Upon their firſt ſeeing a Ship of this Force and Burthen, they ſuppoſed it to be a Man of War ſent to take them; they therefore lurked within their Faſtneſſes, but when ſome from the Ship came on Shore, without any ſhew of Hoſtility, and offering to trade with the Negroes, they ventured to come out of their Holes, attended like Princes; and ſince they actually are Kings De Facto, which is a kind of a Right, we ought to ſpeak of them as ſuch.
Having been ſo many Years upon this Iſland, it may be imagined, their Cloaths had long been worn out, ſo that their Majeſties were extreamly out at the Elbows; I cannot ſay they were ragged, ſince they had no Cloaths, they had nothing to cover them but the Skins of Beaſts without any tanning, but with all the Hair on, nor a Shoe nor Stocking, ſo they looked like the Pictures of Hercules in the Lion’s Skin; and being overgrown with Beard, and Hair upon their Bodies, they appeared the moſt ſavage Figures that a Man’s Imagination can frame.
However, they ſoon got rigg’d, for they ſold great Numbers of thoſe poor People under them, for Cloaths, Knives, Saws, Powder and Ball, and many other Things, and became ſo familiar that they went aboard the Delicia, and were obſerved to be very curious, examining the inſide of the Ship, and very familiar with the Men, inviting them aſhore. Their Deſign in doing this, as they afterwards confeſſed, was to try if it was not practicable to ſurprize the Ship in the Night, which they judged very eaſy, in caſe there was but a ſlender Watch kept on Board, they having Boats and Men enough at Command, but it ſeems the Captain was aware of them, and kept ſo ſtrong a Watch upon Deck, that they found it was in vain to make any Attempt; wherefore, when ſome of
