Accidents > Life and most surprising adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, mariner, who lived eight and twenty years in an uninhabited island on the coast of America, near the mouth of the great river Oroonoque

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ROBINSON CRUSOE.
cut almoft from- ear to ear: In a houfe that was
hard by the tree they found fixteen or feventeen In¬
dians, who had been concerned in the fray, two or
three of them being wounded, who were not gone
to deep ; this houfe they let on fire firft, and in a
few minutes after, five or fix places more in the
town appeared in flames. The conflragation fpread
lilte wild-fire, their houfes being all of wood, and
covered with flags or rulhes. The poor affrighted
inhabitants endeavoured to run out to fave their
lives, but they were driven back into the flames by
the iailors, and killed without mercy. At the firft
houfe above mentioned, after the boatfwain had flain
two with his pole-axe, he threw a hand granade
into the houfe, which burfting, made a terrible ha-
vock, killing and wounding mofi: of them; and
their king and mofi: of his train, who were then in
that houie, fell victims to their fury, every crea¬
ture of them being either fmothered or burnt. All
this while they never fired a gun, left the people
Ihould awaken fafter then they could overpower
them. But the fire awakened them faft enough,
which obliged our fellow's to keep together in bodies.
By this time the whole town wras in a flame, yet
their fury rather increafed, calling out to one an¬
other to remember Tom, Jeffery. The terrible light
of this conflragation made me very uneafy, and
rcufed my nephew the captain, and the reft of his
then, w'ho knew nothing of the matter. When he
perceived the dreadful fimoke, and heard the guns
go off, he readily concluded his men wefe in danger ;
he therefore takes another boat, and comes afliore
himfelf, wnth thirteen men well armed. He was
greatly furprifed to fee me and only two men in the
boat, but more lb when I told him the ftory ; but
tho’ I argued with him, as I did with his men, a-
bout the danger of the voyage, the interefts of the
merchants and owners, and the fafety of the fhip,
yet