought to have made my Escape was this: I went to Sea in a Long-boat a fishing, (as we often did) and having a Sail to the Boat, we were out two or three Days together; at length it came into my Thoughts that we might Cruise about the Island in this Long-boat, a great Way, and perhaps some Adventure might happen to us which we might make something of; so I told them I had a Mind to make a Voyage with the Long-boat to see what would happen.
To this Purpose we built upon her, made a State-Room in the Middle, and clapt four Patareroes upon her Gunnel, and away we went, being sixteen stout Fellows in the Boat, not reckoning my self: Thus we ran away, as it were, from the rest of our Crew, tho’ not a Man of us knew our own Minds as to whither we were going, or upon what Design. In this Frolick we ran South quite away to the Bay of St. Angustine’s, in the Latitude of 24 Degrees, where the Ships from Europe often put in for Water and Provisions.
Here we put in, not knowing well what to do next; I thought myself disappointed very much
that we saw no European Ship here, tho’ afterwards I saw my Mistake, and found that it was better for us that we were in that Port first: We went boldly on Shore; for as to the Natives, we understood how to manage them well enough, knew all their Customs, and the Manner of their treating with Strangers as to Peace or War; their Temper, and how to oblige them, or behave if they were disoblig’d; so we went, I say, boldly on Shore, and there we began to chaffer with them for some Provisions, such as we wanted.
We had not been here above two or three Days, but that, early in the Morning, the Weather thick and haizy, we heard several Guns fire at Sea; we were not at a Loss to know what they meant, and that it was certainly some European Ships coming in, and who gave the Signal to one another that they had made the Land, which they could easily see from the Sea, tho’ we, who were also within the Bay, could not see them from the Shore: However, in a few Hours, the Weather clearing up, wet saw plainly five large Ships, three with English Colours, and two with Dutch, standing into the Bay, and in about four or five Hours more they came to an Anchor.
A little while after they were come to an Anchor, their Boats began to come on Shore to the usual Watering-place to fill their Casks; and while they were doing that, the rest of the Men look’d about them a little, as usual, tho’ at first they did not stir very far from their Boats.
I had now a nice Game to play, as any Man in the World ever had: It was absolutely necessary for us to speak with these Men; and yet
how to speak with them, and not have them speak with us in a Manner that we should not like, that was the main Point: It was with a great deal of Impatience that we lay still one whole Day, and saw their Boats come on Shore, and go on Board again, and we were so irresolute all the while, that we knew not what to do; at last I told my Men, it was absolutely necessary we should speak with them, and seeing we could not agree upon the Method how to do it friendly and fairly, I was resolv’d to do it by Force, and that if they would take my Advice, we would place ourselves in Ambuscade upon the Land somewhere, that we might see them when they were on Shore, and the first Man that straggled from the rest we would clap in upon and seize him, and three or four of them if we could. As for our Boat, we had secur’d it in a Creek three or four Miles up the Country, where it was secure enough out of their Reach or Knowledge.
With this Resolution we plac’d ourselves in two Gangs; eleven of us in one Place, and only three of us in another, and very close we lay: The Place we chose for our Ambuscade was on the Side of a rising Ground almost a Mile from the Watering-place, but where we could see them all come towards the Shore, and see them if they did but set their Foot on Shore.