I went from him to the other mines, and my guides with me; who seeing me so well received at the copper-mine and reporting it to the others, it caused my proceedings to go on smoothly, and my offers to be readily embraced wherever I came.
Having prepared matters thus, I set Maleck and his countrymen upon the natives, to treat with them about submission to Georigetti, on promise of freedom; who being assured of what I had done at Brandleguarp, and in hopes of like liberty, readily came into it; so that the only thing remaining was, before the governor's return, to attack the soldiery. Having, therefore, renewed my engagements with the miners, and believing myself upon as good terms with the natives as I could wish, I was advised by Nasgig and Lasmeel to return for cannon and a large army before I attacked the soldiery: but I, who had all my life rode upon the spur, having considered that an opportunity once lost is never to be regained; and though I could have wished for some cannon, I valued the men but for show: I therefore formed my resolves to march with the force I had next morning, and pitch upon a plain just by the governor's garrison, in order, if I could, to draw his men out. I did so, and it answered; for upon the first news of my coming, they appeared with a sort of heavy-headed weapons, which hurling round, they threw upwards aslope, in order to light upon the backs of their enemies in flight, and beat them down; but they could not throw them above thirty paces.
I sat still in my chair, with a gun in my hand, and Maleck with another at my elbow, with four more lying by me, ready to be presented; Lasmeel standing by to charge again as fast as we fired. I ordered a party of twenty of my men with cutlasses to attack the van of the enemy, by rushing impetuously upon them, they coming but thin against me; for I was not willing to employ my pieces till I could do more execution. They began the attack about a hundred yards before me, not very high in the air; and my cutlass-men having avoided the first flight of their weapons, fell upon them with such fury, that chopping here a limb and there a graundee, which, disabling their flight, was equally pernicious, they fell by scores before me: but I seeing those in the rear, which made a body of near three hundred, coming very swift and close in treble ranks, one above the other, hoping to bear down my handful of men with their numbers, I ordered my men all to retire behind me, and not till the enemy were passed over my head to fall on them. Maleck and I, as they came near, each firing a piece together, and whipping up another, and then another, in an instant they fell round us roaring and making a horrid yell. This the rest seeing, went over our men's heads, not without many falling from the cuts of my men; and those who escaped were never heard of more.
The miners, who from their several stations had beheld the action, came singing and dancing from every quarter round me, and if I had not drawn my men close in a circle about me, would probably, out of affection, have done me more hurt than two of the governor's armies; for against these common gratitude denied the use of force; and they crowding every one but to touch me, they said, for fear of being pressed to death myself, as some of them almost were, I ordered them to be let in through my men at one side of the ring, and, passing by and touching me, to be let out on the other side; and this quieted them, but kept me in penance a long time.
We then marched in a body all into the town, where we were going to proclaim Georigetti King of Mount Alkoe, when a surly fellow, much wiser than the rest, as he thought, being about to harangue the people against being too hasty in it, was knocked down and trod to death for his pains; and we went on with the proclamation, giving general liberty to all persons without exception.
The next thing to be considered was how to oppose the governor when he came; and for that purpose I inquired into the manner of his coming, the road he came, and his attendants; and being informed that a hundred of his guards who had not the graundee waited for him at the sea-side, and that he had got no other guard, except a few friends and the slaves he went for, and that the slaves always came first, six in a rank tied together, under convoy of a few of his guards, I went in person to view the route he came, and seeing a very convenient post in a thick wood through which they were to pass, from whence we might see them before they came near us, I posted a watch on the sea side of the wood, and myself and men lay on the hither side of it, just where the governor's party must come out of it again: so that my watch giving notice of their approach, we might be ready to fall on at their coming out of our side of the wood.
When we had waited three days, our watch brought word they were coming; so we kept as close as possible, letting the slaves and guards march on, who came by about two hours' march before the governor: but so soon as he approached I drew up my men on the plain within the wood in ranks, ordering them to lie close on their bellies till they saw me rise, and then to rise, follow me, and obey orders.
Several of the first ranks having passed the wood, just as the governor had entered the open country, I rose and bade Maleck call aloud that if any of them stirred or lifted up a weapon he was a dead man; and then seeing one of the foremost running, I fetched him down with a musket-shot, bidding Maleck tell the rest that if they submitted and laid down their weapons they were safe; but if they refused, I would serve them all as I had done him who fled. This speech, with the terror of the gun, fixed every man to his place like a statue.
I then went forward to the governor, and by Maleck, my interpreter, asked him who they all were with him: he told me his slaves. I then made him call every man before him and give him freedom; which finding no way to avoid (for I looked very stern), he did, and I had enough to do to quiet my new freemen, who I thought would have devoured me for joy. I asked him whither he was going; he said to his government.—"Under whom do you hold it?" says I.—"Under the zaps of the isles," says he. I then told him that whoever held that government for the future, must receive it from the hands of Georigetti, the king of that country, to whom all the natives and miners had already engaged their fidelity. I told him both natives and foreigners had been all declared free.
The governor seemed much dejected, and told me he hoped I would not use him or his company ill. I told him that depended entirely on his own and their good behaviour. I asked him who his friends were that were with him; he said they were some of the zap's relations, who were come to see the method of the government and inspect the mines.