Sad and dreadful news from New-England being a true relation of the barbarous cruelty lately committed by the Spaniards upon the English.

Sad and dreadful news from New-England being a true relation of the barbarous cruelty lately committed by the Spaniards upon the English.

Table of contents

Sad and dreadful News FROM New-England, BEING A True Relation of the Barbarous Cruelty lately committed by the Spaniards upon the English.

POSTSCRIPT.

§

Sad and dreadful News FROM New-England, BEING A True Relation of the Barbarous Cruelty lately committed by the Spaniards upon the English.

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THE following Relation, being an unquestionable Truth, attested before the Magistrates of Boston in New-England; I shall not trouble the Reader with any Preface, but Impartially relate the matter of Fact, and be rather contented to deliver less then the Truth, then add in the least thereto; as thus,

A Small Pink, called The Blessing, &c. belonging to Boston in New-England, and bound thither, set Sail from Iamaica the 26 of March, 1683, having on Board her David East Master, Charles Cretchet Mate, Robert Peirce, Philip Churchwood, Peter Rowland, Peter Clement Marriners; and Iohn Bath Passenger, the latter having on Board the said Pink Goods to the Value of Forty Pound, when the first of April following we were taken off the Isle of Pines, about four Leagues Westwardly, and about one hundred Leagues from Iamaica, by a half Gally with 36 Oars and Forty Men, which came up with us about Eight of the Clock at Night, and without Haling us, poured in a Valley of small Shot, whereupon we Haled them several times, but could have no Answer, yet they kept Firing upon us a considerable time; after which, they left Firing, and Haled us, upon which we answered: Then they Commanding us to hoist out our Boat; we returned Answer, that if they would leave off Firing we would do it; yet they Fired a Valley of Small Shot, which made us fall upon our Bellies, to prevent the danger; then they Haled us again in English, and we answered them as before, but being Board and Board, they still commanded us to hoist out our Boat; and we being but a Small Pink, and having neither Guns, Powder, nor Shot, to make Resistance, as also becalmed, having no means to get away, hoisted out our Boat accordingly, with Iohn Bath, and Peter Rowland in her; whom they dragged out and filled her with their own Men, and then they Rowed into the Harbour of the Isle of Pines, into which the next Morning about Eight of the Clock they brought our Pink, where being at Anchor, they sent for Iohn Bath and Peter Rowland from a Board, and put all into the Hold, saving the Master and his Mate: when having made fast a Block to the Yard-Arm, and reved a Rope in it; they took the Mate and twisted a piece of Sea-net about his Head till his Eyes were ready to start out, and then Hanged him up by the two Thumbs, that they might make him confess what Money there was a Board, but when they saw they could make him confess nothing by that Punishment, they made fast the Rope about his Neck, and their Men asked the Commander, whether they should hoist him up or not? Then the Captain and the [Page] rest of the Officers consulted amongst themselves, whether they should Hang us all or not, but could not agree in the point. At last they concluded upon what was more Cruel, (as it appeared by the event) though the over-ruling Providence prevented our utter Destruction. For they Commanded the Master and five more into the Boat, leaving Philip Churchwood on Board; at which time they took into the Boat Seanet, Spun-yarn, small Ropes, and a Shovel, and Rowed us a Shore on the Isle of Pines, and conveyed us among the Mangrove Trees; then they took Iohn Bath and Peter Clement, and carried them a Shore, looking for a convenient place to Hang them; but ofterwards changing their Resolution, they Commanded them to put off their Cloaths, Shirt and all; and then caused them to turn their Backs to the Branch of the Tree, and spread their Arms abroad, in which posture they bound their Arms to the Branches, then the forenamed Iohn Bath and Peter Clement asked them whither they intended to leave them there to be Starved? To which one of them replyed, Hold your peace least it should be worse with you, and call upon the Virgin Mary, and it may be she may come and loose you; To whom they replyed, We hope our Saviour Christ will loose us out of this Bondage. Then leaving them bound in that miserable condition, they