In all the time of our being here, neither the Gouernour for the King of Spaine, (which is a Portugall) neither the Bishop, whose authoritie is great, neither any of the inhabitantes of the towne, or Island euer came at vs (which we expected they should have done) to intreate vs to leaue them some part of their needfull prouisions, or at the least, to spare the ruining of their towne at our going away. The cause of this their vnreasonable distrust (as I doe take it) vvas the fresh remembrance of the great wronges they had done to olde Maister William Havvkins of Plimmouth, in the voyage he made foure or fiue yeares before, when as they did both breake their promise, and murthered many of his men, whereof I iudge you haue vnderstood, and therfore needlesse to be repeated. But since they came not at vs, vve left written in sundrie places, as also in the Spitle house, (vhich building was onely appointed to be spared) the great discontentment and scorne we tooke at this their refraining to come vnto vs, as also at the rude maner of killing, and sauage kinde of handling the dead body of one of our boyes found, by them stragling all alone, from whome they had taken his head and heart, and had stragled the other bowels about the place, in a most brutish and beastly maner.
In reuenge vvhereof at our departing vve consumed vvith fire all the houses, asvvell in the countrey vvhich vve savv, as in the tovvne of S. Iago.
From hence putting ouer to the West Indies, we vvere not many dayes at sea, but there beganne amongst our people such mortalitie, as in fevv dayes there vvere dead aboue tvvo or three hundred men. And vntill some seuen or eight dayes after out comming from S. Iago, there had not died any one man of sicknesse in all the Fleete: the sicknesse shevved not his infection vvherevvith so many vvere stroken, vntill vve vvere departed thence, and then seazed our people vvith extreme hote burning and continuall ague, vvhereof some very fevv escaped vvith life, and yet those for the most part not vvith out great alteration and decay of their vvittes and strength for a long time after. In some that died vvere plainly shevved the small spottes, vvhich are often found vpon those that be infected vvith the plague, vve vvere not aboue eighteene daies in passage betvvene the sight of Sainct Iago aforesaid, and the Island of Dominica, being the first Islande of the West Indies that vve fell vvithall, the same being inhabited vvith sauage people, vvhich goe all naked, their skin coloured vvith some painting of a reddish tavvney, very personable and handsome strong men, vvho doe admit little conuersation vvith the Spaniardes: for as some of our people might vnnderstand them, they had a Spaniard or tvvaine prisoners vvith them, neither do I thinke that there is any safetie for any of our nation, or any other to be vvithin the limits of their commaundement, albeit they vsed vs very kindly for those fevve houres of time vvhich vve spent vvith them, helping our folkes to fill and carie on their bare shoulders fresh vvater from the riuer to our ships boates, and fetching from their houses, great store of Tobacco, as also a kinde of bread vvhich they fed on, called Cassado, verie C4 white and sauerie, made of the rootes of Cassania. In recompence whereof, wee bestovved liberall revvardes of glasse, coloured beades, and other things, which we had found at Sainct Iago, vvherewith (as it seemed) they rested verie greatlie satisfied, and shevving some sorrowfull countenance vvhen they perceaued that vve vvoulde depart.
From hence vve vvent to another Island Westward of it, called Sainct Christophers Island, wherein vvee spent some daies of Christmas, to refresh our sicke people, and to cleanse and ayre our ships. In vvhich island vvere not any people at all that vve could heare off.
In vvhich time by the Generall it vvas aduised and resolued, vvith the consent of the Lieftenant generall, the Vice-Admirall, and all the rest of the Captaines to proceed to the great Island of Hispaniola, as vvel for that we knevve our selues then to bee in our best strength, as also the rather allured thereunto, by the glorious fame of the Citie of S. Domingo, being the ancientest and chiefe inhabited place in al the tract of countrey ther aboutes. And so proceeding in this determination, by the vvay vvee met a small Frigot, bound for the same place, the vvhich the Vice-Admirall tooke, and hauing duelie examined the men that vvere in her, there vvas one founde by vvhome vve vvere aduertised, the hauen to be a barred hauen, and the shore or land thereof to be vvell fortified, hauing a Castle thereupon furnished vvith greate store of Artillerie, vvithout the danger vvhereof, vvas no conuenient landing place vvithin ten English miles of the Citie, to vvhich the saide Pilote tooke vpon him to conduct vs.
