Page 374
An.1687
They leave Captain Swan behind.
The 13th day in the morning they weighed, and fired a Gun : Captain Swan immediately sent a- board Mr. Nelly, who was now his chief Mate, to see what the matter was : To him they told all their grievances, and shew'd him the Journal. He per- swaded them to stay till the next day, for an an- swer from Captain Swan and the Merchants. So they came to an Anchor again, and the next morn- ing Mr. Harthop came aboard : He perswaded them to be reconciled again, or at least to stay and get more Rice : But they were deaf to it, and weigh- ed again while he was aboard. Yet at Mr. Harthop's perswasion they promised to stay till 2 a clock in the afternoon for Captain Swan, and the rest of the men, if they would come aboard ; but they suf- fer'd no man to go ashore, except one William Wil- liams that had a Wooden Leg, and another that was a Sawyer.
If Captain Swan had yet come aboard, he might have dash'd all their designs : but he neither came himself, as a Captain of any Prudence and Cou- rage would have done, nor sent till the time was expired. So we left Captain Swan and about 36 men ashore in the City, and 6 or 8 that run away ; and about 16 we had buried there, the most of which dyed by Poyson. The Natives are very ex- pert at Poysoning, and do it upon small occasions : nor did our men want for giving offence, through their general Rogueries, and sometimes by dallying too familiarly with their Women even before their faces. Some of their Poysons are slow and linger- ing ; for we had some now aboard who were poy- son'd there ; but dyed not till some months after.
CHAP.