took the Master and his Mate, and carried them a quarter of a Mile, and then served them in the like manner. And in like manner carrying the other two, viz. Peter Rowland and Robert Peirce the same distance beyond each Master and his Mate, they bound them likewise as they had done the other four; And when they had so done, they went to their Vessel, without the least pity or compassion. And so it was that they had bound them in such places, that each couple stood up to the middle Legg in Water, their Feet touching one another, and their Faces so turned that they might behold each others miserable condition. In this Dismal and helpless condition they continued for some time, and must have ended their days, had not the Divine Goodness out of unbounded Compassion, found a way for their deliverance, which was effected in the manner following: About three hours after they were thus bound, and left by the Spaniards, expecting nothing less then Starving, Iohn Bath Espied a Stick with a crook at one end, not far from him; whereupon he said to his Companion, If it pleases God we get that Stick into our Hands, it might be a means to work our Deliverance; and thereupon they tryed to bring it towards them, with their Feet, which in a little time they happily effected; and bore it up betwixt their Leggs, in such manner that at last Iohn Bath got hold of it in his Hand, with which by degrees they loosened the Knot, (which was upon the bowing of the Arms) and shifting it into their Fingers, did by little and little loosen it, until they had quite undone it, and by that means set themselves at Liberty; when having lifted up their Hearts and Hands to Heaven, through whose Goodness they had obtain'd such unexpected deliverance; they hastened to unbind the rest of their Companions, whom they found bemoaning their condition without all hope of Relief, So that this great deliverance seemed as Life from Death: Being all set at Liberty, their next care was to keep themselves out of the Sight of those Barbarous Villains from whom they had received such usage, least meeting with them again, they should Kill them. Yet they had not Travelled above a Mile, e're they espied some of them upon a high Tree, to discover Ships that passed that way; which so affrighted them, that they run among the Thickets, and lost one another, nor meeting again until the Third Night after, and having met with no water all that time, they were forced to lick the Dew from off the leaves of the Trees: when they had met again, being very weary, they laid themselves down to rest, and in the middle of the Night, a great Allegator came among them, and caught the Masters Arm [Page] in his Mouth, but he and the rest crying out, it pleased God so to order it, that the Allegator let go his hold, yet so that he brought away a great piece of Flesh, and made several holes, but by that means it pleased God to preserve them all; after which they got upon a high Tree, and sate there till it was day, the Master sitting in much pain, as he did also the next day, until the day after they met with a Wild Coney, which they Killed, and by the help of a Stone, Fleaing of it, they applyed the inside of the Skin to his Arm, and Eat the Flesh Raw, which was very Savory and delicious Food at that time; the Night following they thought themselves very secure from the Allegators, for they got upon a high Rock: yet even there an Allegator came upon them, and geting hold of Peter Clements Hand, and hailed him off the Rock, upon which they all cryed out, whereupon the Allegator loosed his hold, doing him no great damage; and then they removed to the Trees, as they did before. The Seventh day the Allegators were so numerous that they greatly affrighted them; but they went amongst the Rocks and found a little Rain-water in several holes, and it being Saturday, they concluded to raise a little Wall about two yards high, to keep the Allegators from them; and there they got a few raw Whilks and Crabs, the which was all the Food they had. On the Monday following they Travelled again, and found a place where Turtlers had been, and there they found a Well, with a Barrel in it, and thereupon conjectured the Turtlers used to come there; and there they concluded to stay, till it pleased God to send them Relief, or to take them out of the World, for they were weary of their Lives; During their stay, theywere forced to go three Miles every day upon the Sands, to get Whilksand Crabs to supply their Hunger, and then came back again to Drink Water.