All thinges being thus considered on, the vvhole forces vvere commaunded in the euening to embarke themselues into Pinnaces, boates, & other small barkes appointed for this seruice. Our souldiers being thus imbarked the Generall put himselfe into the barke Francis as Admirall, and all this night we lay on the sea, bearing small saile vntill our arriuall to the landing place, which vvas about the breaking of the day, and so we landed, being Newyears day, nine or ten miles to the Westwardes of that braue Citie of S. Domingo: for at that time nor yet is knowen to vs, any landing place, vvher the sea surge doth not threaten to ouerset a Pinnace or boat. Our General hauing seene vs all landed in safetie, returned to his Fleete, bequeathing vs to God, and the good conduct of Maister Carliell our Lieuetenant Generall: at which time, being about eight of the clocke, we began to march, and about noone time, or towards one of the clocke we approched the towne, where the Gentlemen and those of the better sort, being some [hundred] and fiftie braue horses or rather more, began to present themselues, but our small shot plaied vpon them, which were so sustained with good proportion of pikes in all partes, as they finding no part of our troope vnprepared to receiue them (for you must vnderstande they viewed all round about) they were thus driuen to giue vs leaue to proceed towardes the tvvo gates of the tovvne, vvhich vvere the next to the seavvard. They had manned them both, and planted their ordinance for that present, and sudden alarum vvithout the gate, and also some troopes of small shot in Ambuscado vpon the hievvay side. We deuided our vvhole force, being some thousand or tvvelue hundred men into tvvo partes, to enterprise both the gates at one instant, the Lieftenant Generall hauing openly vovved to Captaine Povvell (vvho led the troope that entered the other gate) that vvith Gods good fauour he vvould not rest vntill our meeting in the market place.
Their ordinance had no sooner discharged vpon our near approch, & made some execution amongst vs, though not much, but the Lieftenant generall began foorthvvith to aduaunce both his voice of encouragement, and pace D of marching, the first man that vvas slaine vvith the ordinance being verie neere vnto himselfe, and thereupon hasted all that he might to keepe them from the [recharging] of the ordinance. And notvvithstanding their Ambuscadoes, vve marched or rather ranne so roundly into them as pell mell vve entered the gates, and gaue them more care euery man to saue himselfe by flight, then reason to stand any longer to their broken fight, we foorthwith repaired to the market place, but to be more truely vnderstood a place of verye faire spatious square grounde before the great Church, vvhether also came as had bene agreed Captaine Povvell with the other troope, which place vvith some part next vnto it, we strengthened with Barricados, and there as the most conuenient place assured our selues, the Citie being farre to spacious for so small and weary a troope to vndertake to garde. Somevvhat after midnight they vvho had the garde of the Castle, hearing vs busie about the gates of the saide Castle, abandoned the same: some being taken prisoners, and some flying away by the help of boates, to the other side of the hauen, & so into the country.
The next day vve quartered a little more at large, but not into the halfe part of the tovvne, and so making substantiall trenches, and planting all the ordinance that ech part vvas correspondent to other, we held this towne the space of one moneth.
In the vvhich time happened some accidents more then are vvell remembred for the present, but amongst other thinges it chanced that the Generall sent on his message to the Spaniardes a negro boy with a flagge of vvhite, signifiing truce, as is the Spaniardes ordinarie manner to doe there, vvhen they approch to speak to vs, vvhich boy vnhappily vvas first met withall, by some of those who had bene belonging as officers for the King in the Spanish Galley, vvhich vvith the Tovvne vvas lately fallen into our hands, vvho vvithout all order or reason, and contrary to that good vsage vvherevvith vvee had entertained their messengers, furiouslie stroke the poore boy through the bodie vvith one of their horsemens staues, with vvich vvound the boy returned to the Generall, and after he had declared the maner of this wrongfull crueltie, died forthvvith in his presence, vvherewith the Generall beeing greatly passioned, commaunded the Prouost martiall, to cause a couple of Friers, then prisoners, to be caried to the same place where the boy was stroken, accompanied with sufficient gard of our soldiers, and there presently to be hanged, dispatching at the same instant another poore prisoner, vvith this reason wherefore this execution vvas done, and vvith this message further, that vntill the partie vvho had thus murthered the Generals messenger, vvere deliuered into our handes, to receaue condigne punishment, there should no day passe, vvherein there should not two prisoners be hanged, vntill they were all consumed vvich vvere in our handes.
Whereupon the day following, he that had bene Captaine of the kinges galley, brought the offendor to the townes ende, offring to deliuer him into our hands, but it was thought a more honourable reuenge, to make them there in our sight, to performe the execution themselues, vvhich vvas done accordingly.