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

ROBINSON CRUSOE. 271
the place where they flood, I got to the boat accom¬
panied with the fupercargo, and To went on board,
fending the pinnace back again, to aflifl the men
in what might happen. When I had got to the boat,
the fire was almoft extinguifhed, and the noife was
abated.; but I had fcarce been half an hour onboard
the fhip, when I heard another volley given by our
failors, and a great fmoke, which, as I afterwards
found, was our men falling upon thofe houfes and
perfons that flood between them and the fea ; but
here they fpared the wives and children, and killed
about fixteen or feventeen men. And fo they came
flrolling down to the pinnace, which at that time
was gotten on fhore to receive them. Not a man
of them had received the leaft hurt, except two, one
of whom flrained his foot, and the other burnt Ins
hand a little, having met with no refiftance, the poor
Indians being unprepared, amazed, and confounded.
Indeed I was extremely angry with every one of
them, but particularly the captain ; who, inflead of
cooling the rage of the men, had prompted them on
to farther mifehief: Nor could he make any other
excufe, but that, as he was a man, he could not ma¬
iler his paffions, at the fight of one of his men ib
cruelly murdered. As for the reft, knowing they
were not under my command, they took no notice of
my anger, but rather boafted of their revenge ; and,
according to ail their accounts, they killed or deflroy-
ed about i qo-men,women,and children,befides burn¬
ing the town to afhes. They took their companion
Tom Jeffery from the tree, covered him with fome
of the ruins, and fo left him. But, however jufti-
fieable this action of our men might feem to them-
felves, yet I always openly condemned it, with the
appellation of the maflacre of Madagafcar: For
though they had {lain this Jeffery, yet he was cer¬
tainly the firft aggreffbr, by attempting to violate the
chaftity of a young innocent woman, who ventured
down