paſs’d between him and the Governor, he returned again on Board.
It happened a French Ship came in there to ſupply it ſelf with ſome Neceſſaries, which Davis took into his Head to plunder, but to give the Thing a Colour of Right, he perſuaded the Portugueze, that ſhe had been trading with the Pyrates, and that he found ſeveral Pyrates Goods on Board, which he ſeized for the King’s Uſe: This Story paſſed ſo well upon the Governor, that he commended Davis’s Diligence.
A few Days after, Davis, with about fourteen more, went privately aſhore, and walk’d up the Country towards a Village, where the Governor and the other chief Men of the Iſland kept their Wives, in tending, as we may ſuppoſe, to ſupply their Husbands Places with them; but being diſcovered, the Women fled to a neighbouring Wood, and Davis and the reſt retreated to their Ship, without effecting their Deſign: The Thing made ſome Noiſe, but as no body knew them, it paſſed over.
Having cleaned his Ship, and put all Things in Order, his Thoughts now were turned upon the main Buſineſs, viz. the Plunder of the Iſland, and not knowing where the Treaſure lay, a Stratagem came into his Head, to get it (as he thought) with little Trouble, he conſulted his Men upon it, and they liked the Deſign: His Scheme was, to make a Preſent to the Governor, of a Dozen Negroes, by Way of Return for the Civilities received from him, and afterwards to invite him, with the chief Men, and ſome of the Friers, on Board his Ship, to an Entertainment; the Minute they came on Board, they were to be ſecured in Irons, and there kept till they ſhould pay a Ranſom of 40000 l. Sterling.
But this Stratagem proved fatal to him, for a Portugueze Negroe ſwam aſhore in the Night, and diſcovered the whole Plot to the Governor, and alſo let