On the 13 of April, the Mate and two more, viz. Robert Peirce and Peter Clement, made a Raft with such wood as he found in the Island, and put to Sea, leaving the Master, Iohn Bath and Peter Rowland.

On the 17 of April, they were so sorely oppressed with hunger, and so extream Faint with heat, not having the least Garment to cover them from the Sun, being at the same time grievously Infested with Mosketoes, so that they were not able to go to the Rock for Whilks, but were forced to gnaw such dry Bones of Turtles as had lain there half a year; in this extremity it pleased God to send them some Relief, for they found a Dead Eele, which they supposed a Hern had dropt, there being many in that Island; this they took up, having Skin'd it, divided it amongst them; it seeming to them the most pleasant they had ever tasted.

On the 19 of April, the Master, Iohn Bath and Peter Rowland, made a Raft likewise, and when they were about to put off, they espied two Sails, upon which they committed themselves to the Mercy of the Seas, endeavouring to get to them, and were took up by them: These Sails were a couple of Canoo's, with three Men in each, who kept them 32 days, and then brought them to Havanah, and carried them before the Governour, who Examined them, demanding how they came there, upon which they gave him the Relation before-mentioned, yet he caused them to be Imprisoned, and kept there 18 days, not allowing them any thing, so that had they not had some Sustenance from a few poor English Prisoners that were there, they had been Starved. At length understanding that their Ship was in that Harbour, and also the Captain and his Company that took them, they Petitioned the Governour, who at last granted them their Ship, for they could make no Prize of her, because she had no Spanish Goods a Board, her Lading being only Cotten, Sugar, and Molossus) and when he had Examined them one by one, and found them all in a Tale, he sent an Officer to give them possession of their Vessel, which they found unladen, and nothing [Page] left a Board her but Ballast: upon which they Petitioned to the Governour again for their Lading, but got nothing more then their Sails, and what Cotton, Sugar, and Molossus were undisposed of.

About the 10 or 11th of Iune following, the hunters had taken up Robert Peirce and Peter Clement, and brought them into Havanah, to the Governour, who Examined them what was become of their Mate, they told him they were five days at Sea upon the Raft, and had only two Crabs to Subsist on, and then the Wind drove them upon the same Island they left, where they wandred up and down a Month, and in their Travels lost their Mate, who was weak, and not able to Travel; upon which the Governour sent them also a Board, and the Night before they Sailed, the Hunters advertized the Governour they had taken up the Mate alive. But the Governour hurried them away in such haste, that they could not stay to know the certainty thereof. And so they proceeded to prosecute their intended Voyage to Boston; being almost Starved with Cold before they got thither, each Man having nothing but a Canvas Frock, which the Turtlers gave them. But in the Conclusion, through the Goodness of God, they came safe to New-England.

POSTSCRIPT.

HAving thus far prooceeded in this doleful Relation; it will not be amiss to give you an Account of the usage of Philip Churchwood, who was left in the above mentioned Pink.

First, They threatned to put him a Shore upon an Island, and abused him very much to oblige him to confess what Mony was in the Ship; and when they had done what they could, some of them concluded to heave him Over-Board, yet one of the Spaniards came to him that spoke English, and told him, if he would not do as they would have him, he would surely be cast into the Sea; and that was, to say every thing before the Governour of Havanah, that they should command him, viz. That they took the Ship at Anchor, and that all the Men were gone a Shore in the Boat to Hunt on the Isle of Pines. To this Churchwood told them, that to save his Life, if they would have him say the Stones were Silver, he wuold do it, and so when they came into Havanah, they gave in a Deposition to the Governour according to what they had told Churchwood, and urged him to swear to it; but he told the Governour the truth, viz. How they carried the Men a Shore, and what they had done with them he knew not. So the Captain put him in Prison, and swore by the Cross, and by the Virgin-Mary, that the first English, French, or Dutchman that he met with, should never bring Tidings of him thither.

If any doubt the Truth of this Narration, they may receive further Satisfaction from Charles Cretchets Relations living upon Redriff-Wall, near East-Lane-Stairs, over-against the Sign of the Pink (the Mate before mentioned) or of Iohn Bath Lodging at the Sign of the Crown in Old Gravel-Lane, near Ratcliff-High-way, who was a Passenger on Board the said Pink.

Entred according to Order.

§

LONDON, Printed for Langley Curtis, 1684.

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Information about this book

Title statement

Sad and dreadful news from New-England being a true relation of the barbarous cruelty lately committed by the Spaniards upon the English.

Edition statement

1684

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2004-03 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A59033

ID [STC]

Wing S236

ID [STC]

ESTC R17052

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

13034902

ID [OCLC]

ocm 13034902

ID [VID]

96815

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Early English books online.

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(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A59033)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 96815)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 399:15)

Source

— Sad and dreadful news from New-England being a true relation of the barbarous cruelty lately committed by the Spaniards upon the English.,

Extent

4 p.

Printed for Langley Curtis,. London :: 1684.. (Caption title.) (Imprint from colophon.) (Relates the capture near Isle of Pines of the ship Blessing, bound for Boston from Jamaica.) (Reproduction of original in Library of Congres.)

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