Page:A general history of the pyrates, from their first rise and settlement in the Island of Providence, to the present time (1724).djvu/392

and fell to rifling; but finding the above-mentioned People in the Hold, and ſeveral Engliſh Goods, they conſulted Low the Captain thereupon, and without examining any further, the Reſolution paſs’d to kill all the Company; and the Pyrates, without any Ceremony, fell Pell-Mell to Execution with their Swords, Cutlaſhes, Poll-Axes and Piſtols, cutting, ſlaſhing and ſhooting the poor Spaniards at a ſad Rate. Some of the miſerable Creatures jump’d down into the Hold, but could not avoid the Maſſacre; they met Death every where, for if they eſcaped it from one Hand, they were ſure to periſh by another; the only Proſpect they had of Life, was to fly from the Rage of thoſe mercileſs Men, and to truſt to the more merciful Sea; and accordingly a great many leap’d over-board, and ſwam for the Shore; but Low perceiving it, ordered the Canoa to be mann’d, and ſent in purſuit of them, by which Means ſeveral of the poor unhappy Men were knock’d in the Head in the Water, as they were endeavouring to get to Land; however, about 12 of them did reach the Shore, but in a miſerable Condition, being very much wounded, and what became of them afterwards was not known, except one, who while the Pyrates were at their Sports and Paſtimes aſhore, finding himſelf very weak and fainting with his Wounds, and not knowing where to go for Help and Relief, in this Extremity, he came back to them, and begg’d for God ſake, in the moſt earneſt Manner poſſible, that they would give him Quarters; upon which, one of the Villains took hold of him, and ſaid, G——— d———n him, he would give him good Quarters preſently, and made the poor Spaniard kneel down on his Knees, then taking his Fuſil, put the Muzzle of it into his Mouth, and fired down his Throat. ’Twas thought the reſt did not long ſurvive their miſerable Condition,and